Soviet Flying Barrel
The Polikarpov I-16, a pioneering monoplane fighter with a retractable undercarriage. It made existing biplane fighters obsolete overnight. The I-16 saw combat service during the Spanish Civil War, on the Republican side, where initially it proved highly effective. But by 1938, the Nationalist forces had regained air supremacy, bolstered by the German Condor Legion, which had been equipped with the new Messerschmidt Bf109. Many Soviet Air Force squadrons were still equipped with the I-16 in 1941, at the time of the Nazi invasion. The design was by then obsolete and Luftwaffe pilots gained hundreds of easy victories.
Soviet Flying Barrel
The Polikarpov I-16, a pioneering monoplane fighter with a retractable undercarriage. It made existing biplane fighters obsolete overnight. The I-16 saw combat service during the Spanish Civil War, on the Republican side, where initially it proved highly effective. But by 1938, the Nationalist forces had regained air supremacy, bolstered by the German Condor Legion, which had been equipped with the new Messerschmidt Bf109. Many Soviet Air Force squadrons were still equipped with the I-16 in 1941, at the time of the Nazi invasion. The design was by then obsolete and Luftwaffe pilots gained hundreds of easy victories.