Several Soviet MiGs are displayed in the Korean War, Southeast Asia and Cold War Galleries of the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. Designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau, MiG jet fighters made their combat debut in the Korean War and introduced the era of swept-wing aircraft.
Shown below are some of the MiG jet fighters which were on display in the Museum.
MiG-15bis
According to the Museum:
The Soviet Union developed the MiG-15 following World War II and the fighter entered service in 1949. By 1952 the Soviets provided the MiG-15 (NATO code name "Fagot") to a number of communist satellite nations, including North Korea. In 1950 the Soviets began production of a more capable version, the MiG-15bis. The MiG-15bis used a more powerful engine and hydraulically boosted ailerons. During the Korean War, both versions of the MiG-15 operated extensively against United Nations forces.
This plane has a maximum speed of 670 mph, a range of 500 miles, and a ceiling of 51,000 feet. The MiG-15 is among the most widely used fighters in aviation history.
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F (Fresco)
According to the Museum:
The Soviet MiG-17 (NATO code-name "Fresco") was designed to replace the famous MiG-15 of the Korean War. Although similar in appearance to the MiG-15, the MiG-17 had more sharply swept wings, a longer fuselage, an afterburner, and better speed and handling characteristics. The first flight of a MiG-17 prototype took place in January 1950, and production began in late 1951. The first operational MiG-17s appeared in 1952, but they were not available in sufficient quantities to take part in the Korean War. Five versions of the aircraft eventually were produced. The MiG-17 has served in the air arms of at least 20 nations throughout the world -- including nations friendly to the United States -- and was flown against U.S. aircraft in Southeast Asia.
The North Vietnamese Air Force (VPAF) created its first MiG-17 unit, the 921st Fighter Regiment, in February 1964, after its pilots had received training in communist China. The VPAF also flew Chinese-built MiG-17s (called J-5s). U.S. Air Force fighter pilots were careful to use their considerable speed advantage to shoot down the more maneuverable MiG-17. Between July 10, 1965, and Feb. 14, 1968, USAF F-105s and F-4s downed 61 MiG-17s.
This aircraft has a top speed of 711 mph, a range of 510 miles (1,160 miles with external tanks), and a ceiling of 57,000 feet.
MiG 19S Farmer
According to the Museum:
The first Soviet production fighter capable of supersonic speeds in level flight, the prototype MiG-19 (NATO code-name "Farmer") made its first flight in September 1953. Entering production in 1955, it became the Soviet Union's primary fighter during the last half of the 1950s. Possibly as many as 10,000 MiG-19s, in various versions, were built by the Soviet Union, China, Poland and Czechoslovakia. Many other countries used the MiG-19, including Cuba, North Vietnam, North Korea, Iraq and most of the Warsaw Pact nations. The Soviet Union phased out the MiG-19 in the early 1960s in favor of the more advanced MiG-21, but other nations continued to use the MiG-19 for many more years.
This plane has a maximum speed of 903 mph.
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21PF (Fishbed-D)
According to the Museum:
The MiG-21 is one of the world's most famous jet fighters. This Soviet-made aircraft first flew in 1955, and more than 50 countries have used various versions. Western forces code-named the MiG-21 "Fishbed," and some versions have flown well into the 21st century. The USSR built more than 10,000 MiG-21s before ending production in 1985.
In the Southeast Asia War, the MiG-21 was a dangerous adversary. Fast
as U.S. jets, it was more agile than the F-4 Phantom, its main opponent. Although American forces lost about 50 aircraft to North Vietnamese MiG-21s, the U.S. Air Force shot down 68 MiG-21s in air combat.
North Vietnam had more than 200 MiG-21s.
This aircraft has a top speed of 1,300 mph, a range of 870 miles (1,1100 miles with auxiliary tank), and a ceiling of 62,000 feet.
MiG 23MS Flogger-E
According to the Museum:
The Soviet-built MiG-23 “Flogger” was designed to replace the widely-used MiG-21. The MiG-23’s advanced radar and fire control system could fire missiles at targets beyond visual range. Variable “swing” wing geometry, similar to that of the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark, and robust landing gear allowed the MiG-23 to operate from short, remote runways. The pilot could select the wing sweep for low-speed take-off and landing or for supersonic flight.
The MiG-23MS was designed for foreign export and was less capable than domestic Soviet versions. It was equipped with a less sophisticated radar housed in a smaller radome. First delivered in 1973, it was given the NATO code-name “Flogger-E.” More than 5,000 MiG-23s of all types were built.
This plane has a maximum speed of Mach 2.4.
MiG-29A Fulcrum A
According to the Museum:
The MiG-29 was designed in response to a new generation of American fighters, which included the F-15 and F-16. Designed as an air defense fighter, this dual-purpose aircraft also possessed a ground attack capability. The task of producing a "frontal" or tactical fighter for the Frontal Aviation Regiments of the Soviet Air Force went to the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau (MiG OKB). Employing all the technical data available about the most advanced Western aircraft, the MiG designers started working on the MiG-29 in the early 1970s, and the first prototype made its first flight on Oct. 6, 1977. U.S. reconnaissance satellites detected the new fighter in November 1977, and NATO gave it the designation "Fulcrum."
Production started in 1982, and deliveries to Frontal Aviation units started in 1983. By comparison, the USAF's first operational F-15As arrived seven years earlier in 1976, and its F-16As entered operational service four years earlier in 1979.
Although newer, the MiG-29 still lagged behind the most modern Western fighters in several important areas. For instance, the aircraft designers had little experience in either fly-by-wire controls or lightweight composite materials for airframe construction, and the first MiG-29 versions used a conventional hydraulic flight control system and an aluminum alloy fuselage. Over time, MiG designers addressed these deficiencies, and later variants of the MiG-29 incorporated some fly-by-wire controls and composite materials.
Nevertheless, the MiG-29 presented a formidable threat to Western pilots. The radars used on earlier Soviet fighters had been unable to distinguish aircraft flying below them from ground clutter, and low-flying aircraft could avoid detection. With the Phazotron NIIR N019 Doppler radar (NATO designation "Slot Back") capable of detecting a target more than 60 miles away, infrared tracking sensors, and a laser rangefinder carried on the MiG-29, a pilot could track and shoot at aircraft flying below him. Also, the pilot's Shchel-3UM-1 helmet-mounted aiming device turned the MiG-29 into a very dangerous threat once opponents came within visual range. No longer did a pilot have to turn his aircraft toward a target and wait for his missiles' sensors to "lock-on" before firing. Now, the pilot simply turned his head toward a target, and the helmet aimed the missile's sensors toward the target. This "off boresight" procedure gave the MiG-29 pilot a great advantage at close range.
This plane has a maximum speed of Mach 2.3.
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