The I-15bis was the second variant in the I-15 series of Soviet biplane fighters. Testing and acceptance trials began in July 1937, a year after the previous TsKB-3bis failed to meet the performance requirements. Just a few months later, the I-15bis entered service with the Soviet Air Force. Early models utilized the M-25 engine from the prior I-15 M-25 until mass production of the more powerful M-25V engine became available in mid-1938. The aircraft was also quickly deployed in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War, where it outclassed the Japanese Kawasaki Ki-10 but struggled against monoplanes like the Mitsubishi A5M2a and Nakajima Ki-27. As time went on, new contenders in the constantly changing field of aerial combat emerged, including the Mitsubishi A6M Zero and the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and the I-15's limitations became obvious. It was quickly phased out as a fighter and assigned to less demanding roles, such as ground attack. A total of 2,408 I-15bis fighters were built between the autumn of 1937 and the end of 1939, making it the second most numerous variant of the I-15 family, just behind the I-153.

The I-15bis was introduced in Update 1.31. It provides as a solid introduction to the tree as the first fighter in the line, prioritizing agility and depending primarily on getting its opponents in fights that it can easily win.