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| (Above photo as of 31 May 2009) | |||
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| Description | |||
| Manufacturer: | Mikoyan-Gurevich, Russia | ||
| Designation: | MIG-15 | ||
| Version: | |||
| Nickname: | Fagot | ||
| Type: | Fighter | ||
| Specifications | |||
| Length: | 33 ft 3 5/8 in | ||
| Height: | 11 ft 2 in | ||
| Wingspan: | 33 ft 1 1/2 in | ||
| Crew: | 1 | ||
| Armament: | One 37mm cannon plus two 23mm cannons plus rockets or 2,000 lbs of bombs | ||
| Gross Weight: | 11,270 lbs max | ||
| Propulsion | |||
| No. of Engines: | 1 | ||
| Powerplant: | VK-1 (copy of British "Nene" Rolls Royce engine | ||
| Pounds of thrust: | 6,000 lbs | ||
| Performance | |||
| Range: | 500 miles | ||
| Cruising Speed: | 525 mph | ||
| Max Speed: | 670 mph | ||
| Ceiling: | 51,000 ft | ||
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful swept-wing jet fighters, and it achieved fame in the skies over Korea, where early in the war, it outclassed all enemy fighters. The MiG-15 also served as the starting point for development of the more advanced MiG-17 which would oppose American fighters over Vietnam in the 1960s. The MiG-15 is believed to have been one of the most numerous jet aircraft ever made, with over 12,000 built. Licensed foreign production perhaps raised the total to over 18,000. The Mig-15 is often mentioned along with the F-86 Sabre in lists of the best fighter aircraft of the Korean War and in comparison with fighters of other eras.
The MiG-15 shown above, with 273 painted on its side fuselage, was donated by Jesse Siglow.
