The Polikarpov I-5 was a single-seat biplane that served as the main Soviet fighter from its debut in 1931 until 1936, after which it transitioned to being the standard advanced trainer.
In the wake of Operation Barbarossa, which devastated a significant portion of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS), the remaining I-5s were outfitted with four machine guns and bomb racks, and were utilised as light ground-attack aircraft and night bombers in 1941.
They were phased out in early 1942 as Soviet aircraft production began to recover, making way for more modern ground-attack aircraft such as the Ilyushin Il-2.
