History

At the end of the Second World War, it became clear that the jet engine would revolutionise fighter aircraft development and make rapidly obsolete the then-standard piston-engined fighters. Therefore, in 1946 Josef Stalin launched a programme to equip the Soviet Union’s fi ghter squadrons as soon as possible with jet-powered aircraft. The result of this effort was the Mikoyan & Gourevitch MiG-15, powered by a Soviet copy of the British Rolls- Royce Nene jet engine, at the time one of the most advanced jet engines in the world.

The maiden flight of this aircraft took place on the 30th of December 1947. Production was launched immediately. The aircraft showed superb performance and was something of a shock for the Western Allies when they had to confront it during the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. The MiG-15 outclassed most of the contemporary Western fighters and could only be faced on even terms by the F-86 Sabre that was rushed to front-line units. The fact that the Sabre finished the war with a kill to- loss ration of 4:1 is perhaps due to the better training of the Allied pilots than to the Sabre’s performance.

The MiG-15 was produced in high numbers by up to 8 aircraft factories in the USSR and licence-built in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and China. More than 7000 aircraft were delivered in various sub-variants, including some 3000 two-seater trainer aircraft. The MiG-15 served in more than 30 countries air forces and remained in service as a trainer until 1995.

Caracteristics

Our aircraft

The MiG-15 was produced in high numbers by up to 8 aircraft factories in the USSR and licence-built in Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and China. More than 7000 aircraft were delivered in various sub-variants, including some 3000 two-seater trainer aircraft. The MiG-15 served in more than 30 countries’ air forces and remained in service as a trainer until 1995.