A wooden mock-up was completed in April 1927, but formal approval of the design did not come until 3 June 1927.

Static tests of a full-sized model began in October at the same time as negotiations for a license for the BMW engine were finished.

The conventional undercarriage was fixed with rubber shock absorbers and the tailskid was made from duralumin.

The engine's semi-retractable radiator extended below the fuselage behind the rear main gear struts.

The pilots of the NII VVS (Russian: Naoochno-Issledovatel'skiy Institoot Voyenno-Vozdooshnykh Seel – Air Force Scientific Test Institute) criticized the lack of directional stability at high speeds and a slight problem in control response between maneuvers.

They also provide a yearly production table that lists 35 built in 1928, 47 in 1929, 250 in 1930 and 55 in 1931, which add up to 389 when the two prototypes are included.

Two 7.62 mm DA machine guns were mounted on a Scarff ring in the observer's cockpit.

It was relegated to secondary roles in 1935 as newer and more powerful Polikarpov fighters entered service, notably the I-5, I-15, and the I-16.

[6] Data from Istoriia konstruktskii samoletov v SSSR do 1938 g.[7]General characteristics Performance Armament