This is what the russian website has to say about the status of the I-180 in May 1940, as translated by Google.
May 20, Polikarpov sent a memorandum Shahurinu, which reported that in the immediate deployment of serial production I-180 plant in 1940, may issue 100 vehicles, including, in September - 10 October - 20 November - 30, December - 40.
In January 1941, the rate of release could amount to 100-120 fighters in a month. Nikolay suggested many changes I-16 remain in production only type 29 and presented a list of activities aimed at ensuring the release of such a program I-180.
At the same time (May 18) completed the second phase of the factory test I-180-3. Unlike the first test machines, at the initiative of Polikarpova on the plane intensified weapons: two 12.7 mm machine gun BS and two 7.62 mm ShKAS were collected into a single battery for the first time in the world mounted on lafete, which simplifies assembly and maintenance. For adjustments "thermal engine hood provided" yubkoy. " Construction I-180-3 was carried out without concessions batch plant, using pressed profiles, stamping, casting.
Already in the first phase of flight tests showed good results: speed - 575 km / h time climb 5000 meters-5.6 min. "According to maneuver the plane was very close to I-16, but more stable and better at superelevation, landing - wrote in a report Ulyahin. - At speeds of less than 350 km / h to 160 km / h, the aircraft has no tendency to stall in tailspin ... With adjusted trimmerami thrown administration remains set to flight. Longitudinal sustainable while centering 24% of SAH good lateral stability and sustainability of the road-good ".
There have been and disadvantages: the lack of lamp cabin, poor adjustment mechanism for cleaning tail wheel, poor design of the screw, poor quality of surface finish. It was expected that after removing the maximum speed reached 600 km / h. Soon the aircraft found the lamp, ordered a new screw, increased V-wing cross. In such a fighter handed over to gosispytaniya in NII Air Force, which took place in a generally successful.
The translation is not very clear, but it seems to indicate that unresolved issues regarding debugging the prototype were rather minor. So compared with the other russian fighters, it was a mature design. (Lamp in cabin, cleaning tailwheel? real problems
or mistranslations?)
Also the production programme is not unreasonable, in view of the fact that the factory changed over to producing Laggs, using totally different technology, and still produced several hundred machines in the first half of 1941. The proplem of engine supply could have been tackled the same way as the Germans did with the 109E, when the DB601 was delayed, that is, airframes were produced, and stockpiled until the engines became available. This allowed the Luftwaffe to change over to 109E in a short period in 1939. It seems that the M-88 was only in hiatus for 4-5 months in 1940.
Birgir Thorisson