The
Polikarpov I-16 is famous as the world's first low-wing cantilever monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear and racked up a respectable record right up to the
Great Patriotic War.
Far less known is what briefly superseded it, the Polikarpov I-36.
By the late 1930's, the Red Air Force was thought utterly unbeatable by the workers and peasants of the Soviet Union. This public esteem was of course officially encouraged.
However, the powers that be knew rapidly developing technology was causing them to lose ground to the Running Dog West. In Spain, newer monoplane fighters were gaining the upper hand over the vaunted I-16s. Something had to be done and soon.
While the Red Air Force had some promising projects in the pipeline, none were going to enter service for at least another three years, leaving a vital hole in fighter defense.
Soviet personnel posted near the town of Ciudad de Malgusto in the Spanish Civil War reported about a new American aircraft, the
Halcón Cañón or Cannon Hawk. This prompted the Soviets to engage in a little industrial espionage at the Curtiss plant.
With most of the critical Curtiss P-36/Hawk-75A plans in hand, the Polikarpov bureau soon produced a prototype and flight testing was hurriedly undertaken at a desolate base outside Omsk.
While as close to a rivet-by-rivet copy as Polikarpov could get, the new fighter was a bit different than the Curtiss version. First off, it had more of a squared-off look than the P-36. This was mostly from converting English measurements to metric.
However, the most noticeable difference was the new cowling housing the experimental Shvetsov M-73 radial engine which was capped off by a pointy prop spinner.
The boost in performance provided by this power plant allowed heavier weapons to be carried. No less than four 6.39 m.m. cal. ShshshIcantSayThat machine guns were located in the nose, synchronized to fire through the propeller arc.
In addition, four 18.7 m.m. ShshshsKantSaythat cannon were in the wings, giving the aircraft eight guns overall. Fire-power of this magnitude could not be ignored and the aircraft was ordered into production.
Given the none too ironic designation I-36 the new Polikarpov fighter was ordered into production and soon began equipping Red Air Force elite fighter squadrons in 1938.
Never given the publicity of the I-16 that came before it, the I-36 was not seen at the Tushino air show lest the Americans find out their front-line fighter had been stolen. It soldiered on mostly in ignominy until being replaced by newer aircraft on the eve of the German invasion.
Mainly used on home defense over important cities, the example shown here, White 110 was part of the elite night fighter unit protecting the northern city of Nomogoodograd. This unit's only notable action was intercepting a wayward flight of migrating Arctic Owls (
Noctunrus Arcticus Owlus). No I-36s survive today and many so-called experts think the aircraft was just a phantom, perhaps a P-36 not seen in the best light.
Brian da Basher
