I-16 type 10 with Chinese pilots
In 1929, a training unit was formed in Nanjing to train Chinese pilots. This event had a positive impact on the further development of the Chinese Air Force. Since the early 1930s, the Chinese government has also paid great attention to military aviation. However, it was not possible to establish serial production of its combat aircraft. During the clashes with Japan, the pilots of the Chinese Air Force fought on American, British, Soviet and Italian aircraft. The Chinese combat aircraft also included I-16 type 10 fighters, which were supplied to the Chinese Air Force from the USSR in 1938-1939. In air battles over China, the pilots of the Chinese Air Force showed themselves to be brave and tenacious air fighters and, despite the significant superiority of the Japanese Air Force, managed to inflict significant losses on them.
