Polikarpov I-16 Tip 24

Ahead of its time

While most of the world’s fighters were still open-cockpit biplanes, Nikolai Polikarpov drew a low-wing monoplane fighter with a retractable undercarriage. The prototype was flown by Valery Chkalov, later famous for his flight to America over the North Pole. The fuselage was a wooden shell and the wings a metal structure with fabric covering; the undercarriage was raised by a hand crank the pilot had to wind.

Temperamental but agile

Its very short fuselage made the I-16 unstable in pitch: it did not forgive a pilot’s attention wandering even for a moment, and it could snap into a spin when it stalled. In return it rolled very quickly and turned tightly. Soviet pilots called it “Ishak” (donkey); in Spain the Republicans called it “Mosca” (fly) and their opponents “Rata” (rat).

From Spain to 1941

In Spain in 1936 the I-16 outclassed the biplanes; it fought the Japanese in China and at Khalkhin Gol in 1939, and the Finns in the Winter War. At Khalkhin Gol, I-16s were the first to use rockets in air combat, firing RS-82s from under their wings.

In June 1941 it was the most numerous Soviet fighter, but by then it was outclassed by the Bf 109 F. It fought on despite heavy losses; some pilots, out of ammunition, attacked by ramming (taran). It was withdrawn from the front by around 1943.