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Re: Questions re Polikarpov-fighters.
Graham Boak.
I think there is ample evidence that Stalin erred during WW2 by always preferring quantity to quality. The best case in point being the decision not to put the I-185 into production. If the I-180 had been produced, it would have been a natural progression to move towards the 185, in the winter of 1942/43.
I also tend towards the opinion, shared at it seems by the person using the name Arsenal VG 33, that indeed, the I-185 would have been equal, or better than Yak-1 and LaGG-3, where production aircraft were of far inferior performance to the prototypes. In fact, it took until late 1943, for the last LaGGs to match the prototype performance. Being "older" in production terms, would mean lesser retrogration from prototypes to production. Thus, soviet pilots would have had a better mount, giving better chances of survival, with the resulting cumulative effects on the airforce efficiency. Then there is the unresolved issue of the value of greater altitude capability.
Birgir Thorisson
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