Polikarpov I-16 Type 18 Russian fighter
Ark Models 48010

Dimensions: 127 (length) * 188 (wingspan)
No. of parts: 76

The Polikarpov I-16 fighter was among the world’s best high-speed fighters in the second half of the 1930s. The I-16 was the mainstay of the aircraft fleet of the Red Army’s Air Force in the run-up to the Great Patriotic War. In early 1939, the Shvetsov M-25 engine was replaced by the more powerful Shvetsov M-62. 590 kW (800 hp) M-62 engine identified a new modification of the I-16 - Type 18, which was created on the basis of the I-16 Type 10. However, before the mass production of the I-16 Type 18, this engine change has occurred in combat during the Battles of Khalkhin Gol. In the second half of summer 1939 the use of the I-16 with the new engine began. The Shvetsov M-62 had more power and higher altitude, it could be installed in place of M-25 almost without rework. Tests of the first fighter with the new engine showed that the aircraft performance has increased significantly.