I agree about czech I-16 buy/production and it's also something i pondered about (and given that they build the HS-12Y engine, how about the I-17 with normal radiators?), as to Finland i am reading that there was a bit of reproachment by 1937, so maybe they can get the licence for it in exchange for something the soviets want, and coupled with imported R-1820 engines, it would be a more formidable machine than their Fokkers (and the soviets will really be kicking themselves in 1939-1940 faced with improved finnish I-16s). Wonder if it's possible to fit it with an R-1830 and improve it to something akin to the later I-180, and thus avoid the Myrsky debacle.
Poland and Romania? Certainly I-16 would be light years ahead of PZL-11 and even PZL-24, but as their relations with USSR were not terribly good this is a rather far fetched scenario. Perhaps getting some captured ones from Spain for evaluation would be too late to set-up and copy it to make a difference, and anyway i see it as a stopgap until the IAR-80 and PZL-50 are ready. Polish I-16 would probably be good for the 840HP Mercury engine, while the romanian one probably have to be redesigned to take a IAR-14K engine, against resulting in something akin to the I-180? Hungary could conceivably build a copy of I-16 with WM-14K engine too, probably equal to the Re-2000/Hejja in performance, maybe even a bit better.
As to Italy, i'll just have them build the Bf-109 earlier... but i guess what the hell, i guess we can have them copy both the I-16 before the war (and build it instead of the CR-42), and build the Bf-109E/F/G under licence too (instead of the wartime built G-50 and MC-200 and complementing the MC-202 and Re-2001 et seq.) Ouch for RAF!
Poland and Romania? Certainly I-16 would be light years ahead of PZL-11 and even PZL-24, but as their relations with USSR were not terribly good this is a rather far fetched scenario. Perhaps getting some captured ones from Spain for evaluation would be too late to set-up and copy it to make a difference, and anyway i see it as a stopgap until the IAR-80 and PZL-50 are ready. Polish I-16 would probably be good for the 840HP Mercury engine, while the romanian one probably have to be redesigned to take a IAR-14K engine, against resulting in something akin to the I-180? Hungary could conceivably build a copy of I-16 with WM-14K engine too, probably equal to the Re-2000/Hejja in performance, maybe even a bit better.
As to Italy, i'll just have them build the Bf-109 earlier... but i guess what the hell, i guess we can have them copy both the I-16 before the war (and build it instead of the CR-42), and build the Bf-109E/F/G under licence too (instead of the wartime built G-50 and MC-200 and complementing the MC-202 and Re-2001 et seq.) Ouch for RAF!