During this period Joseph Stalin, the supreme leader of the Soviet Union, proposed a plan to strengthen the Soviet Union through the rapid expansion of heavy industry demanding the development and production of a superior Russian designed, Russian built fighter plane.

Born in the depth of winter over the icy, wind swept fields near Moscow, the Polikarpov I-16 first flew in December 1933. It was revolutionary. Designed by Nikolayevich Polikarpov, the I-16 was the first monoplane fighter incorporating cantilever wings with retractable landing gear, an enclosed cockpit, and variable pitch propellers. By 1938, Soviet planes had broken 62 world records for speed, altitude, and distance.