We know that the I-153 was introduced by 1939, in time for the Khalkhin Gol border disputes in Mongolia. It was up against the Ki-27 "Nate," a fixed gear IJAAF fighter which dominated the original I-15 bis and early I-16's. From the limited info I've come across it appears the I-153 did fairly well and at least achieved parity with the Nate, and the later I-16 variants beat it handily.
In the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) the A5M "Claude," another fixed gear fighter from the IJN, participated from the war's onset and Japanese pilots proved themselves the better of Chinese Boeing P-26's and at least held their own against the faster and more heavily armed I-16's fielded by the Soviet forces. However, there seems to be no data on whether the I-153 was ever pitted against the Claude.
So it's hypothetical time for these two early war fighters, who would be the victor? Here are the specs:
Polikarpov I-153 Chaika
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 6.17 m (20 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 10.00 m (32 ft 9½ in)
Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 2¼ in)
Wing area: 22.14 m² (238.3 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,452 kg (3,201 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,960 kg (4,221 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,110 kg (6,652 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov M-62 radial engine, 597 kW (800 hp)
Performance
Maximum speed: 444 km/h (243 knots, 280 mph) at 4,600 m (15,100 ft)
Cruise speed: 297 km/h (160 knots, 184 mph) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Range: 470 km (254 nmi, 292 mi)
Service ceiling: 10,700 m (35,105 ft)
Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,985 ft/min)
Climb to 1,000 m (3,300 ft): 0.85 min
Climb to 7,000 m (23,000 ft): 8.3 min
Armament
Guns: 4 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, 2,600 rounds of ammunition total
Mitsubishi A5M4 "Claude"
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 7.55 m (24 ft 9¼ in)
Wingspan: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 17.8 m² (191.6 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,216 kg (2,681 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,705 kg (3,759 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 1,822 kg[19] (4,017 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Nakajima Kotobuki 41 9-cylinder radial engine, 585 kW (785 hp) at 3,000 m (9,840 ft)
Performance
Maximum speed: 440 km/h (237 knots, 273 mph) at 3,000 m (9,840 ft)[19]
Range: 1,200 km (649 NM, 746 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,800 m (32,150 ft)
Rate of climb: ??
Wing loading: 95.87 kg/m² (19.6 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.34 kW/kg (0.21 hp/lb)
Armament
Guns: 2× 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns (0.303 in) fuselage-mounted machine guns
In the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945) the A5M "Claude," another fixed gear fighter from the IJN, participated from the war's onset and Japanese pilots proved themselves the better of Chinese Boeing P-26's and at least held their own against the faster and more heavily armed I-16's fielded by the Soviet forces. However, there seems to be no data on whether the I-153 was ever pitted against the Claude.
So it's hypothetical time for these two early war fighters, who would be the victor? Here are the specs:
Polikarpov I-153 Chaika
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 6.17 m (20 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 10.00 m (32 ft 9½ in)
Height: 2.80 m (9 ft 2¼ in)
Wing area: 22.14 m² (238.3 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,452 kg (3,201 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,960 kg (4,221 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 2,110 kg (6,652 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov M-62 radial engine, 597 kW (800 hp)
Performance
Maximum speed: 444 km/h (243 knots, 280 mph) at 4,600 m (15,100 ft)
Cruise speed: 297 km/h (160 knots, 184 mph) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Range: 470 km (254 nmi, 292 mi)
Service ceiling: 10,700 m (35,105 ft)
Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,985 ft/min)
Climb to 1,000 m (3,300 ft): 0.85 min
Climb to 7,000 m (23,000 ft): 8.3 min
Armament
Guns: 4 × 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, 2,600 rounds of ammunition total
Mitsubishi A5M4 "Claude"
General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 7.55 m (24 ft 9¼ in)
Wingspan: 11.0 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 17.8 m² (191.6 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,216 kg (2,681 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,705 kg (3,759 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 1,822 kg[19] (4,017 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Nakajima Kotobuki 41 9-cylinder radial engine, 585 kW (785 hp) at 3,000 m (9,840 ft)
Performance
Maximum speed: 440 km/h (237 knots, 273 mph) at 3,000 m (9,840 ft)[19]
Range: 1,200 km (649 NM, 746 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,800 m (32,150 ft)
Rate of climb: ??
Wing loading: 95.87 kg/m² (19.6 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.34 kW/kg (0.21 hp/lb)
Armament
Guns: 2× 7.7 mm Type 97 machine guns (0.303 in) fuselage-mounted machine guns
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