125, 416 I-16 - I was surprised to find in 2008 book by Mikhail Maslov, that I-16 weren't fitted to carry bombs as a standard, apart from few experimental and not accepted machines. Only in the first half of 1941 part of I-16 were refitted with I-153-type bomb pods, for only 2x100 kg bombs (now they are available earlier and have 4x50 kg bombs).
The I-16 could also be a pure strafer with 20 mm cannons - first mass variant with cannons Type 17 appeared in service around 1/39, like unit #125.
(I'm not counting here bizzare small series dive bomber I-16SPB, which could not take off by its own and was carried airborne by TB-3 bomber)
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Originally Posted by Pibwl
130 I-16 - I-16 with rockets were first used at Khalkhyn-Gol in 8/39, however they were first applied as anti-aicraft weapon then. I don't known when they started to be used with air-to-ground rockets.
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After rethinking and reading, it's best to set a starting date for RS armed aircraft in spring of 1941. In 1939 rockets were used against Japan in anti-aircraft role only, while they were not used against Finland (or Poland). In 8/1940 the Soviet air force changed mind and ordered to remove rocket launchers. They started to be fitted again on part of I-16s from beginning of 1941. In late 1941 they became more popular.
Sorry, books say, that basic I-15 had 4 MGs (even on the quoted page inside the text). However, I-15 appeared in units only in late 1934, and in bigger numbers in summer 1935 (now: 4/34) (book by M. Maslov). I-15 with this armament (4x10 kg bombs) were used longer, than 3/37 - by end of 1938 (fighting with Japan)
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214 Polikarpov I-15 - actually it's I-15bis with increased bomb load
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I suggest names just "I-15bis", like "I-16". It could also carry 4x25 kg bombs instead. I-15bis were quite typical as specialized attack a/c in 1941.
215 Polikarpov I-15 - I think, that rocket-armed aircraft should rather be I-153 - it was its typical armament since late 1940, and it carried 8 rockets. According to Maslov's book, I-15bis retrofitted with rockets carried only 4 (now it has 6). The date should be modified however - they were mounted in a number in late 1940, only after the problem with wing deformation was solved.
The change to I-153 won't need a new icon.
Armament with two 12.7mm MGs apparently remained only experimental on I-153 because of too low production of BS MGs. There was only a small series rearmed with one 12.7mm and two 7.62mm MGs - a standard armament remained four 7.62mm. There is no information about any trials to rearm I-15 with 12.7mm MGs.
There was also an attack variant I-163Sh with eight 7.62mm MGs (four in pods), but I guess it's useless.
423 Pe-8 - according to the book, in addition to two 1000kg bombs (on external mounts) it could carry only four 500 kg ones (in a bomb bay) (now: six), or eight 250 kg.
Other variants were: 4x 1000 kg or 12x 250 kg.
Re: Soviet OOB11 - 2020
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