72216 POLIKARPOV I-17 (CKB-19)

The Polikarpov I-17 was a prototype fighter plane of Soviet production from the interwar period. The drive was provided - in the first prototype - by a single engine Hispan-Suiza 12 Ybrs with 760 HP. The first flight of this machine took place in September 1934 - the plane never entered mass production. The deck armament was to consist of a 20mm ShVAK cannon and four 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns. The Polikarpov I-17 was developed as a new light front-line fighter for the Soviet Air Force that would match the Western designs of the time. To achieve optimal performance, various aircraft engines were tested on it, including: Hispano-Suiza or Mikulin's designs. However, work on prototypes dragged on, which led to the cancellation of the project. The resulting specimens did not exceed the performance of the already produced I-16 fighters. Perhaps political considerations also contributed to the interruption of the project. In total, only 3 examples of this plane were probably built.