i 153 in real

[Panzergranate]

The I-153 couldn't have been totally obstelete in WW2 as the Fins used them against the Soviets with some success.

It should be noted that the I-153 could be out-turned by the Finnish B-239 Buffalo (or "Sky Pearl" as the Fins called it) easily and could be matched in turns by the Fokker D-21. Voth of these were monoplanes.

The D-21 was 3 MPH slower than the I-153 at 285 MPH and made up the bulk of the Finnish fighter force.

The I-153 still holds the airspeed record for a bi-plane at 288 MPH to this day.

However, the later I-153's 1,000 HP was well short of the 1,200 HP of the Finnish B-239 and P-36 fighters it faced. And definately well short of the power outputs of Luftwaffe fighters and bombers.

Standard I-153 engine was a licence built copy of the US Wright Whirlwind and made 950 HP

The Finnish licence built Fokker D-21 made 836 HP with the Centaurus engine and only 750 HP with the later Wasp Junior engine.

The I-153 was close to obstelete when it appeared in 1938 and it was obselete by 1941.