I-153P

I-153P

I-153P

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	2.7	2.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:950

Show in game

This page is about the premium Soviet biplane I-153P. For other uses, see I-15 (Family).

Description

The I-153P is a premium rank II Soviet biplane with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB), 2.7 (RB), and 2.3 (SB). This fighter has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.29.

There is one thing you need to know about the I-153; you will out turn everything it fights. Not a single plane the Chaika fights will win against the I-153P in a turn fight. At a BR of 3.0, however, the Chaika's once moderate speed is now very bad. Nearly every plane will be faster; especially due to how the Chaika locks up at high speed, making it extremely difficult to maneuver at high speed. However, plenty of people underestimate the lowly Chaika, and attempt to turn with it. If you notice someone is trying to turn fight you, simply out turn them and light them up with 2 x 20 mm. However, bear in mind the Chaika is also more fragile than most planes in the game; a single 20 mm shot on it is almost always death.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 4,850 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
420	408	10,500	14.1	14.4	8.9	11.1	274
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 4,850 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
465	465	10,500	13.0	13.0	24.1	24.1	274

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	X	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
570	570	???	~14	~14

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 300	< 340	< 340	> 220

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,500 m	930 hp	1,116 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
5,000 m	880 hp	1,056 hp

Survivability and armour

• 8 mm Steel - Plating behind pilot's seat
• No armour glazing
• Critical components located at front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)

Armaments

Offensive armament

The I-153P is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon, nose-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)

Suspended armament

The I-153P can be outfitted externally with:

• 4 x 50 kg FAB-50 bombs (200 kg total)
• 8 x 82 mm RS-82 rockets
• 8 x 82 mm RBS-82 rockets

Usage in the battles

Unlike other I-15 that are armed with 7.62 mm machine guns, the I-153P with its 20 mm calibre have comparatively few shells in the gun's magazine, so while the 20 mm can be used to easily destroy enemies, it will require good shot accuracy to make the most of the magazine.

Simulator:

The I-153 can be used in turnfighting, bomber intercepting and ground pounding. Like in AB and RB, it is excellent in turning tightly and continuously, and it has lovely low-speed handling and low stall speeds (unlike its successor I-16), making it a great starter plane for sim. However it does have its drawbacks: the rather big nose blocks the visibility a lot, offering very poor over-the-nose visibility which is a disadvantage in a turn fight, because when leading a shot the enemy will always get obstructed by the engine, making the player guess the shot. Also its upper wings will get in the way when you look aside.

Note: it is recommended to set the convergence within 300m, with vertical convergence on, because the majority of turnfights happen at that range or closer.

Before engaging a fight, it is better to have an altitude advantage first. When approaching the fight try to figure out which is your teammate and which is the enemy, to avoid going for a second pass, as the energy retention of the I-153 is rather slow. Also pick your target carefully. For easier aiming, you want to go for those unmaneuverble twin engine aircraft like Ju 88 or Ki-45, or bombers if there are any. Given the bad forward visibility of the I-153, these are the best options as they are quite slow and sluggish, and are a bigger target to hit. However getting hits on them doesn't mean good damage, so you must be patient. When dealing with fighters, it is way harder to aim. The elevator control of the I-153 is extremely sensitive, giving it good maneuverbility, but at the same time, bad handling. The I-153 will respond in a very fast turn upon moving your stick / mouse by a little bit, which makes tracking nimble planes quite hard. But once you get used to it, try to lure every enemy into a turnfight, as that is where the I-153 shines. A few hits with the ShVAK will be enough to critically damage the enemy. If you find an enemy at your 6, utilise your great roll rate to do defensive maneuvers like scissors to make them overshoot. Or you can simply do tight turns, most monoplanes won't be able to cut inside your turn and they might disengage.

If you are not very experienced in sim, you can also go for even bigger targets (bombers) for easier aiming. However you want to be more careful when hunting bombers, since with the Sim control (whether it be mouse joystick or a real stick) the plane will manoeuvre much more gently, making itself a great target for the bomber's gunners. DO NOT follow behind a bomber's 6 unless you are sure that its tail gunners are unconscious. Chasing behind a bomber makes yourself stationary for the tail gunners, and you will be showered with bullets. Your big radial engine will usually get damaged. Instead, before attacking, get an altitude advantage over the bomber by flying around 2 km above it. The best position for an attack is from the bomber's high 6 so you can adjust the lead much easier. Dive at the bomber, but not directly at it, try to predict where you two will crash by imagining yourself as a missile, that's where you should aim at (deflection shooting). To maximise the damage it is better to aim for their wings and engines, as the fuselage usually soaks up quite some bullets. Only fire when the bomber passes in front of your guns. This short window might seem inadequate to do anything, but with a accurate burst on the engine the twin ShVAK can damage it badly. With an engine damaged most bombers cannot go far. Remember that it also has 8 RS82 rockets, and when fired in a volley at a bomber, one of them is bound to make impact. All it takes is one to bring down even the mighty BV-238.

Ground pounding ability is average as there is only light bombs and rockets. The 8 rockets, with accurate aiming, can destroy 4 targets, whether them be tanks or pillboxes. The small 50kg bombs can be used on light pillboxes. Once the suspended armaments are gone, the 4 MG are good for killing soft targets like trucks, artillery and AA cars.

Enemies worth noting:

Ki-27, N1K1, He 51, Gladiator, etc;

Those commonly seen planes are equally good at turnfights and will be a hard target to down since they are very small and agile. To deal with them you need to practice leading and deflection shots, plus maneuvers like barrel rolls and scissors. They still need plenty of bullets to get damaged, so these kind of targets are the hardest to kill and requires great skills from the player.

Do 17 Z:

This early twin engine plane always shows up as an AI controlled recon aircraft that you have to down, which is a good news as AI won't maneuver aggressively. However this plane is extremely durable for the I-153's weak MGs. When it shows up as an AI, deflection shots are not recommended as the small shooting windows really does nothing. Instead, try disabling its 2 gunners first, then just sit behind it and burst on its wings and engines. When attacking the gunners try to not get your engine damaged by pulling evasive maneuvers as soon as the bullets come close, since the Do 17 can outrun the I-153 in a level flight.

He 111 H-6:

This bomber is not only quite durable, but also pretty fast. In level flight it can outrun the I-153 rather easily. Avoid being on its 6 as it will have at least 2x 7.92mm MG facing its tail, and their rapid firerate and good penetration is a big threat. Either go for a head-on or use deflection shooting and aim for its engines. If you cannot keep up with it, disengage. If it flies way higher than you, change your target.

Sunderland:

This flying boat is like a low-tier Be-6. Its huge fuselage is very spacious and can absorb lots of bullets and shells. It also has lethal defensive firepower: two 7.7mm in the nose, four forward-facing, two on the top and four at the tail, so attacking from behind, in front or above aren't the best options. Dive under it and suddenly pull up to shoot its defenseless underpart. Aim at the large wings and engines, avoid shooting the fuselage. 

He 100, Bf 109 E / F, A6M2:

These planes might not be able to out-turn the I-153, but they can easily outrun it as the I-153 is slower. These fighters will usually BnZ you, so you must constantly look above and behind you. If they are diving on you, do what you do in realistic: use your roll rate and dodge under their negative G areas. Most players will try to follow up, if not immediately losing track of you. Several dodges might make them impatient and if they really start to turn with you, they are already dead.

Counter-tactics

Should you be facing an I-153P, whatever you do, do not attempt to engage in a turn fight. The little biplane is more than capable of out turning even the A6M2 Reisen. Calmly deploy Boom & Zoom tactics against it; fly from an upper ground, light it up, and fly away. Try not to keep yourself level for too long, as there is a chance it will be able to hit you if you speed away. It has a moderate climbrate too and will climb after you with relative effectiveness if you fly back up after the "zoom".

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Separate	Not ontrollable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair, Radiator		Offensive 20 mm
II	Compressor	Airframe	DZ-40
III	Wing Repair, Engine		New 20 mm Cannons
IV	Engine Injection	Cover	RO-82

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Low stall speed
• Good roll rate
• Great turn speed
• Great armament consisting of 2 x 20 mm cannons
• Easily underestimated

Cons:

• Slow
• Very vulnerable against enemy guns it faces
• Poor energy retention
• Good climb rate against biplanes, but not against advanced monoplanes

History

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In-game description

The I-153P Chaika (Seagull) was a Soviet biplane fighter of the 1930s and 1940s. It was created by the Polikarpov Design Bureau in 1938. It is a modification (3rd variant) of the earlier I-15 fighter, as shown in the designation. The Chaika was considered to be the fastest biplane in the world. However, at the start of hostilities between the Soviet Union and Germany, the I-153 could not compete on equal terms with the German Messerschmitt Bf-109 and therefore was mainly used in ground attack roles.

For many years, Soviet pilots considered the I-16 to be the most dangerous aircraft in a spin. Therefore, when flight testing the I-153 with the M-25 engine in March and April of 1939, the VVS Command paid special attention to its spin characteristics. Initially, the matter remained unresolved. However, in the summer of 1939, when the new aircraft saw action against the Japanese in Mongolia, NII VVS returned to this crucial point. Test results were disappointing. By the third full rotation the I-153 would go into a flat spin; the engine would cease by the fifth formation, after which spin recovery would become extremely difficult. Lowering the landing gear in order to shift the center [sic] of gravity did not help. The Chaika still took a significant amount of time to recover.

Media

The Shooting Range #162 - Pages of History section at 04:44 discusses the I-153.

Read also

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Sources

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