I-16

I-16 Airplane

I-16 Airplane

Soviet high-speed monoplane fighter aircraft initially designed by Nickolai Polikarpov as the TsKB-12, first tested by Valery Chkalov in December 1933. In 1935, the I-16 was displayed at an international exhibition in Milan, Italy as a sport aircraft. The first serial modification, the I-16 type 4, was produced in 1934-1935.

Chinese I-16

I-16/Chinese AF

The I-16 type 5 was produced in 1936 with an American-licensed engine – the Wright “Cyclone” F-3.  This model was supplied by the Soviets to both Spain and China, with the first delivery arriving in Spain on October 25, 1936. The first I-16s were delivered to China – complete with pilots – in October 1937, and were first used to fight the Japanese the following month. On March 1, 1938, the Soviets began official deliveries of the I-16 to China. That same month, the Soviets began sending supplies of the I-16 type 10 to Spain.

Spanish I-16

I-16/Spanish AF

In August 1939, the Soviet Union and China signed a protocol for the construction of an I-16 assembly factory in Urumchi, China. In 1940 Chinese-assembled I-16s were fighting with the Guomingdan (Kuomintang) Air Force against the Japanese in the Sino-Japanese war.

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