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Old 21st September 2015, 15:55
GuerraCivil GuerraCivil is offline
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Polikarpov I-16 types 5 and 6?

I have read that the Polikarpov type 6 was actually type 5 with just open canopy as a standard and that "type 6" would have been a artificial creation by later historians - that we should instead just talk and write about "early type 5" with closed-canopy option and "late type 5" with standard open canopy. Was it actually so in Soviet type spesifications of the time when I-16 types 5/6 were built?

Wiki states that the "type 6" (or "late type 5"?) had some other modifications than just a open canopy as a standard compared to type 5 ("early"):
- a bit more stronger powerplant Shevetsov M-25B with 730 hp compared to Shvetsov M-25 (700 hp) of type 5
- a third Shvak machinegun added to the bottom of fuselage to increase firepower

It would be also interesting to know if some modifications were made on type 5/6 also in battlefield. I have read that in China more firepower was added to some "type 5" planes by installing more machineguns (these mounted over the nose like in the type 10?). It seems also that at least the Chinese considered the type 5/6/10 as three separate types - the type 5 being I-16I, the type 6 being I-16II and the type 10 being I-16III.

When it comes to production, I wonder how many I-16 type 5 and 6 were manufactured - which of these two types/modifications was more numerous and did the "type 6" see any action in Spanish Civil War?
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Old 21st September 2015, 20:33
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researcher111 researcher111 is offline
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Re: Polikarpov I-16 types 5 and 6?

I haven't seen sofar any of the type 6 , however I can recommend you a book
written by Maslov just in case you understand Russian, this book may address all
your questions .

Last edited by researcher111; 22nd September 2015 at 15:51.
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Old 22nd September 2015, 13:23
GuerraCivil GuerraCivil is offline
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Re: Polikarpov I-16 types 5 and 6?

Unfortunately my Russian is limited to the knowledge of cyrillic alphabet and to very few words. IIRC, the book of Yefimov/Gordon "Soviet Combat Aircraft" did have quite a lot about the I-16 but the "type 6" was not mentioned - IIRC, they jumped from the type 5 directly to the type 10. The type 5/6 question seems a confusing matter. What I have found from the web gives contradictory and confusing info about "tip 6" (for example the powerplant is mentioned to be "M-25A" with 730 hp or "M-25B" with 750 hp).

About the existence of "type 6" I found this source from the web claiming that about 700 were built and some of these saw action in Spanish Civil War and in China: http://www.ctrl-c.liu.se/misc/ram/i-16-t6.html

Some model kit manufacturers have made "type 6" kits: A-model, Novo, Hasegawa.

So the "type 6" exists in the mind of many people interested in I-16 and is often used in various sources nowadays, but how long it has been around?

From various sources I have read the claim that "type 6" exists only in the literature and has been used by some researchers and authors of books to make a difference between the original type 5 and its later modifications. If such authority as Maslov does not mention such spesification as "tip 6" he must have a good reason to ignore it.

So I guess that when the "type 6" planes were manufactured they were actually labelled as "type 5" in serial production numbers. Thus back in late 1930´s the Soviets did not know and use such spesification as "type 6"...

Thus the "type 6" is a artificial creation or myth which is actually more misleading than clarifying for those interested in the history of I-16. It would be interesting to know who first used the "type 6" spesification and is the original source of its existence.

The Chinese seem to have considered the modification of type 5 as a new separate model of I-16 - labelling the modified type 5 as "I-16II" between the the "I-16I" (early type 5) and the "I-16III" (type 10 and later types). However I find it hard to believe that the Chinese would be responsible of the creation of the "type 6" spesification which is so often used in (Western) literature and web sources.
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Old 22nd September 2015, 16:07
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Re: Polikarpov I-16 types 5 and 6?

I would have to go through various Russian books & publications in order to come out with a firm
answer a subject rather distant from my research area. When the time alows I will
do so yet I am not aware of any Khalkingol conflict 6 series used . I have numerous
books on VVS during Spanish and Khalkingol conflicts , the major issue is the time
needed in going trough these books .A short look through Soviet Air Power in WWII
indicates that Polikarpov factories jumpped from type 5 to 10 and no whatsoever
remarks as into type 6.
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Old 28th September 2015, 18:47
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Re: Polikarpov I-16 types 5 and 6?

Hi

Just a feedback, I looked through my books related to Mongolian conflict.IAP 22
most I-16 fighters were of type 10.
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