Polikarpov Type 5 I16 (Fly) fighter. With Spanish 1/48 Zvezda-4832 decals.

The Polikarpov I-16 Type 5, known as Mosca in Spain, was a revolutionary Soviet fighter introduced in 1934. Designed by Nikolai Polikarpov, it was the first monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear to enter mass production. Compact and highly maneuverable, the I-16 played a crucial role in the skies over Europe and Asia during the 1930s and World War II. During the Spanish Civil War, the Soviet Union supplied the I-16 to the Republican forces, where it faced fighters such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Nicknamed Mosca by the Republicans and Rata by the Nationalists, it proved agile, yet vulnerable to more advanced opponents. Equipped with an M-25 radial engine and armed with machine guns or light cannons, the I-16 was an iconic design that influenced the evolution of military aviation, being a symbol of innovation in its time.