Polikarpov I-15 bis ground attack aircraft 1/48 AMG 48303

Polikarpov I-15 bis ground attack aircraft 
1/48 scale plastic model kit

AMG 48303

Manufacturer: AMG Models
Scale: 1/48
Material: Plastic
Paint: Unpainted, Unassembled, Kit do not contain paints and glue.
Condition: New in Box

The Polikarpov I-15 (Russian: ÃËœ-15) was a Soviet biplane fighter aircraft of the 1930s. Nicknamed Chaika (Russian: ÃËœ-15 Ã§Ã°Ã¹ÃºÃ°, "Seagull") 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) in the Republican Air Force, or "Curtiss" (because its resemblance to Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk) in the Nationalist Air Force.The design for the 14th fighter for the VVS, the I-14, started as an advanced (for the era) monoplane under the direction ofAndrei Tupolev. He grew concerned that the design would not mature, and ordered two backup biplane designs as the I-14A and B just to be safe. Polikarpov had just been released from prison in August 1932, and was handed the I-14A project. When both the I-14 and I-14A were ordered into production, Polikarpov's design, a development of the I-5 fighter became the famous I-15.

The first flight was made in October 1933 with V.P. Chkalov at the controls, powered by an imported Wright R-1820 Cyclone engine.The I-15, also known by its development name TsKB-3, was a small biplane fighter with a gulled upper wing. The single bay wings were of wooden construction, while the fuselage was of mixed steel and duralumin construction, with a fabric covered rear fuselage.Production started in 1934, initially being powered by the M-22, a licensed built version of the Bristol Jupiter radial engine. While less powerful than the Cyclone, the M-22 powered aircraft were still superior to the I-5 which it replaced, demonstrating excellent manoeuvrability.The gulled upper wing of the I-15 was unpopular with some pilots, as it was felt to restrict visibility, so Polikarpov's design bureau produced a revised version, again powered by the M-25, with a longer span un-gulled upper wing.In 1939 Polikarpov fighters were extensively used during the Battles of Khalkhin Gol fought around the Khalkha River inDornod Province. The battles were fought during 11 May–16 September 1939, and involved more than 600 planes. When hostilities commenced, the only I-15bis in the area were 14 aircraft of 70th IAP. Their number increased in the following weeks: on 23 May, 35 I-15bis a from 22nd IAP arrived from the Trans-Baikal region. However the Polikarpov pilots had been hastily trained and they suffered heavy losses against the more experienced Japanese. During this conflict, Soviet Union and Japan lost more than 200 aircraft each.

I-15
I-15bis
Role	Fighter
Designer	Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov
First flight	October 1933
Primary user	Soviet Air Force