The Polikarpov I-16 is a Soviet single-engine single-seat fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear to attain operational status and as such "introduced a new vogue in fighter design". The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II. The diminutive fighter, nicknamed "Ishak" or "Ishachok" by Soviet pilots, figured prominently in the Second Sino-Japanese War, the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, Winter War and the Spanish Civil War – where it was called the Rata ("rat") by the Nationalists or Mosca ("fly") by the Republicans. The Finns called the aircraft Siipiorava "(flying squirrel)".
The Sukhoi Su-2 was a Soviet reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft used in the early stages of World War II. It was the first airplane designed by Pavel Sukhoi. The basic design received an engine and armament upgrade (Su-4) and was modified for the ground-attack role (ShB).
The Lavochkin La-5 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. It was a development and refinement of the LaGG-3, replacing the earlier model's inline engine with the much more powerful Shvetsov ASh-82 radial engine. During its time in service, it was one of the Soviet Air Force's most capable types of warplane, able to fight German designs on an equal footing.
The Tupolev I-12 was a prototype Soviet fighter aircraft that never reached production. The I-12 was of unconventional design with twin booms made of water pipes containing recoilless rifles and two engines in a push-pull configuration. The aircraft first flew in 1931 but did not enter production due to disappointing performance and operational difficulties such as the inability for the pilot to escape the aircraft without hitting the propeller arc behind him. The second prototype from Tupolev was never completed.
The Polikarpov I-185 was a Soviet fighter aircraft designed in 1940. It was flown with three engines but all of them were either insufficiently developed for service use or their full production was reserved for other fighters already in production. The I-185 program was cancelled on 27 January 1943.
The Polikarpov I-153 Chaika is a late 1930s Soviet sesquiplane fighter. Developed from the I-15 with a retractable undercarriage, the I-153 fought in the Soviet-Japanese combats in Mongolia and was one of the Soviets' major fighter types in the early years of the Second World War. Three I-153s are in flying condition.
The Polikarpov I-5 was a single-seat biplane which became the primary Soviet fighter between its introduction in 1931 through 1936, after which it became the standard advanced trainer. Following Operation Barbarossa, which destroyed much of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS), surviving I-5s were equipped with four machine guns and bomb racks and pressed into service as light ground-attack aircraft and night bombers in 1941. They were retired in early 1942 as Soviet aircraft production began to recover and modern ground-attack aircraft like the Ilyushin Il-2 became available. A total of 803 built.
The Sukhoi Su-6 was a Soviet ground-attack aircraft developed during World War II. The mixed-power high-altitude interceptor Su-7 was based on the single-seat Su-6 prototype.
The Sukhoi Su-8 or DDBSh was a Soviet prototype ground-attack aircraft of World War II.
The Sukhoi Su-1 or I-330 was a prototype Soviet high-altitude fighter aircraft built at the beginning of World War II. An improved version, designated Su-3 (I-360), was also built and tested the following year. Neither version was mass-produced.
The Sukhoi Su-5 or I-107 was a Soviet mixed-power prototype fighter aircraft built toward the end of World War II.
The Sukhoi Su-12 was a prototype Soviet reconnaissance and artillery spotter aircraft developed during World War II.
The Grigorovich I-Z was a fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union during the 1930s. Advances in aircraft survivability thanks to all-metal construction and self-sealing and inert gas-filled fuel tanks led to experimentation with large-caliber weapons to shoot them down. In Soviet Union, Leonid Kurchevsky developed a series of recoilless rifles in various calibers and in 1930 was decided to adapt the 76.2 mm (3 in) weapons for aircraft use.
The Polikarpov I-3 was a Soviet fighter designed during the late 1920s. It entered service in 1929, but was retired in 1935 with the advent of fighters with higher performance.
Kochyerigin DI-6 was a two-seat fighter biplane produced in the Soviet Union in the 1930s.
The Tupolev I-8 was an experimental interceptor built in the Soviet Union in the early 1930s.
The Polikarpov TB-2 was a Soviet heavy bomber prototype designed and tested in the 1920s. It was a sesquiplane of wooden construction, with engines mounted on the bottom wing. Work on the sole prototype began in 1927 and it was tested in 1930. Although TB-2 performance was superior to that of the Tupolev TB-1 in service at the time, it was deemed insufficient for 1930 and the project was abandoned.
The Polikarpov DI-1, also known as 2I-N1, Russian: Поликарпов ДИ-1 (2И-Н1), was a prototype Soviet two-seat fighter designed during the 1920s. The sole prototype built crashed on its ninth flight, due to manufacturing defects, and the program was cancelled.
The Grigorovich DI-3, , was a prototype two-seat fighter developed in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. It was intended to be a long-range escort fighter developed from the DI-2 with improved range and performance comparable to single-seat fighter aircraft of the time. DI-3 was a single-bay biplane of mixed construction with a twin-rudder tailplane of variable incidence.
The Laville DI-4 was a prototype two-seat fighter aircraft developed in the Soviet Union in the 1930s. The chief designer Henri Laville was one of several French aviation specialists invited to work in the Soviet Union and not surprisingly the DI-4 layout was typical of the French trend at the time with the first high-mounted gull wing on a Soviet aircraft and all-metal construction.
