Tupolev I-4

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

Tupolev 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

Design and development

After the first prototype (under the development name Andrei Nikolayevich Tupolev fighter 5 | ANT-5), the I-4 was redesigned with a new engine cowling to decrease drag, with added rocket launchers on the upper wing and a larger tailfin. The lower wing was predominantly an attachment for the wing struts; it was almost removed in the second series, the I-4Z (where the lower wings were greatly shortened), and totally removed from the I-4bis, thus transforming the aircraft from a sesquiplane into a parasol-wing monoplane.

Operational history

The I-4 was used as a parasite fighter in experiments with the Tupolev TB-1 bomber. The aircraft was in Soviet service from 1928–1933. A total of 369 were built.[1]

Variants
  • ANT-5 : Prototype.
  • I-4 : Single-seat fighter aircraft.
  • I-4Z : Single-seat fighter with span of lower wings greatly reduced.
  • I-4bis : Monoplane version (lower wings totally removed).
  • I-4P : Floatplane version.

Operators
 Soviet Union

Specifications (I-4)

Data from

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 7.27 m (23 ft 10 in)
  • Wingspan: 11.42 m (37 ft 6 in)
  • Height: 2.82 m (9 ft 3 in)
  • Wing area: 23.8 m2 (256 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 978 kg (2,156 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,430 kg (3,153 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Shvetsov M-22 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 343 kW (460 hp) (Bristol Jupiter)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 257 km/h (160 mph, 139 kn)
  • Range: 524 km (326 mi, 283 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 7,655 m (25,115 ft)
  • Wing loading: 60 kg/m2 (12 lb/sq ft)
  • Power/mass: 0.25 kW/kg (0.15 hp/lb)

Armament

See also

Related lists

References
  1. "AKL-201611 AviaKollektsia 11 2016: Tupolev I-4 Soviet Fighter of the 1920s". modelgrad.com. Retrieved 2017-10-20.

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