Polikarpov I-16 – the Soviet/ Spanish fighter

At the end of 1932 N. Polikarpov and a group of constructors started to construct a fighter on his own initiative - a monoplane I-16 with a retractable landing gear, the speed of which was supposed to exceed 400 km/h. The plane had to be of minimal dimensions and with a closed cabin. On December 30, 1933 V. Chkalov made the first flight of the new fighter with the M-22 engine. In February 1934 state tests began, the pilots emphasized the exceptional flight characteristics and maneuverability of the plane. At the same time they noted, that the plane does not forgive piloting errors. The I-16 was very easy to get out of a simple spinner, and out of a spinner up the wheels, it instantly came out on its own. The fighter with the M-25 engine showed excellent flight data for those times: the maximum speed at the ground reached 395 km/h, at an altitude of 4000 m - 455 km/h. From the end of 1934 the preparation of I-16 for serial production began at factory No. 21. In the city of Gorky. Since it was the fourth plane, produced here, it received the designation I-16 Type 4. The Gorky plant became the main production center for this plane - 8,495 examples were produced here, plant No. 39. in Moscow made 58, and No. 153. in Novosibirsk - 897 units. One of the most massive series was the I-16 Type 5, which began production in 1935. It was armed with two “SKAS” machine guns in the centerplate and had a maximum speed of 454 km/h. A cannon modification of Type 5 - Type 12 - was produced in 1936 and a two-seater training version UTI-2 was created in the same year. In 1937 the production of the I-16 Type 6 version began, in which, considering the wishes of the pilots, the designers made the cabin open with a windshield, installed in the front, which remained in all subsequent modifications. In the same year, I-16 Type 10 with 750 h. p. with engine M-25V are produced. The structure of the aircraft was strengthened, landing panels were installed, which were used for the first time in serial fighters of the USSR. Additionally, two more "SKAS" are installed above the engine. I-16 received its baptism of fire in 1936 in the skies of Spain. A total of 455 I-16 types 5, 10 and UTI-4 fighters were sent there. In addition, 7 I-16 and 2 UTI-4 aircraft were produced in Spanish factories until January 1, 1939. In air battles against the putschist fighters Heinkel He-51 and FIAT CR-32, the I-16 had a complete advantage. When the first production Bf-109B-1s appeared in Spanish skies in February 1937, followed a little later by the Bf-109Cs, which were the equivalent of the I-16. However, the war between the USSR and Germany, which began on June 22, 1941, showed that the "Messersmith’s" of the new Bf-109E modification cope with the outdated I-16 very easily. Therefore, the I-16 suffered huge losses at the beginning of the war.

Model one of the two Spanish Republican AF planes can be made from the publication: Type 5, which was used by the commander of the 1st "Moskas" squadron in 1936 lieutenant Sergej Tarchov, the other is a type 6 fighter with the serial number CM-23, which was fought by pilot Frank Tinker. The model is not complicated, so a slightly simplified version in the flight phase can be made even by advanced beginners and modelers with little experience, working under the supervision of a more experienced colleague. The interior of the cabin, the chassis, and partially the engine are perfectly detailed in the model. It is possible to choose a simpler or more complex version of the model.