Il Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 was a fighter developed and used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The aircraft, a single-seat, medium-swept wing monoplane, was powered by a second-generation single-engine jet (the first Soviet application of an afterburner on a fighter).
The main users of the aircraft were – in addition to the Soviet Air Force – the Chinese Air Force, the Polish Air Force, the Vietnamese People's Air Force, the Czechoslovak Air Force and many other air forces of pro-Soviet countries.
In total, over 10.000 examples were built (including Chinese, Polish and Czech variants).
The first prototype took flight on January 14, 1950, and production began in 1951. The aircraft entered the ranks of the Soviet Air Force in 1952 and did not participate in the Korean War. The NATO reporting name of the MiG 17 it was "Fresh".
The aircraft was developed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, From MiG 17 the Polish variant was created Lim-6 and the Chinese one Shenyang J-5.
Il MiG 17 It was very similar in terms of aesthetics to its predecessor MiG 15. However, the MiG 17 It had squarer wings, a longer fuselage, was faster and easier to maneuver.
It is worth remembering that on September 2, 1958, four Soviet MiG-17s shot down a US Air Force Lockheed C-130A Hercules near Yerevan, Armenia, then part of the Soviet Union. The aircraft belonged to the 7406th support squadron of the USAF and was engaged in an electronic reconnaissance mission along the Soviet border. After entering the airspace of the USSR, it was intercepted and shot down by Soviet fighters, crashing with the loss of all 17 crew members.
The episode represented one of several tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, highlighting the risks associated with aerial surveillance operations near Soviet borders.
The MiG-17 was used extensively in the Vietnam War, where it proved very effective in maneuverable dogfights against U.S. aircraft such as theF-4 Phantom II. However, it was disadvantaged in terms of radar and air-to-air missiles compared to more modern jets.
The aircraft was also used by the air forces of Arab countries in wars against Israel, such as, for example, in Six-day war and in Yom Kippur War.
The MiG-17 was retired from most air forces in the 80s and 90s, but some examples remained operational in smaller air forces until the 2000s, such as in North Korea and some African states.
Il MiG-17(F) it had a wingspan of 9,628 m, height 3,8 m and length 11,264 m.
The empty weight was 3919 kg, while fully loaded it was 5340 kg.
Engine: 1 Klimov VK-1 turbojet. Maximum speed was 1100 km/h at sea level and the service ceiling was 16600 m.
Armament consisted of two 23mm Nudelman-Richter NR-23 guns and one 37mm Nudelman N-37 gun.
It could carry up to 500 kg of bombs or unguided rockets.
Photo: web
