Po

Po _30-Mar-2004	WWW.AVIATION.RU

Polikarpov Nikolai Nikolaevich

2I-N1/DI-1 - See DI-1.
ARK-5 - Version of the R-5 used as transport in the arctic region.
DI-1 - Two-seat biplane fighter. The DI-1 had exceptional performance, but the design was abandoned after the loss of the prototype. One Napier Lion.
DI-2 - Two-seat derivative of the Polikarpov I-3. One BMW VI 7,3. One built.
I-1/IL-1/IL-400 (Istrebitel, Istrebitel Legkij) - Monoplane fighter. The idea was advanced, but the actual aircraft was disappointing; only 22 were built. One 400hp M-5. 1923.
I-3/IL-3 - The Polikarpov I-3 was the standard Soviet Air Force fighter aircraft during the late 1920's and into early 1930's, with some four hundred being produced. The I-3 was powered by an M-17 (BMW liquid cooled engine). 1929.
Modification: DI-2 - Two seat version. One built.
I-5 14.4K - Biplane fighter, designed by Polikarpov and Grigorovich while imprisoned. Some were still in service as trainers in 1941. One 450hp Bessonov M-15. 803 built. 1933.
Prototype: VT-11.
More: 1 .
Story: http://www.aire.org/gce/avionesrepublicanos/polikarpov15.htm.
I-6 - Small biplane fighter. Abandoned in favour of the I-5. One 450hp Gnome-Rhone Jupiter VI. 1930.
I-15 26.9K/TsKB-3 - A small biplane fighter with a gulled upper wing. The I-15 was used in combat in Spain and proved to be one of the best fighter biplanes of its time. One 700hp M-25. 674 built. 1934.
Rada - The I-16 was revolutionary when it appeared in 1933; the first operational cantilever monoplane fighter with rectractable landing gear. The original M-25 engine was a copy of the Wright R-1820; some I-16s actually had US-built engines. It was very succesfull in the Spanish civil war; but it was obsolete at the outbreak of WWII. Large numbers were still in service in 1941, and it stayed in front-line service until late 1943. 7005 single-seaters and 1639 two-seaters built. The Type 24 could have a M-62, M-63 or M-25Ye engine, and several possible combinations of armament. Originally designed by Polykarpov with closed cockpit, it was reversed to open as a response to pilots' complains.
One 930hp Shvetsov m-63. 1934.
More: 1 64.8K, 2 45.3K, 3 9.2K, 4 8.1K (Spanish), 5 65.8K, 6 13.9K, 7 14.2K, 8 25.3K, 9 21.8K (late version but no cannon), cockpit 72.8K.
I-17/TsKB-19 - The I-17 was a sleek fighter with a water-cooled engine, built for comparison with the stubby radial-engined I-16. Few built, some used in combat in 1941. One 750hp Klimov M-100. 1935.
Prototype: TsKB-15 - the first prototype.
I-19 - development of I-17.
I-152 54.7K/I-15bis - Biplane fighter. Development of the I-15 with a straight upper wing and a more powerful engine; The I-152 was used in Spain and China, and also fought in WWII. One 775hp M-25V. 2408 built. 1937.
More: 1 42.2K.
I-153 59.8K/I-15ter Chajka - After the Spanish civil war, the USSR wrongly concluded that there would be a role in the future for a manouvrable biplane fighter. The I-153 was a refinement of the earlier I-15 and I-152 with retractable landing gear; the gull-wing of the I-15 was employed. In first line service until 1943! As almost all Soviet fighters, was used for ground attack in the early days of the war. Some were fitted for reward-firing RS-82/132 to keep German fighters away.
Armament: 4 ShKAS mg7.62mm (I-153BS, 1939), 2 UBS mg12.7mm (I-153P), 2 ShVAK g20mm (latest models), 100kg bombs, 6 RS82/RS132 "Katusha" rockets, some had reward-firing RS's! One 1000hp Shvetsov M-62R. 3437 built. 1939.
Modification: I-190 - abandoned version with pressure cabin.
More: 1 144.0K.
A Polikarpov I-153 239.1K pilot prepares for his next mission at an airfield typical of those on the open steppes of Mongolia in the summer of 1939. Camouflage net casts less of a telltale shadow than solid cover. The GAZ truck with Husks starter was used to start the airplane's engine.
(From the article "Soviet fighter on three fronts", Aviation History, July 1995)
I-180 - The I-180 was a wooden monoplane fighter, developed from the I-16. After a few prototypes, the aircraft was redesigned and became the I-180S. Performance and handling problems led to the program being abandoned in favour of the I-185.
One 1100hp Tumansky M-88R. 1939.
I-185 - A wooden fighter monoplane, designed around the new M-90 engine. Later the M-81, M-71 and M-82 were tried; finally the 2000hp Shvetsov M-71 was selected, and the I-185 found itself abandonded together with this engine. Several built and used in combat in 1941. Design 1941.
I-186 - production version of I-185-M-71.
I-187 - Development of the I-185????
I-190/I-195 - Derivative of the I-153 biplane fighter. One built. A development with a pressure cabin (I-195) was abandonded. One 1100hp Tumansky M-88A. 1939.
IL-1 - See I-1.
IL-3 - See I-3.
IL-400 - See I-1.
ITP - Heavy cannon-armed fighter. Two built, because Yakovlev had already adapted the Yak-9 to carry the 37mm cannon. One M-107P. Armament: 1 g37mm, 2 g20mm, 400kg bombs.
Ivanov 12.0K - Prototype of close support bomber/recconaisater, developed within contest project 'Ivanov'. 1938 (project).
K - transferred to Mikoyan... I-200??
MPI-1 (Mnogomestnij Pushechnij Istrebitel) - MPI-1 was a cannon-armed multiseat fighter. Development of the VIT-2.
MR-5 - Floatplane version (so MR, Morskoj Razwedchik) of the R-5. (aka R-5a)
NB(T) - Streamlined, twin-engined bomber. First flew in July 1944, the month of Polikarpov's death --- the NB(T) was abandoned, despite its promise.
P-2 - Biplane trainer with M-6 engine. Only 55 built.
P-5 - See R-5.
Po-2 51.9K/U-2 Mule - Trainer biplane. Designed in 1927. The U-2 flew first in 1928; more than 33000 were built. The U-2 was used as an attack aircraft and night bomber in WWII and the Korean war! Insuffisient speed and armor were "compensated" by extreme maneuvrability and "transparency" for shells and bullets. Later renamed Po-2. Extreme "fly-ability"- no-spin plane. Able to attack from silent glide with engine off, and restart engine for return - "stealth bobmer", huh!. Short takeoff/landig and small weight allowed to operate from almost any sufficient opening. German fighters were priced with Iron Cross for shooting down U-2, because it was invisible for radars and infrared seekers (too weak engine to produce enough heat), extremely maneuvrable and... very slow (no time for fast interceptor to fire on it!).
One 100hp M-11. 1928.
More: 1 40.1K, 2 53.1K, 3 128.0K, 4 180.4K, 5 59.4K, 6 33.0K.
R-1 - Soviet-built DH-4/DH-9 (de Havilland, US, 1917) biplane bomber. The DH-4 was fast, versatile and well-armed.
R-5 5.9K (text) - Two-seat biplane of mixed construction. The fuselage was covered with plywood, the nose with duralumin sheets. The wing and tail planes were maid from wood and fabric cowering. One 680hp M-17B(F?). 1928.
In 1925, N.N.Polikarpov elaborated a design for a new recconaisance aircraft R-5 that could be used as a bomber, a fighter and escort fighter as well.
The prototype with the German BMW VI engine (500-680 hp, 365-496 kW) took off in 1928. (Later on, these planes were equipped with series motors, type M-17B.) It was armed with a 7.62 machine gun PV-1 on fuselage to fire ahead and with a mobile DA-1 and/or a double DA-2 ("DA" - Degtiariov Aviatcionnij - Aviation version of Degtiariov's machine gun) in the observer's field of vision. It could carry bombs up tp 500 kg under its wings.
The flight tests were successfull; the series production was running in 1931-1937. The planes were widespread and very popular for their flying properties. Besides the basic version there were made numerous modifications.
During the Great Patriotic War, the R-5's still played big role in front-line air force and in non-combat forces as well. They were fighting as night bombers till 1944. After the World War II they were used in civil services for a long time. There was produced a total of 5000 (7000 ?) of R-5's.
R-Z 17.6K - Seriously redesigned version of R-5, intended for gorund attack ruther than for recconaisance missions. Was widely used during Civil War in Spain. One 750hp Mikulin AM-34RN.
SPB (Skorostnoj Pikiruuschij Bombardirovschik, aka "D" and D-3) - Dive bomber version of the VIT-2, but entierly different construction. First flown by B.N.Kudrin 18-Feb-1940. Forward-firing ShKAS, rear UB turret, rear ShKAS, 800kg bombs internally, 700kg bombs externally. Abandoned after several crashes in test flights in 1940. Pe-2 "100" preferred. Five SPB were built.
SVB - see VIT-1.
TB-2 - Sequiplane bomber. No production. Two 680hp BMW VI. 1930.
TIS - A twin-engined heavy escort fighter. The TIS was an advanced aircraft, but it was abandoned after the death of Polikarpov. Two 1400hp Mikulin AM-37. 1941.
TsKB-3 - See I-15.
TsKB-12 - See I-16.
TsKB-15 - First prototype of the I-17.
TsKB-19 - See I-17.
TsKB-33 - Development of the I-17 with evaporative cooling. Cancelled.
VP(k) (Visotnij Perehvatchik) - Design for a high-altitude interceptor (so VP). Abandoned after the death of Polikarpov in July 1944.
VIT-1/SVB/MPI-1 (Vozdushnyj Istrebitel Tankov, Samoljet Vozdushnogo Boja, Mnogomestnyj Pushechnyj Istrebitel) - Three seats, two M-103, all-metal. One Shpitalnyj 37mm canon, one 20mm ShVAK canon, one ShKAS m.g. in rear turret, 2x500kg bombs externally, up to 600kg internally. Seven variants of armamanet developed. First flown in summer 1937. Speed above 450km/h, range 1000km. No production. Used as a base for future models.
VIT-2 - Ant-tank aircraft, developed from the VIT-1. 1937. ShVAK-20 at head and in rear turret, two 37mm canon and two ShVAK fixed. Bomb load as for VIT-1. First flight 11-May-1938 by V.P.Chkalov. Speed up to 513km/h at 4500m. Range of 7900 at 350km/h, and 6200km at 500km/h. No production.
VT-11 ("Vnutrenjaja Tjurma", Polikarpov/Grigorovich) - Prototype of the I-5. Designed by Polikarpov and Grigorovich while imprisoned as sabteurs, so designation VT stays for the Internal Prison.
U-2 - See Po-2.
UTI-4 - Trainer version (UTI) of the I-16.

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