Sunday, February 7, 2010

Polikarpov I-16 Coming Soon.



Well after 6 months of hardware troubles and real life problems. Production has resumed. Our next aircraft, currently undergoign flight testing is the Polikarpov I-16.

The Polikarpov I-16 was a Soviet fighter aircraft of revolutionary design; it was the world's first cantilever-winged monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear. The I-16 was introduced in the mid-1930s and formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force at the beginning of World War II. The diminutive fighter prominently featured in the Second Sino-Japanese War[1], the Battle of Khalkhin Gol, and the Spanish Civil War where it was called the Rata (Rat) by the Nationalists or Mosca (Fly) by the Republicans. The Finnish nickname for I-16 was Siipiorava ("Flying Squirrel").



This example is finished in the paint scheme for temperate climates, immediately befroe the German Invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.



Design work began in early 1933, with the first flight taking place on December 31 of that year. Although somewhat difficult to fly, the I-16's speed, high roll-rate, and rate of climb earned it production status. The aircraft was produced from 1934 through 1939, and was then reinstated to production in 1941, with some 8,650 being built.


THI will be offering other Soviet schemes, and weapons paclages once flight testing is done. We are also planning to release Spanish Republican, and Chinese (KMT) Nationalist paint schemes for this little fighter.

--Karl

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