A pre-war propaganda photograph showing six Soviet Polikarpov I-16 Type 5 fighters of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet Air Force lined up on a field airfield as their engines are started simultaneously.
A demonstration of Soviet air power:
This carefully composed photograph was intended to showcase the growing strength and discipline of Soviet military aviation in the years preceding the Second World War.
The synchronized engine start created an impressive spectacle, emphasizing organization, readiness, and the increasing combat capability of the Soviet Air Force. Images like this regularly appeared in newspapers, magazines, and military publications to promote confidence in the country's expanding air arm.
The famous Polikarpov I-16:
When the I-16 entered service in the mid-1930s, it became one of the world's most advanced fighter aircraft. It was the first low-wing monoplane fighter with retractable landing gear to enter large-scale operational service, giving Soviet aviation a significant technological advantage for its time.
The aircraft shown here belong to the Type 5 production series, one of the most numerous variants built before the outbreak of the Second World War.
From peacetime displays to real combat:
Only two years after this photograph was taken, many I-16 fighters of the Soviet Navy and Air Force would face the Luftwaffe during the opening months of Operation Barbarossa.
Although by 1941 the I-16 had become technically outdated compared with newer German fighters, experienced Soviet pilots continued to fly it effectively during the difficult first stages of the war.
📍 Location: USSR
📅 Date: 1939
📷 Photographer: Unknown
Recommended reading:
- Polikarpov I-16
- Soviet Air Force before World War II
- Red Banner Baltic Fleet Aviation
- Early Soviet fighter aircraft
- Aviation propaganda before World War II