IP-1

Historical information

The Grigorovich IP-1 was a fighter aircraft produced in the Soviet Union in the 1930s.

When the performance of both the Grigorovich I-Z and its single-shot Kurchevski DRP cannon armament proved disappointing, the development of that particular system did not halt development of the basic underlying concept of a cannon-armed bomber destroyer. Leonid Kurchevsky developed a new, 75 mm cannon designated the Kurchevski APK-4 which could fire five shots instead of just one, and once again the Grigorovich design bureau created an aircraft to carry it.

The IP-1 was a conventional, low-wing cantilever monoplane with retractable tailskid undercarriage and an open cockpit. Construction throughout was all-metal, and like it predecessor, its horizontal stabiliser was mounted high to avoid gasses from the underwing cannons. Once again, however, trials proved the concept a failure.

Nevertheless, the IP-1 was ordered into production, with a modified version that dispensed with the cannon and instead carried a 20 mm autocannon and three 7.62 mm machine guns in and under each wing.