×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Infantry Arms Warships & Submarines Military Pay Chart (2023) Military Ranks
Advertisements
HOME
AIRCRAFT / AVIATION
MODERN AIR FORCES
COUNTRIES
MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE
BY CONFLICT
BY TYPE
BY DECADE
GOLDEN AGE
Aviation / Aerospace

Polikarpov I-5


Biplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1931 ]



Over 800 examples of the Polikarpov I-5 series biplane fighters were produced during the early part of the 1930s.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 10/22/2020 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
Advertisements
During the period that immediately preceded World War 2 (1939-1945), the Soviet concern of Polikarpov managed to sell the Soviet Air Force on its new biplane fighter design - the "I-5". The aircraft had its first-flight on April 29th, 1930 and was introduced into the VVS (Soviet Air Forces) during 1931. The series managed an operational existence until 1942 by which time some 803 examples had been built. The Soviet Navy was the only other key operator of the type.

As finalized, the I-5 featured a biplane wing arrangement in which the upper wing element was considerably wider in span than the lower. The engine was fitted to the nose section in the usual way and the tail incorporated a single fin with low-set horizontal planes. The undercarriage, wheeled at the main legs, was fixed during flight and set under the forward mass of the aircraft. The pilot's position was aft and under the upper wing element with a head rest structure leading from the fuselage's spine. Dimensions included a length of 22.2 feet and a wingspan of 33.6 feet. Empty weight was 2,060lb against an MTOW of 3,000lb.

Power was served through a Shvetsov M-22 series 9-cylinder, single row, air-cooled radial piston engine developing 480 horsepower. This was used to drive a 2-bladed propeller unit at the nose which measured nearly nine feet in diameter. Performance from this arrangement included a maximum speed of 173 miles per hour, a range out to 410 miles, and a service ceiling up to 24,600 feet. The aircraft could reach 3,300 feet of altitude in 1.5 minutes.

Armament was 2 x 7.62mm PV-1 machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades. There was a limited option for bomb-carrying, totaling just 2 x 22lb conventional drop bombs.

The I-5 was in the hands of VVS pilots before the end of 1931 when some sixty-six had been delivered. More deliveries followed into 1934 and the stock was able to succeed several aging fighter lines including Polikarpov's own I-3 series. However, the I-5 itself was already under target for formal replacement by the much-improved Polikarpov I-15 fighter by the middle of the 1930s.

Nevertheless, the I-5 soldiered on into the early years of World War 2 and was still on hand heading into 1941 during Operation Barbarossa (the German invasion of the Soviet Union). The I-5, as a dedicated fighter, saw its best days behind it but such was the shortage of fighter mounts that the VVS was forced to include the I-5 in its plans. Even some relegated to training duty were upgraded to fighter status and many went on to be used as light bombers in the early-going. Once Soviet air power caught up with the demands of the war, the I-5 was finally allowed to retire in ealry-1942 as more modern types were accepted into service.

The I-5UTI was the two-seat trainer variant of the I-15 fighter and converted from the base single-seat design. Fewer than two dozen of these aircraft are thought to have been completed. The major design difference was the two-cockpit tandem arrangement.

Like the United States in the post-war period, the I-5 series was also subject to testing in the "parasite fighter" role. This concept involved a "mothership" - in this case the Tupolev TB-3 bomber - and as many as three I-5 fighters attached to the main aircraft. The entire system went airborne as one and the fighters were released over contested airspaces. Like the American programs, this parasite fighter project went nowhere.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
Advertisements

Specifications



Service Year
1931

Origin
Soviet Union national flag graphic
Soviet Union

Status
RETIRED
Not in Service.
Crew
1

Production
803
UNITS


National flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.


Length
22.2 ft
(6.78 m)
Width/Span
33.6 ft
(10.25 m)
Empty Wgt
2,061 lb
(935 kg)
MTOW
2,987 lb
(1,355 kg)
Wgt Diff
+926 lb
(+420 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Polikarpov I-5 production variant)
Installed: 1 x Shvetsov M-22 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine developing 480 horsepower.
Max Speed
173 mph
(278 kph | 150 kts)
Ceiling
24,606 ft
(7,500 m | 5 mi)
Range
410 mi
(660 km | 1,222 nm)


♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Polikarpov I-5 production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD:
2 x 7.62mm PV-1 machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.

OPTIONAL:
2 x 22lb conventional drop bombs.


Supported Types


Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun
Graphical image of an aircraft conventional drop bomb munition


(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 2


I-5 - Base Series Designation.
I-5UTI - Two-seat conversion trainer.


Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway
Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift
Military lapel ribbon for the Chaco War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War
Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War
Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor
Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era
Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft


Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery



1 / 1
Image of the Polikarpov I-5
Image from the Public Domain.


Advertisements




Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies


2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing all American military medals and ribbons.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)