Ino Biondo
"The King of Fighter"
The story of Nikolai Nikolaevich Polikarpov , is the story of a man who had the plane in its DNA, the world of aviation enthusiast, fascinated by everything that could fly, was born in Georgievsk in the district of Livenskogo, a village in the province of Orel. He completed his first studies in Orel, a city of which also attended high school, and he finished his studies in mechanical engineering, aircraft construction and shipbuilding to the University of St. Petersburg. Graduating in 1916, began working in Russian-Baltic shipyards in St. Petersburg. Already as a young man he became responsible for the uniformity of aircraft production, and approval of workshops manufacturing, on behalf of the Central Administration of the Fleet Air Force, which now had confidence in this young but well-trained graduate fresh out of University. Polikarpov in 1918 was able to complement the workshops " Dux" at that time the largest aircraft plants of the USSR, becoming head of research, design and materials. At the end of the year, the prototype Dux R-1, a copy of the de Havilland DH.4, but unfortunately, the prototype could not fly because of problems in the development of the engine.
DUX R-1 with the cart, there was the possibility of making shoes for the slopes in
These successes soon led him to chair the technical committee for the armed forces where he oversees the organization of means for the Army and the Navy and aircraft production for the 'Flight. This task, however, covered him for a while because the senior political and military in 1919 offered him the opportunity increasingly sought after by every engineer in Russia, the direction of a symbol of OKB Opytnoe konstructorskoe bjuro Office that experimental design, during the Soviet era, was institution is closed by a Working Party was composed of engineers who worked on the design and prototyping in the field of advanced technology, applied in particular in the military. Each OKB, which usually took the number of the factory that was entrusted with the last name was often called by head (thus, for example, the OKB 51, directed by Pavel Sukhoi - another great engineer-speak that was the OKB Sukhoi ). Some offices have kept the name even after death or replacement of their chief engineer. Typically, these offices are relatively small, they were not intended for mass production of equipment designed, but were able to build prototypes, which, once approved, were started production in the large state-owned factories. This was the OKB OKB Polikarpof of 84, composed largely of the old plant personnel "Dux", and designed a model where content Dux R-1 in size, equipped with the powerful Liberty L-12 . He brought the form Polikarpov I-1, a cantilever monoplane with wings.
The Liberty L-12 was a twelve-cylinder V-engine aircraft to 45 degrees with a capacity of 27 L (a 649.3 in ³) and power of 400 hp (300 kW ) liquid-cooled product in the United States of America during the First World War. The engine was designed by Jesse Vincent and EH Hall of the Hall-Scott Motor Company but was also produced by other companies including the Packard, Lincoln, Ford, General Motors, the Nordyke and Marmon. The project was designed to be modular and therefore could produce different engine configuration using four or six cylinders arranged in one or two banks.
The Polikarpov I-1
but not having taken a piece of the Communist Party, Polikarpov was removed from his duties after a short time. In October 1929 he was arrested and sentenced Polikarpov to death, because of the failure of a project within the allotted five-year plan. [2] In 1931, after two years of waiting, he was transferred to the Office of Special Planning dell'OGPU, the secret political police that existed in the USSR (CKB-39 OGPU) based at Butyrki prison, where he was able to design with Dmitry Grigorovic the Polikarpov I-5. The sentence was changed in 10 years of forced labor, and he was granted parole for good behavior and in July of that year, by virtue of its status as a scientist, he was granted amnesty by a group of other inmates. Polikarpov, thanks to the quality of his work, was awarded a number of awards, such as the appointment of Hero of Labour Socialista (1940), il Premio Stalin (1941, 1943) e l'Ordine di Lenin. Il Picco di Polikarpov nella catena del Pamir prende il nome proprio da Nikolaj Nikolaevič. Morì nel 1944, consumato da un tumore allo stomaco. Dopo la sua morte, l'OKB da lui seguito fu assorbito dagli OKB Lavochkin, Sukhoi e Mikoyan Gurevich.
Polikarpov I-15
E' considerato uno dei più riusciti biplani da caccia del periodo interguerra. Con lo scoppio della Guerra Cino-Giapponese, della Guerra Civile Spagnola e della Seconda Guerra Mondiale si trovò ad affrontare velivoli italiani, Germany and Japan, proving adequate against other biplanes from low speed, but having the worse when they invariably gave way to low-wing monoplane laminates and high performance. Fighter Polikarpov I-15 was the first in a series that led to the period beginning World War II, Russia advanced. comparable to the Fiat CR20 and the Bristol Bulldog, soon, soon proved as an excellent model. The aircraft demonstrated excellent skills such as turn 360 degrees in 8 seconds, even if it was not as heavy as the types of operation. The engine was an M-25, licensed version of the Wright Cyclone. The airplane was a classic design with a radial engine which gave rise to a stubby fuselage, since the need to reduce the size and weight led to a very short fuselage. This size was in fact controlled, while the diameter was dictated by the engine. The fighter had a mixed structure, with metal front and painted canvas, usually dark green with blue belly, a characteristic of all types of hunting (except in winter configuration, with white livery). The wing had a break because he had the upper hand with the middle to lower order to increase the visibility for the driver to the front, a typical problem of all fighter biplanes. The wings were also different for surface and upper ones with larger and move forward cleanly. The presence of wings was only on the top, but as we saw did not limit the maneuverability of the machine. The media were a single large bay with "I", small beams on the upper fuselage to connect it to a more robust and two steel cables for bracing. The landing gear consisted of three elements, the rear just a steel sled, with the front tires of large diameter, with robust aerodynamic fairing, sometimes absent (probably on the original I-15). The media type was unique, with no pillars whatsoever, as light was reduced and the aircraft landing speed. The trucks were slightly tilted to the outside, with a compromise between having a greater track without compromising the strength of the frame corners are too high. The trucks were also inclined towards the front and had shock absorbers interni.La tail was rather high with a conspicuous flap trim, while the horizontal surfaces were supported by two metal posts. The armament of the fighter was made up of four machine guns, 7.62 mm PV-1, originally only two, less than once a Skhas, but with greater precision. The collimator was a telescope and the propeller through which weapons were fired bladed metal, duralumin adjustable on the ground.
An I-15 in flight conditions in July 2005
Polikarpov I-16 "Ishak"
was the first monoplane wing and lowered with retractable landing gear, then considered one of the first modern fighter aircraft in history. It was a very agile aircraft and unstable, but extremely handsome in its overall quality, thanks to a 2-4 machine guns armament SKhaS and excellent speed performance up to fight the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in terms of nearly equal. However, it was handled incorrectly used in combat with the most agile monoplane and biplane Italian Japanese lost the war in Spain and barely winning the Winter War. The prototype flew in late 1933, about 2 years before the German Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Hawker Hurricane of English. The Soviet fighter had a massive structure, very short and stocky, with a monocoque fuselage made of wood, tail surfaces Intel's discrete size and extremely close to the wings and tail center of gravity of the aircraft, compacting the overall design. This fact made it possible to hold the weight of the machine, which is important especially at the beginning of its production, with the old engine cyclone at 480 hp, but later it was clear that this design was a little 'extreme' for the overall flight quality. The fighter had a full cantilever wing structure, ie without any external support. The trailing edge extends far back, just below the cockpit. The truck was rear tricycle, or with the main front legs than the tail wheel, which was in effect a simple sledge made of metal, even easier than usual. They were the main elements that were significantly important to the project because they had a retractable type, fully faired into the wing. The cabin was small with a tiny windshield curved structure. Behind it was a "hump" that was combined with the same driver's seat and was prolonged until it joins the queue structure. A tiny door on the left was necessary to enter and exit the cab. On the front there was the equipment, this innovative, because it was Skhas machine guns, with a rate of fire of 1,600 rounds per minute, nearly twice the majority of the weapons of the time, which gave an unusual firepower a plane so small. Ammunition, as well as the oil tank, were between the cockpit and the engine. The engine had cylinders with individual exhaust pipes, streams, extremely short and to the back just because there were the appropriate hood in the engine cowlings. The two-bladed propeller was hemispherical and had a fairing. The wing flaps were in the middle, occupying most of the trailing edge thereof. The I-16 was sent to Spain and fought effectively. The new version appeared as a result was the Type 10, which had the firepower increased by the presence of two light machine guns, making it possible to shoot, despite the presence of a synchronizer range, approximately 6000 rounds per minute. The longitudinal instability of the aircraft, however, was to reduce the effectiveness of this improvement. A considerable improvement was the presence of an armor of protection of the pilot, with a thickness of about 9 mm and capacity to resist, according to the testimony of the pilots, guns ordinance also nearby. Even though the bullets were not of such drilling, this very fact increased rider safety at the expense of a modest weight gain of about 20 kg. Even the 12.7 mm machine guns were, except for a short distance and with armor-piercing shells, quite easily neutralized. This did not stop to I-16 to be killed on many occasions. The Fiat CR32 should have been killed by a clear margin of superiority, but often the English riders as well as Russians, rather than attack using the best performance of the aircraft, it is ingenious in air combat maneuver, which with the highest wing loading, 110 kg m instead 80 fully loaded, made them more vulnerable.
Against the Bf 109 was the slower the problem, not the less maneuverability, but the Germans were using in their hunt with diving attacks from higher altitudes. The Soviet fighters were maneuvering to counter narrow or even climb vertically and shooting him to hunt down the beat with their firepower, but in any case, however, it was necessary first to see your opponents. Bf 109 fighters shot down, perhaps, just as they were, the less I-16 CR32, but they were the most feared and is the best machine of the Nationalists. To deal with preventing them from attacking da alte quote, vennero comprati 24 motori americani con turbocompressore e montati su altrettanti I-16 che arrivarono a operare anche a 8000 metri. Essi erano conosciuti come Naz Fria, "naso freddo". Il normale nome era invece, Moscas o Rata ("topo", perché apparivano in cielo a branchi come i topi di fogna). Il secondo nome lo attribuivano i nazionalisti. Il caccia I-16 combatté fino alla fine della guerra, e molti esemplari superstiti ai 3 anni di guerra vennero riutilizzati dall'aviazione franchista, operando assieme ai Bf 109 e C.R.32 ex rivali. In ogni caso, un osservatore attento avrebbe potuto agevolmente individuare nei duelli tra caccia monoplani ad alte prestazioni il futuro del combattimento aereo, cosa che sarebbe stata presto confermata. The I-16 fighters fought another war in the air, the one against the Japanese. Even in this case the Soviet fighters were defeated, but did not fail to fight with great valor against the Nakajima Ki-27 and Japanese Mitsubishi A5M, with as much speed but more maneuverable, in fact it was the best fighter in the world at the time, although the fact was largely ignored in the world. In the end the coup de grace was given by the A6M Zero, much higher. Yet, I-16 fighters had been in Spain, are able to dampen Bf 109E "Emil" with motor and power weapons. The I-16 also fought against the Finns and their fighters Fokker D. XXI, Morane-Saulnier MS.406 and Gloster Gladiator, achieving some success but not getting never a complete superiority, despite air superiority.
The I-16 hunt were often defeated by contemporaries that were opposed, but not necessarily modern, but in the end it was the Bf 109f and Zero to destroy them. As late as 1941, the I-16 were extremely numerous in-service, but their units were torn down and then up in the air, starting with the terrible attack of 22 June. Despite their easy handling and a lot of positive qualities, the I-16 was definitely outdated, but nevertheless, their concept, extended to a more powerful engine and enclosed cockpit, was picked up by another excellent machine, the La-5FN/La-7 . A number of I-16 still exists, and someone even in flight. One of these was test flown by Mark Hanna, a well-known test of historic aircraft died in an accident a few years ago. In his memoirs stated that on the I-16, tested on a 1000 hp engine, then the last series, he has behaved in an exceptional manner. He had recently tried the Hawker Hurricane, which in history has gained a significant position as "second only to the Supermarine Spitfire" Compared to the I-16 and its maneuverability, the Hurricane, with similar performance and armament not dramatically higher, he looked very slow and heavy at the controls, with a low speed roll and generally behave less in volo, che parla notevolmente bene per una macchina non particolarmente ben trattata dalla storia.
Altri velivoli progettati dal Polikarpov O.K.B.
I-1
I-85
I-3
U-1
R-1 ISKRA
ShON
PO-2
I-153
ARK-5
Crediamo sia una piccolissima parte dei prototipi dell'O.K.B. Polikarpov, molti libri che parlano dell'argomento stanno girando da poco nelle librerie dell' Ovest, tutto il materiale iconografico e descrittivo su queste macchine straordinarie è stato sempre mantenuto in segretezza. Una buona parte delle foto sono inedite, le uniche testimonianze della loro esistenza era raccontata dai piloti che ci avevano volato sopra o del personale di terra che lavorava alle rimesse. Anche li però vista l'eta dei reduci, i ricordi erano alquanto vaghi.
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