History
Brought to life
The MiG-15 was brought to life shortly after World War II. The Soviet Union
and it's aircraft bureaus made it a priority to develop an aircraft that
could fly at high altitudes and could operate on short and rough landing strips.
New advanced design features would allow the aircraft to be nimble, highly
maneuverable at high altitudes and be capable of carrying heavy armaments.
It was also essential for the aircraft to have over 60 minutes of flight endurance.
A 35-degree sweep and anhedral wing design provided it's highly nimble characteristics.
The high-set swept wing, high tailplane and nose intake were inspired by
the German Focke Wulf Ta-183 design. The only thing that hampered the aircrafts
development was a suitable powerplant. Soviet Union jet propulsion technology
was still at an early age and it wasn't long before the Soviet aircraft bureaus
searched foreign countries to obtain a suitable engine. The British government
allowed the Rolls Royce company to sell the NENE jet engine to Russia. It
wasn't long after Russia received the NENE that they developed a clone of
the NENE and named it the Klimov RD-45.
A few months after the Klimov RD-45 was completed the first prototype (I-310)
of the aircraft was test flown on 30 December 1947. The I-310 was eventually
renamed the Mig-15. The Mig-15 entered military service in early 1949. The
Mig-15 would eventually be one of the most extensively operated aircraft ever built.
The Mig-15 was a unique combination of Soviet Union inventiveness, German
wartime aerodynamic research and British jet-engine technology. The Mig-15
did have some imperfections with it's handling when in a tight circle, the
aircraft is subject to some spin and stall while conducting this maneuvere.
There was shortcomings with the armament equipment due to the slow rate of
fire and limited supply of ammunition. Despite these faults this aircraft
was far superior to that of any Western fighter aircraft.
The Mig-15 made it's debut to the combat scene on November 1 1950, when it
entered the Korean War. The Mig-15 caught the Americans by surprise, as the
American front-line fighters were the F-80 Shooting Star and the P-51 Mustang.
The P-51 and F-80 could not match the Mig-15's speed, rate of climb, fire
power, range and ceiling. The American Pilots were now fighting with an obsolete
aircraft, but with their experience and wisdom they were still able to shoot
down several Mig-15 fighters. The Americans code named to Mig-15 'Fagot'.
During the early stages of the Korean war improved MIG-15bis versions of
the Mig-15 were introduced and a two-seater trainer version the Mig-15UTI
was also completed.
The American's soon released an aircraft that could match the performance
of the Mig-15 and by December 1950 the Korean War saw the arrival of the
F-86 Sabre Jet. A new era in air-to-air combat had begun and fighter jet
duels were now faster and far more exhilarating. The maneuverability of
the Mig-15 and F-86 were fairly equal, but the Mig had a high rate of climb,
higher turn rate and could also dive faster. The Allied pilots were better
trained and had better experience along with a better equipped fighter. The
Mig-15 was flown by timorous Chinese and Korean pilots and the Russians were
to eventually form a alliance, but there was not enough Russian pilots to
make a big difference to the Korean War.
The Mig -15 was sort after by many countries. The Mig-15 was built under
licence in Czechoslovakia under new models as the A-102, S-102 and the
two-seat trainer CS-12. The aircraft was introduced to Poland as the LIM-1,
LIM-2 and the two-seater LIM-3. The Czech and Polish installed new equipment
and developed the aircraft to enhance it's capabilities. China had also
built additional components of the aircraft. It wasn't long before Warsaw
packed nations would begin using the Mig-15.
The Mig-17 entered service in February 1953. The Mig-17 was more stable
than it's predecessor the Mig-15.
The Mig-15 was eventually phased out as a front-line fighter and become
a advanced trainer of the Eastern Bloc.
There are less than 30 Mig-15's licensed as warbirds around the world today.