MKF3-4-2005 ROSYJSKI MYŚLIWIEC POLIKARPOW I-180

The Polikarpov I-180 was a prototype Soviet fighter aircraft from the interwar period and World War II. The plane was built in a low-wing configuration with a classic landing gear - retractable in flight. A prototype flight took place in 1938, but the machine never entered mass production. The drive was provided (in the I-180S version) by a single M-88R engine with a capacity of 1100 HP. The deck armament consisted of four 12.7 mm and 7.62 mm machine guns. The machine could also carry bombs weighing up to 200 kilograms. I-180 was developed by Nikolai Polikarpov, in connection with the requirements of Soviet aviation for a new fighter with a radial engine. In the new machine, the designer decided to use a lot of experience gained from the construction and operation of the I-15 and I-16 machines. In fact, the new I-180 was a far-reaching development of the I-16. The main differences were in the contour and size of the wings, a much better aerodynamic fuselage with a slender engine casing. Ultimately, the new machine was also to be powered by a completely new engine with more power. Despite the objections of Polikarpov, an attempt was made to test the flight of the still unfinished plane, which crashed during the landing approach. The famous pilot Valery Chkalov was killed in this catastrophe. This sad event decided the fate of the aircraft, which was not intended for mass production, which, according to many, was a mistake, because the I-180 was at least comparable in performance to the Yak-1 or ŁAGG-3 machines, and the errors that led to the catastrophe could have been eliminate.