I-16 type 17 (China)

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Rank VI USSR | Premium | Golden Eagles
Su-25K Pack
This page is about the Chinese fighter I-16 type 17 (China). For other uses, see I-16 (Family).
i-16_type17_china.png
GarageImage I-16 type 17 (China).jpg
␗I-16 type 17
AB RB SB
3.3 3.3 2.7
Class:
Research:9 200 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:16 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

Description

The ␗I-16 type 17 is a rank II Chinese fighter with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB) and 2.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.91 "Night Vision".

General info

Flight performance

Max speed
at 4 400 m461 km/h
Turn time16 s
Max altitude9 300 m
EngineShvetsov M-25V
TypeRadial
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight2 t
Characteristics Max Speed
(km/h at 4,400 m)
Max altitude
(meters)
Turn time
(seconds)
Rate of climb
(meters/second)
Take-off run
(meters)
AB RB AB RB AB RB
Stock 444 423 9300 17.6 18.6 14.8 14.8 210
Upgraded 480 461 15.5 16.5 23.1 18.5

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 ~15 ~7
Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons Rudder Elevators Radiator
< 300 < 240 < 280 > 190
Compressor Optimal altitude 100% Engine power WEP Engine power
Setting 1 2,900 m 700 hp 830 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear260 km/h
  • 6 mm steel behind pilot

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB493 → 624 Sl icon.png
RB1 046 → 1 324 Sl icon.png
SB1 407 → 1 781 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications8 380 Rp icon.png
9 460 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost640 Ge icon.png
Crew training4 500 Sl icon.png
Experts16 000 Sl icon.png
Aces180 Ge icon.png
Research Aces190 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
30 / 70 / 150 % Sl icon.png
118 / 118 / 118 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods radiator.png
Radiator
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mods compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mods new engine.png
Engine
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mods metanol.png
Engine injection
Research:
680 Rp icon.png
Cost:
770 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
680 Rp icon.png
Cost:
770 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
shkas_belt_pack
Research:
560 Rp icon.png
Cost:
630 Sl icon.png
100 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
shkas_new_gun
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon bomb.png
DZ-40
Research:
470 Rp icon.png
Cost:
530 Sl icon.png
85 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods ammo.png
shvak_early_belt_pack
Research:
700 Rp icon.png
Cost:
790 Sl icon.png
125 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
shvak_early_new_gun
Research:
680 Rp icon.png
Cost:
770 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png
Mods pilon rocket.png
RO-82
Research:
680 Rp icon.png
Cost:
770 Sl icon.png
120 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon
Ammunition300 rounds
Fire rate800 shots/min
Ammunition1 300 rounds
Fire rate1 800 shots/min

The I-16 type 17 (China) is armed with:

  • 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, wing-mounted (150 rpg = 300 total)
  • 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, nose-mounted (650 rpg = 1,300 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (4)
Setup 12 x 100 kg FAB-100sv (forged) bomb
Setup 22 x 50 kg FAB-50sv (forged) bomb
Setup 36 x ROS-82 rockets
Setup 46 x RBS-82 rockets

The I-16 type 17 (China) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

  • Without load
  • 2 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (200 kg total)
  • 2 x 50 kg FAB-50 bombs (100 kg total)
  • 6 x RS-82 rockets
  • 6 x RBS-82 rockets

Usage in battles

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 maneuvering 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 300m, with vertical convergence on, because the majority of turnfights happen at that range or closer.

Sim is different from realistic, 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 unmaneuverble 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. When dealing with fighters, it is way harder to aim. The elevator control of the I-16 is extremely sensitive, giving it good maneuverbility, 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. Several hits with the ShVAK cannon will effectively damage the enemy. If you find an enemy at your 6, utilise your great roll rate to do defensive maneuvers 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 twin ShVAK can deal quite a bit of damage. Without an engine most bombers cannot go far.

Although ground pounding ability is limited, there are still bombs and rockets to choose from. The 2 bombs can effectively destroy pillboxes or tanks while the rockets, with accurate aiming, can destroy 3 targets. Once the suspended armaments are gone, use the 2 MG for soft targets like trucks, artillery and AA cars. Save the ammo for the ShVAK in case of an unwanted dogfight.

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 300m 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 maneuvers like barrel rolls and scissors. They are easily damaged by your ShVAK.

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 7.92mm MG facing its tail, and their rapid firerate 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:

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 large wings and engines, avoid shooting the fuselage.

He 100, Bf 109 E / F, A6M2:

These planes might not be able to out-turn the I-16, but they can easily outrun it as the I-16 is very slow. These fighters will usually BnZ you, so you must constantly look above and behind you. If they are diving on you, do what you do in realistic: use your roll rate and dodge under their negative G areas. Most players will try to follow up, if not immediately losing track of you. Several dodges might make them impatient and if they really start to turn with you, they are already dead.

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 any Bf 109, Fw 190 A and even turn-fighters like the Spitfire
  • Extreme roll rate allows it to do offensive / defensive scissors easily, which is an advantage over Bf 109 and Spitfire as their roll rates aren't as good.
  • Powerful twin ShVAK cannons with good fire rate, adequate velocity and accuracy, while 150 RPG capacity allows for reasonably long engagements
  • Is at rank III but with a 2.7 BR, meaning it can research rank IV planes while playing at low BR matches which can be more enjoyable
  • 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 / F, Fw 190 A or A6M2.
  • 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
  • No manual trim controls in simulator which makes it hard to handle
  • Although manoeuvrable, it can still get out-turned by the Japanese turn-fighters
  • Hard to fly in SB -- very unstable in pitch, poor over-the-nose visibility and is prone to enter flat spins

History

On the 7th July 1937, fighting broke out between Chinese and Japanese forces, starting the Second Sino-Japanese War. When the war began, the Chinese air force was using many obsolete aircraft such as the Hawk III, which were no match for the Japanese A5M fighters.[1] China rapidly signed the Sino-Soviet Non-Aggression Pact with the USSR, and as part of the agreement the Soviets began Operation Zet to secretly supply China with aircraft and pilots.

Between October 1937 and September 1939 the USSR delivered 885 aircraft (rising to 1,250 by 1941), including 216 Polikarpov I-16s, predominately Type 5s and Type 10s. At first the Soviet pilots would have to fly the aircraft over 1,500 miles across China to get them to their destination of Lanzhou, however this was a risky journey and so future batches of aircraft would be disassembled and transported to Hami (closer to Lanzhou), before final assembly and delivery to Lanzhou.[1] The first I-16s were delivered in November 1937, however rushed training of the Chinese pilots meant many were lost to crashes. In Chinese service the I-16 became known as the "Lastochka" or "Swallow".[1] In the early years of the war the I-16 was a capable fighter, however from 1939 onwards its performance was deemed to be lacking in comparison to newer fighters.

A number Chinese aces flew the I-16; among them Lo Ying-Teh who in 1938 shot down Japanese unit leader Lt Ryohei Ushioda's A5M2 in his I-16 Type 5. Another ace to fly the I-16 was Liu Chi-Sheng who achieved 3 of his 10 kills while flying the I-16 Type 5, along with another shared kill.[2]

The I-16 Type 17 was a late modification to the I-16 which aimed to improve firepower, by replacing the two wing-mounted 7.62 mm machine guns with 20 mm cannons. The improved armament was well received by pilots, however the increased weight and drag did have a notable impact on the performance of the aircraft.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

Citations

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Maslov and Postlethwaite 2013
  2. Cheung and Davey 2015

Bibliography

Cheung, R., & Davey, C. (2015). Aces of the Republic of China Air Force. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.

Maslov, M., & Postlethwaite, M. (2013). Polikarpov I-15, I-16 and I-153 Aces. United Kingdom: Bloomsbury Publishing.


Polikarpov Design Bureau (Опытное конструкторское бюро Поликарпова)
I-15  I-15 WR · I-15 M-22 · I-15 M-25 · I-15bis · Krasnolutsky's I-15bis
I-153  I-153 M-62 · Zhukovsky's I-153-M62 · I-153P
I-16  I-16 type 5 · I-16 type 10 · I-16 type 18 · I-16 type 24 · I-16 type 27 · I-16 type 28
I-180  I-180S · I-185 (M-71) · I-185 (M-82)
ITP  ITP (M-1)
Twin-engine fighters  TIS MA
Bombers  Po-2 · Po-2M
Export  ␗I-15bis · ␗I-153 M-62 · ␗I-16 type 5 · ␗I-16 type 10 · ␗I-16 type 17 · ␗I-16 Chung 28

China fighters
British  ␗Gladiator Mk I
French  D.510C
Japanese  ␗A6M2 · ␗Ki-27 otsu · ␗Ki-43-III ko · ␗Ki-44-II hei · ␗Ki-61-I otsu · ␗Ki-84 ko
American  CW-21 · Hawk III · P-66 · ␗P-40E-1 · H-81A-2 · ␗P-43A-1 · ␗P-47D-23-RA · ␗P-47D-30 · ␗P-51D-20 · ␗P-51K
Soviet  ␗I-15bis · ␗I-153 M-62 · ␗I-16 Chung 28 · ␗I-16 type 5 · ␗I-16 type 10 · ␗I-16 type 17 · ␗La-11 · ␗La-9