Air Weapons

Fighter (1949)

Mikoyan-Gurevich

MiG-15 'Fagot'

MiG-15 'Fagot'
MiG-15 'Fagot'

There are few greater ironies in the history of military aviation that the most feared Soviet aircraft of the 1950s and the most widely produced jet of all time, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 'Fagot', owed its very existence to the West's surprisingly naive generosity. Shortly after World War II and due to the lag in development of local jet engines, a team of Soviet designers flew to the UK to request licenses for the most powerful British powerplants then in service. The Labour government of Prime Minister Attlee willingly complied and the Soviets took control of both Nene and Derwent engines. The Nene would be used to power the MiG-15, which would be preferred over its Derwent-powered contemporary, the La-15 which was a more complex design. Aside from that, the MiG-15 would feature mid-mounted swept wings, high tailplanes, and a split forward intake, features that were inspired on captured German jet research and which also influenced its great rival, the US F-86. The MiG-15 would go on to become the principal fighter of communist forces during the Korean War where it immediately proved superior to early straight wing jets of the US and its allies such as the F-80 and Meteor. Only the hurried introduction of the F-86 Sabre turned the scales: although the MiG was considered to be the slightly superior dogfighter, the Sabre boasted more experienced pilots (many of them World War II veterans) and tactics which resulted in a considerably higher kill ratio. The MiG-15 was also very effective against B-29s, forcing them to operate during nighttime. Still, the MiG vs Sabre became the first great fighter rivalry of the jet age and the 'Fagot' was ultimately exported to around 40 nations, mostly Warsaw Pact allies and third-world client states, with license production in China, Czechoslovakia and Poland. MiG-15s also saw action during the Suez Crisis and also in conflicts between China and Taiwan. Perhaps more important than its role in the Korean War, the MiG-15 would mark the beginning of a line of superb Mikoyan-Gurevich designs that would make 'MiG' virtually synonymous with Soviet fighters during the Cold War.

The first prototype of the I-310 had its maiden flight on 30 December 1947 with a local copy of the Nene engine. It entered service as the MiG-15 but was quickly superseded in production by the improved MiG-15bis which featured considerable refinements to the engine and a revised internal structure. Other combat versions included the MiG-15P all-weather interceptor, the MiG-15bisS high-altitude fighter, the MiG-19SB fighter-bomber, and the MiG-15bisR camera equipped reconnaissance platform. A dual control trainer was known as the MiG-15UTI 'Midget' which was also the basis of the MiG-19P-5 two-seat interceptor. Foreign-built versions included the Lim-1 and Lim-2 in Poland (based on the MiG-15 and -15bis respectively) as well as the S-102 (MiG-15), S-103 (MiG-15bis), and CS-102 (MiG-15UTI) in Czechoslovakia. The Chinese JJ-2 was based on the trainer while the J-2 referred to single-seat MiG-15bis fighters, though only the trainers were license-produced in China.

Preceded by:

MiG-9 'Fargo' (1946)

Succeeded by:

MiG-17 'Fresco' (1952)

Datafile

DesignMiG-15MiG-15bis
Code NameFagotFagot
TypeFighterFighter
Year19491950
Crew11
Dimensions
Length10.16 m10.16 m
Height3.700 m3.700 m
Wing Span10.13 m10.13 m
Wing Arean/an/a
Weight
Empty3,382 kg3,681 kg
Maximum5,260 kg6,045 kg
Wing Loading255.3 kg/m²293.4 kg/m²
Performance
Speed1,050 km/h1,075 km/h
Ceiling15,200 m15,500 m
Range1,420-1,920 km1,330-2,520 km
Powerplant
Engine1 x RD-45
Klimov
2,268 kgf
1 x VK-1A
Klimov
2,700 kgf
Thrust/Weight0.610.67
Armament
Guns1 x 37-mm
2 x 23-mm
1 x 37-mm
2 x 23-mm
Payload-500 kg
Hardpoints-2
Production
Builtn/an/a
Total13,130

Gallery