Polikarpov I-15

what is it?

The Polikarpov I-15 (Russian: И-15) is a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed Chaika (Russian: Чайка, "gull") because of its gulled upper wings, it was operated in large numbers by the Soviet Air Force, and together with the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, was one of the standard fighters of the Spanish Republicans during the Spanish Civil War, where it was called Chato (snub-nose).

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 9.8 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 367 km/htop speed
• range 510 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 1passengers
• size 1,689 kgmax take-off weight
• built 3,313made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 93 years ago, in 1933.
• 🏎️Top speed is 2.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 9.8 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.1× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1933-10

introduced

1934

retired

1942

status

retired

number built

3,313

role

fighter

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Dux Factory, Polikarpov, Moscow Aviation Plant № 39

engines

1× Shvetsov M-25 / radial engine

passengers

1

length

6.1 m

wingspan

9.8 m

height

2.2 m

max take-off weight

1,689 kg

top speed

367 km/h

cruise speed

285 km/h

range

510 km

ceiling

9,800 m

wings

biplane

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family