Polikarpov I-16

     The interwar period saw developments in countries beyond just the West. The Soviet Polikarpov I-16 was developed in 1933, following Nikolai Polikarpov's conditional release from imprisonment on espionage charges in 1931. I-16s served in the USSR with the Soviet Air Forces, the Republic of China in the Chinese Nationalist Air Force, and the Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War. It acquired several names from its operators and opponents, with the Soviets dubbing it the "Ishak" (donkey), and the Spanish calling it the "Rata" (rat) or "Mosca" (fly). Over the duration of its service 10,292 I-16s were built including two-seated trainer aircraft. The I-16 was the primary fighter of the Soviet Air Forces up until 1941, when it was quickly discovered to be obsolete against more contemporary German aircraft.

    At the time of its development the I-16 was a revolutionary design, being the first low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear. On most aircraft of the time, the landing gear remained extended after takeoff, providing a source of drag which slowed the plane down. In the I-16, the landing gear could be hand-cranked back into recesses in the aircraft fuselage, eliminating the extra drag. As a result, the I-16 was faster and more agile than contemporary biplanes. It had a wooden fuselage and all-metal wings which helped it remain in the fight longer than purely wooden fighters. This also helped ground crews maintain the aircraft much easier than if it had been all-metal. In fact, some I-16 pilots would even use the plane for ramming maneuvers to destroy their opponents if they were out of ammunition.

    The early I-16 was powered by a 480 horsepower M-22 radial engine, which was distantly related to the Bristol Jupiter VI, a British engine designed in late World War I. Later variants of the I-16 were fitted with M-25 or M-62 engines, with 635 and 1000 horsepower respectively. Combining its engine with its status as the lightest production fighter in the world at roughly 3,200 lbs, the I-16 was the worlds fastest fighter at the time, attaining speeds of 282 mph at altitude. The short, thin wings of the I-16 also resulted in a quick roll rate, making the fighter incredibly slippery.

    Its positive traits did come with some notable tradeoffs and flaws. The same characteristics that leant the I-16 its agility made it unstable and difficult to fly for inexperienced pilots. Its engine power and weight meant that sharp maneuvers would throw the plane into a spin, which were difficult for fresh pilots to recover from. The engine obstructed pilot visibility, and the cockpit glass tended to get obscured by leaking engine oil.

    The initial I-16 Type 5 was equipped with rather modest armament. It carried two unsynchronized ShKAS machine guns chambered in 7.62x54mmR caliber, one mounted in each wing. The lack of synchronizer made the aircraft lighter and cheaper to produce, but did affect pilot accuracy. The I-16 was quickly battle-tested when the Spanish Civil War began in 1936. The Soviets delivered nearly 500 I-16s to the Republican forces in exchange for payment in gold. The planes proved incredibly effective against enemy biplanes, but pilots did provide feedback for their experience with the aircraft. One of the largest complaints was regarding the firepower of I-16. This was quickly addressed with the Type 6 and Type 10, which simply added another ShKAS gun. The Type 12 would go overboard in solving the problem by replacing the pair of ShKAS guns in the wings with ShVAK cannons, 20mm cannons based on the ShKAS. At the time it was produced, this made the I-16 one of the most heavily armed fighters in the world. However, the added weight severely affected the I-16s performance, making it much more sluggish, a problem that wouldn't be remedied until later I-16s switched to a more powerful engine.

    The I-16 continued to be developed until 1939, when an investigation determined that the I-16 could not be further improved. Here's an image of an I-16 Type 27, sporting an improved M-62 engine and the distinctive long barreled 20mm cannons in the wings! I also found a 4 minute history video on YouTube originally created when a private collection decided it was time to sell their I-16s and sister I-15s.

I-16 Type 27 of 72 SAP flown by ace Boris Safonov.


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