I-16 type 10

This page is about the Soviet fighter I-16 type 10. For other variants, see I-16 (Family).

I-16 type 10

MiG-3-15

I-16 type 18

I-16 type 10

MiG-3-15

I-16 type 18

USSR

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.0	1.7

Class:

Fighter

Research:5 900

Purchase:6 300

Description

The I-16 type 10 Ishak is a rank I Soviet fighter with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB), 2.0 (RB), and 1.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.45 "Steel Generals".

The I-16 Type 10 is equipped with four ShKAS machine guns chambered with the 7.62 x 54R cartridge, a cyclic rate of fire of 1,800 rpm. Two of them are mounted above the engine cowling and carry 650 RPG while other pair are mounted on the wings and have ammo load out of 900 rounds each. Historically the cowling mounted machine guns were synchronized to propeller spin resulting in a rate of fire of 1,460 rpm, the preliminary analysis seems to suggest that the synchronization gear is not modelled in the game and all four guns fire at 1,800 rpm.

While the increase of the armament by double may seem already quite an upgrade it has to be remembered that the extra pair of light machine guns are fitted in the cowling, which means that convergence range is not quite as important for effective fire when compared to the wing mounted only armament of the Type 5. Of course, it is still not to be neglected, and as with any light machine gun armed vehicle, a relatively close gun convergence range of 150 to 400 meters is generally more effective. As with any other ShKAS machine gun armed aircraft, jamming due to overheat can be a serious threat although not quite as crippling as it is with the Type 5's (losing a machine gun in Type 5 means losing 1/2 of your firepower, losing one in Type 10 mean losing "only" 1/4 of your firepower). Unlike the I-16 Type 5, Type 10 is equipped with a PAK-1 reflector sight making overall aiming at close range easier than with a telescopic sight. It has to be kept in mind that in spite of the increased weight and more powerful armament, the lack of trimmer control and plane's inherent stability make it a rather lousy gun platform compared to latter heavier aircraft.

Unlike the Type 5 that precedes it, Type 10 does have the ability to mount armament on its external pylons. This armament in-game is limited to six wing-mounted RS-82 rockets, unfortunately these rockets had a somewhat lacklustre performance against armour (although they are a still a considerable upgrade compared to just light machine guns) and can be somewhat effective against exposed ground targets and enemy aircraft with the use of good aim and a bit of luck. Still, this armament is overall unreliable and it should only be taken in very specific situations if air combat is expected.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 3 160 m448 km/h

Turn time17 s

Max altitude9 300 m

EngineShvetsov M-25V

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight2 t

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 3,160 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	431	418	9300	17.7	18.3	15.3	15.2	210
Upgraded	467	459		16.2	16.7	23.6	19.9

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	X	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
0	260	N/A	N/A	260	~17	~8

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 300	< 240	< 280	> 190

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,900 m	782 hp	N/A

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear260 km/h

• 6 mm Steel - Plating behind the pilot seat

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB279 → 419

RB534 → 803

SB500 → 751

Total cost of modifications5 970

4 500

Talisman cost410

Crew training1 800

Experts6 300

Aces80

Research Aces135 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

20 / 40 / 100 %

106 / 106 / 106 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 400 Cost: 300 65 Radiator Research: 400 Cost: 300 65 Compressor Research: 450 Cost: 340 70 Wings repair Research: 500 Cost: 380 80 Engine Research: 500 Cost: 380 80 95 octane fuel usage Research: 640 Cost: 480 105 Engine injection Research: 640 Cost: 480 105	Airframe Research: 450 Cost: 340 70 Cover Research: 640 Cost: 480 105	shkas_belt_pack Research: 400 Cost: 300 65 RO-82 Research: 450 Cost: 340 70 shkas_new_gun Research: 500 Cost: 380 80

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 14 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun

Ammunition3 100 rounds

Fire rate1 800 shots/min

The I-16 type 10 is armed with:

• 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, nose-mounted (650 rpg = 1,300 total)
• 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, wing-mounted (900 rpg = 1,800 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (2)

Setup 16 x ROS-82 rockets

Setup 26 x RBS-82 rockets

The I-16 type 10 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 6 x RS-82 rockets
• 6 x RBS-82 rockets

Usage in battles

Like its predecessor the strength of Type 10 depends to some extent on its versatility, being able to outspeed most biplanes and outmanoeuvre most monoplanes it faces. However, because of the plane's higher BR in all game modes the Type 10 will face high-performance monoplanes like the Spitfire Mk I & II, the Bf 109 E/F, the C.202, the P-400 and early Yaks and LaGGs in mixed battle matchmaking a lot more often than its predecessor. This can be quite problematic since the aircraft's overall performance isn't much better than the Type 5's and is actually inferior in some regards. The Type 10 however somewhat makes up for it due to the increase in firepower which allows it to take much better advantage of split-second firing opportunities since while its four light machine gun armament is generally not enough to kill in a quick burst it can at least hit and damage enemy aircraft a lot more efficiently than just two wing-mounted machine guns.

The defensive and offensive tactics that work best for the I-16 Type 10 are similar to the ones that can be employed in Type 5, mainly the use of scissors and short vertical manoeuvres, the main difference is that the Type 10's lower roll rate makes the use of roll rate alone as an evasive tactic a lot less feasible than with its predecessor while the increased weight may prove decisive while using vertical manoeuvres as a way to avoid light fighters like the A5M4 or the Ki-27. The plane is still very far from more modern aircraft like the Yak-1, the Ki-44, the Bf 109 E/F and the Spitfire Mk I in speed and vertical manoeuvrability forcing the Type 10 to stick to the defensive if facing a competent pilot in any of those high speed aircraft. The climbing, speed and diving acceleration receive a timid upgrade when compared to the Type 5 with particularly the former still proving a rather good asset (even much faster aircraft like the Bf 109 F or the Spitfire Mk I aren't that much better at climbing than the Type 10 at low attitudes meaning that even when facing them there's still hope to do so at a similar energy state). The plane has a rather nasty habit of starting to bank side to side and even sometimes turning upside down while trying to pull out too sharply from a high-speed dive, its occurrence can prove deadly at low attitudes.

Simulator:

The I-16 can be used in turnfighting, bomber intercepting and ground pounding. However in this mode, its characteristics appear to be quite conflicting. It is excellent in turning tightly and continuously, yet when manoeuvring it easily gets into uncontrollable spins which isn't beginner friendly. Also the rather big nose blocks the visibility a lot, offering very poor over-the-nose visibility which is a disadvantage in a turn fight, because when leading a shot the enemy will always get obstructed by the engine, making the player guess the shot. More ever, there is no trim control available in a sim battle and the I-16 always pitch up and down. Although not a lot, it is still annoying when trying to get a precise aim.

It is recommended to set the convergence within 300 m, with vertical convergence on, because the majority of turnfights happen at that range or closer.

Unlike realistic, sim requires long-range flying so discard the habit of bringing the least fuel. Bring at least 30 minutes of fuel, although it decreases the plane's performance a bit, it prevents constant refueling which saves time for patrolling and fighting.

As your I-16 roars down the runway, you will notice that it shifts severely to the side, and the nose will tip down. If you don't correct it it will eventually strike the ground, causing a failed takeoff. Thus you must put rudder input as opposed to the side it's shifting towards, and apply positive pitch to keep the propeller off the ground. You do not want to use flaps anywhere except takeoff and landing, since they are very weak and will rip at more than 260 km/h, while the average speed during a battle tends to be around 300 km/h. Once one or both flaps are gone it creates an imbalance in the roll axis, making spins more common. It also makes landing harder.

Before engaging a fight, it is better to have an altitude advantage first. When approaching the fight try to figure out which is your teammate and which is the enemy, to avoid going for a second pass, as the energy retention of the I-16 is rather slow. Also pick your target carefully. For easier aiming, you want to go for those unmanoeuvrable twin engine aircraft like Ju 88 or Ki-45, or bombers if there are any. Given the bad forward visibility of the I-16, these are the best options as they are quite slow and sluggish, and are a bigger target to hit. However getting hits on them tend to do little work, as your MGs lack damage. When dealing with fighters, it is way harder to aim. The elevator control of the I-16 is extremely sensitive, giving it good manoeuvrability, but at the same time, bad handling. The I-16 will respond in a very fast turn upon moving your stick / mouse by a little bit, which makes tracking nimble planes quite hard. But once you get used to it, try to lure every enemy into a turnfight, as that is where the I-16 shines. Quite a bit of bullets are required to effectively damage the enemy so you must be patient. If you find an enemy at your 6, utilise your great roll rate to do defensive manoeuvres like scissors to make them overshoot. Or you can simply do tight turns, most monoplanes won't be able to cut inside your turn and they might disengage. Important note: DO NOT put too much rolling and pitching input at once, as aforementioned the I-16 tend to enter spins easily.

If you are not very experienced in sim, you can also go for even bigger targets (bombers) for easier aiming. However you want to be more careful when hunting bombers, since with the Sim control (whether it be mouse joystick or a real stick) the plane will manoeuvre much more gently, making itself a great target for the bomber's gunners. DO NOT follow behind a bomber's 6 unless you are sure that its tail gunners are unconscious. Chasing behind a bomber makes yourself stationary for the tail gunners, and you will be showered with bullets. Your big radial engine will usually get damaged. Instead, before attacking, get an altitude advantage over the bomber by flying around 2 km above it. The bomber should only fill up about 1/6 of your gunsight. The best position for an attack is at the bomber's high 6 so you can adjust the lead much easier. Dive at the bomber, but not directly at it, try to predict where you two will crash by imagining yourself as a missile, that's where you should aim at (deflection shooting). To maximise the damage it is better to aim for their wings and engines, as the fuselage usually soaks up quite some bullets. Only fire when the bomber passes in front of your guns. This short window might seem inadequate to do anything, but with a accurate burst on the engine the 4 MG can at least damage it. With an engine damaged most bombers cannot go far.

Ground pounding ability is limited as there is only rockets. The 6 rockets, with accurate aiming, can destroy 3 targets, whether them be tanks or pillboxes. Once the suspended armaments are gone, the 4 MG are good for killing soft targets like trucks, artillery and AA cars.

Just like the SB-2M, the I-16 can still fly when it's extremely slow, causing it to bounce up during landing which can lead to a fatal crash. The trick is similar: slow it down more than other aircraft. Make sure you are around 1 km from the start of the runway and is no more than 300 m high. When the runway fills up your gunsight, drop speed to around 210 kph and deploy landing flaps. The good thing is, the I-16 will not pitch up drastically upon using its flaps so you don't need to counter the extra lift. Make sure that you extend landing gears early as they move very slow (takes around 15 seconds to deploy). When you are about to touch down you should be flying at around 140 kph. You must control your rate of descent (I-16's gears are fragile) and make sure that you are slightly pitching upwards with the nose obstructing the horizon. This way the I-16 should land gently without having to brake for too long. Once you are sliding on the ground, fully deflect your elevators upwards to counter the momentum that can push the nose into the ground. You must release brakes once every 4 seconds, because if you only release them as the nose dips down, it's too late.

Enemies worth noting:

Ki-27, N1K1, He 51, Gladiator, etc - Those commonly seen planes are equally good at turnfights and will be a hard target to down since they are very small and agile. To deal with them you need to practice leading and deflection shots, plus manoeuvres like barrel rolls and scissors. They still need plenty of bullets to get damaged, so these kind of targets are the hardest to kill and requires great skills from the player.

He 111 H-6 - This bomber is not only quite durable, but also pretty fast. In level flight it can outrun the I-16 rather easily. Avoid being on its 6 as it will have at least 2x 7.92 mm MG facing its tail, and their rapid rate of fire and good penetration is a big threat. Either go for a head-on or use deflection shooting and aim for its engines. If you cannot keep up with it, disengage. If it flies way higher than you, change your target.

Sunderland Mk IIIa - This flying boat is like a low-tier Be-6. Its huge fuselage is very spacious and can absorb lots of bullets and shells. It also has lethal defensive firepower: two 7.7mm in the nose, four forward-facing, two on the top and four at the tail, so attacking from behind, in front or above aren't the best options. Dive under it and suddenly pull up to shoot its defenseless underpart. Aim at the engines, avoid shooting the fuselage.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Combined	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent turning ability- with combat flaps deployed it can out-turn He 112, He 100 and even turn fighters like the early Spitfire
• Extreme roll rate allows it to do offensive / defensive scissors easily, which is an advantage over Bf 109 and Spitfire as their roll rate aren't as good
• 4 x ShKAS machine guns have good fire rate, adequate velocity and accuracy, and plenty of ammo (3,100 rounds total) for longer fights
• Suspended armament provides rockets and bombs which, to an extent, allows some ground attack ability
• Is a very short and small plane, offering the enemy a harder target to hit

Cons:

• Extremely poor level speed, climb rate, dive acceleration and energy retention- will get outran, out-climbed and out-dived easily by Bf 109 E, He 100, and sometimes even struggles to keep up with bombers
• Engine tends to overheat when diving at more than 500 km/h
• Control surfaces are unresponsive over 450 km/h
• Flaps are very weak and will break over 250 km/h, severely limiting its sharp-turning potential at higher speeds
• Gear retraction/lowering is rather slow compared to other fighters
• No manual trim controls in Simulator which makes it hard to handle
• Although manoeuvrable, it can still get out-turned by the Ki-10 or biplanes like the He-51
• Hard to fly in SB -- very unstable in pitch, poor over-the-nose visibility and is prone to enter flat spins

History

The I-16 Type 10 was the next step in the development of the I-16 series after the Type 5 following the lessons learned by previous combat experience in Spain. Development of the aircraft started in December 1937 with the plane being tested and entering production through the winter, by March 1938 it was already being put into operational service. The main changes when compared to its predecessor are an increase in machine gun armament as well as the ability to mount light ground attack armament, paired with a slight increase in climb rate and speed through the addition of a new M-25V engine (early production models employed the M-25A instead), the addition of flaps, the removal of the closed cockpit and the addition of the PAK-1 reflector sight in place of the OV-1 telescopic sight (note that the later modifications were already seen in late Type 5 production models). Some models were mounted with non-retractable skis in place of the standard retractable landing gear. A total of 934 I-16 Type 10 were built by the time production ended in 1939.

The I-16 Type 10 was first deployed in combat in March 1938 in Spain becoming the backbone of the Spanish Republican Air Force through the remaining half of the conflict. While only a modest upgrade in a lot of performance parameters over earlier I-16s, it was seemingly enough to overcome the previous advantages held by the Condor Legion Bf 109 B causing the replacement of this aircraft by the upgraded Bf 109 Cs and Bf 109 Ds. Like its predecessor, the Type 10 was capable of facing off on equal terms against the German fighter at low attitudes (up to 3,000 to 4,000 meters), but at higher attitudes the Jumo-powered Bf 109s still held a significant advantage. In an attempt to counter this advantage in late 1938 several I-16 were retrofitted with supercharged Wright Cyclone R-1820-F-54 engines which, used in conjunction with an oxygen pump system for the pilot, allowed for an increase of the plane's practical service ceiling and overall performance at high attitude. The Type 10 would only be completely surpassed by the Bf 109 with the arrival of the Bf 109 E in 1939. After the war, several dozens of I-16s passed into service with the Spanish Air Force until 1953.

The I-16 Type 10 was also one of the most important VVS fighter during the air engagements over Khalkhin Gol and Finland in 1939, in the former conflict the arrival of this model in big numbers, alongside with the arrival of more experienced aircrews, played an important role in allowing the VVS to achieve air superiority in the latter half of the conflict. The I-16 Type 10 was also supplied in big numbers to Chinese Nationalist Air Force where it proved quite effective against the early A5Ms and IJN bombers and attackers but fared very badly against the modern and much better performing A6M2 Zero. By the time of German invasion of the Soviet Union and in spite of its obsolescence a lot of I-16 Type 10 remained in service with the VVS (although a lot of them had been converted to Type 18/24 standards), a lot of them were destroyed during the initial phases of the conflict but those that survived were used as fighters and light ground attack aircraft until early 1944.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the I-16 type 10 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance