MiG-15 celebrates 70 years of flight

The MiG-15, the Soviet jet that stunned the West during the Korean War, remains in service 70 years after it first took to the skies

MIKOYAN-GUREVICH MIG-15 (NATO codename “Fagot”) 
Maximum speed: 1,078km/h (Mach 0.87) at sea level 
Range: 805km Service ceiling: 15,545m

Crew: 1
Armament: 1 x 37mm and 2 x 23mm cannons, plus rockets or bombs
Length 10.15m
Engine: VK-1 turbojet, 26.7kN thrust (copy of British Rolls-Royce Nene)


Dec 30, 1947: First flight

1949: Enters service – first Soviet fighter with ejection seat, pressurised cockpit and swept wing

1950: Makes Korean War debut, quickly proving superior to Western jets and giving communist forces aerial advantage until hurried delivery of U.S. F-86 Sabre

1953: West obtains intact MiG-15 with defection of North Korean pilot, No Kum-Sok. At end of war, U.S. Air Force claims 10 to 1 kill ratio for MiG-Sabre battles*

1956: MiG-15s flown by Egyptian Air Force during Suez Crisis

1950s: Chinese MiG-15s engage Republic of China and U.S. aircraft in combat over Taiwan Strait

1960s: Basic MiG design proves capable again during Vietnam War, in form of more advanced MiG-17

1970s-present: Two-seat UTI trainer version continues to serve air forces of many countries into 1990s. North Korea remains sole operator

POSTWAR MIG PRODUCTION (Estimated numbers)
MiG-15 15,000+
MiG-17 11,000
MiG-19  8,500
MiG-21 11,000+
MiG-23  5,000 
MiG-25  1,190
MiG-27  1,075
MiG-31    500
MiG-29  1,600
MiG-35  Operational by 2020


1947 50 53 56 62 64 72 75 77 2002
First flight

*More recent research suggests overall kill ratio closer to 1.8 to 1, and 1.3 to 1 against Russian-flown MiG-15s

Sources: Airforce Technology, Global Security,
RAND Corporation, Smithsonian Institution          Picture: Twitter © GRAPHIC NEWS