I-225

I-225

I-185 (M-71)

MiG-9

I-225

I-185 (M-71)

MiG-9

USSR

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.7	5.0	6.0

Class:

Fighter

Research:54 000

Purchase:185 000

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Description

The I-225 is a rank IV Russian fighter with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB), 5.0 (RB), and 6.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.81 "The Valkyries".

General info

Flight performance

The I-225 is the latest claim to the throne of Russian prop-fighters! With its high speed at high altitudes, decent armament, good turning capabilities and insane climb rate, this Super-MiG is the best all around dog-fighter Russia has to offer. Although relatively useless as an interceptor in real life, the I-225 is quite potent in War Thunder, being one of four Russian props that is good at altitude, which is very unique for the Russian tree that is mostly comprised of low-altitude prop planes. From take-off and into the fight, this MiG is an overall smooth operator and can be very competitive even when facing early jets.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 10,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
702	682	10450	19.9	20.4	16.7	16.6	257
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 10,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
???	726	10450	??.?	19.0	??.?	20.8	257

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		400	~11	~5

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 350	< 250	< 460	> 370

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
8,800 m	1,500 hp	1,610 hp

Survivability and armour

Armour plates:

• 9 mm steel behind the pilot

Critical components

• Fuel tank in the fuselage behind the pilot
• Fuel tank in front of the guns and behind the engine
• Liquid cooling systems in front of the spars near the slats
• Oil Cooling systems underneath the nose

Armaments

Offensive armament

The I-225 is armed with:

• 4 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, nose-mounted (100 rpg = 400 total)

The 20 mm ShVAK cannons are very accurate and are extremely powerful in controlled, well aimed bursts to enemy wings and critical components. However they are notorious for their hit registration issues (sparking) earning them the nickname of "The SparkVAK's". These hit detection issues combined with the high fire rate and lacklustre raw damage make them very volatile weapons that are not beginner friendly, but the solid accuracy and high rate of fire can also be a boon to a smart and experienced pilot who can abuse these factors.

Usage in battles

The I-225 can be used to climb to bomber altitude (4-6 km) and act as an interceptor, and it can perform this role amicably with its good climb rate, high speed and fast firing quad ShVAK 20 mm cannons that can start fires. Be wary that the I-225 has no bulletproof glass in the front to protect this pilot, so you should never tail any bomber and approach from oblique angles or force head-ons. Also its armament of four 20 mm can be lacking against large aircraft, so I-225 players will likely have to expend all of their ammo in a bomber if they want to bring it down.

If one either destroys all the bombers or there are no bombers to be found, you are free to fly as a fighter versus other fighters. When engaging fighters, primarily try to employ a Boom-&-Zoom or energy fighting tactics which are exceptionally great when performed at high altitudes. Versus less manoeuvrable planes such as the F8F-1B, you can potentially turn-fight but be careful to not lose too much energy, as you may struggle to regain it. Also avoid tunnel visioning.

Specific enemies worth noting

• Spitfire F Mk 22 and Mk 24. The extremely powerful Griffon engined Spitfires are some of the most dangerous enemies you will encounter at this BR. They possess an amazing climb rate, amazing roll rate, brutal acceleration, high speed, solid manoeuvrability and excellent high altitude performance. Their quad Hispano Mk II's can load a very potent Air targets belt which is filled with HEF-I and HEF-SAPI rounds that will shred your airframe to bits with a quick burst. Try to keep a higher altitude than it and dive on it if it's unaware of your presence. When one is engaging you, try to bleed its energy with vertical manoeuvres or if you're confident enough, you can turn fight it.
• Bf 109 K-4. The last of the legendary Bf 109's can also be encountered. You can outspeed it by a large margin and have superior acceleration and dive speed. Avoid employing an energy fighting play style as the K-4 has amazing energy retention and a solid climb rate, although the I-225 can take advantage of its strange refusal to stall when using WEP in order to beat the 109 in the vertical, although it is not recommended to use it in this way. Always remain on its tail and steer clear of its gunsights, as its powerful array of armaments (1 x 30 mm cannon or 3 x 20 mm cannons, both of which are loaded with the brutal Minengeschoß round) will down you quickly if they land a few good hits. Employ a Boom-&-Zoom play style to take advantage of your superior speed and high diving speed.
• F8F-1B. The feared Bearcat is one of the best prop planes in the game, and is the worst enemy for the I-225 to face, as the Bearcat outclasses it in practically every way aside from performance above 6 km. The Bearcat out-turns you, out-rolls you, out-climbs you, and has an extremely devastating set of AN/M2 cannons which are effectively Hispano Mk V's. Avoid them at all costs, and if one forces an engagement on you, seek assistance from teammates.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 20 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair	Engine		New 20 mm cannons
IV		Engine injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Responsive controls from very low up to moderately high speeds (up to ~550 km/h)
• The plane refuses to stall if using higher throttle settings (such as WEP), and remains very responsive up to the moment that it enters a stall
• Inclusion of a turbocharger mounted in place of the regular exhaust stacks allows for good performance at high altitudes
• Four fast firing nose mounted cannons that are capable of tearing apart any plane with a well aimed sustained burst with more than 50 shells hitting the target in a 1 second burst.
• Good to insanely great level flight speed at high altitudes (able to reach 750 km/h at 9,500 meters altitude!)
• Solid manoeuvrability at most speeds that piston aircraft fly at
• Above average roll rate
• Offers a different play style compared to most Russian planes
• Very good climb rate
• Brutal acceleration in a dive (and in about every single situation other than in extremely high speeds)
• Insane energy retention when turning without flaps
• Flaps help it to turn/"position itself" a slightly better if used correctly
• Take-off flaps only rip at 360 km/h
• Amazing cockpit view, despite a few bars
• Very powerful engine with 1,600 horsepower with WEP

Cons:

• Cannons have low ammo count, only 100 rounds per gun, which will last very little because of their high rate of fire
• ShVAK cannons have a reputation for sparking and simply not dealing enough damage to down a plane
• No bulletproof glass means the pilot is easily knocked out
• Severe nonsensical elevator compression past ~650 km/h (IAS), and becomes a brick past 700 km/h
• Can face early jets, which pose a huge challenge especially because of their high speeds
• Has no combat flaps, only take-off and landing settings
• While flaps help a little with turning, they do not help with pitching the nose up in any noticeable way and will make the aircraft bleed speed and energy
• Air-frame is very susceptible to damage
• Massive fuel consumption when using WEP. Not recommended to use minimal fuel, stick to 20 minutes whenever possible.

History

The experimental high-altitude fighter/interceptor I-225 was created in the Mikoyan design bureau as part of work to develop new prototypes of fighter aircraft with new engines. The first experimental prototype was finished by May 9, 1944. The aircraft was designed to carry a powertrain consisting of a 2000 horsepower aircraft engine and a turbocharger. Its armament in comparison with previous prototypes was strengthened and consisted of four 20mm ShVAK cannons. In testing (primarily tests of the fighter's speed and altitude options) the aircraft showed impressive results: it could reach a speed of almost 560 km/h near the ground and 720 km/h at high altitude. Just two I-225s were built for testing purposes. For various reasons, both aircraft crashed in testing. After a range of improvements and upgrades, in March 1947 work on this project was stopped.

- From Devblog

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] I-225: High Flyer!