Tupolev I-4

I-4
Role	Fighter
National origin	Soviet Union
Manufacturer	Tupolev
Designer	Pavel Sukhoi
First flight	1927
Retired	1933
Primary user	Soviet Air Force
Number built	369

The Tupolev I-4 was a Soviet sesquiplane single-seat fighter. It was designed in 1927 by Pavel Sukhoi, his first aircraft design, and the first Soviet all-metal fighter.

Design and development

After the first prototype (under the development name ANT-5), the I-4 was redesigned with a new engine cowling to decrease drag, added rocket launchers on the upper wing, and a larger tailfin. The lower wing was nothing more than an attachment for the wing struts; it was (almost) removed in the second series (I-4bis).

Operational history

The I-4 was used as a parasite fighter in experiments with the TB-3 bomber. The aircraft was in Soviet service from 1928-1933. A total of 369 were built.

Variants

• ANT-5 : Prototype.
• I-4 : Single-seat fighter aircraft.
• I-4bis : Monoplane version.
• I-4P : Floatplane version.

Operators

Soviet Union

• Soviet Air Force

Specifications (I-4)

General characteristics

• Crew: 1, pilot
• Length: 7.27 m (23 ft 10 in)
• Wingspan: 11.42 m (37 ft 5 in)
• Height: 2.82 m (9 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 23.8 m² (256 ft²)
• Empty weight: 978 kg (2,156 lb)
• Loaded weight: 1,430 kg (3,153 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × M-22 (Bristol Jupiter) piston radial, 343 kW (460 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 257 km/h (160 mph)
• Range: 840 km (524 mi)
• Service ceiling: 7,655 m (25,100 ft)
• Rate of climb: 555 m/min (1,820 ft/min)
• Wing loading: 60 kg/m² (12 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.25 kW/kg (0.15 hp/lb)

Armament

• 2 × 7.62 mm machine guns

External links

• http://www.aviation.ru/Tu/#ANT-5

The initial version of this article was based on material from aviation.ru. It has been released under the GFDL by the copyright holder.