Traffic News: American pilots admired the speed and maneuverability of the Soviet MiG-17The Soviet MiG-17 fighter can rightfully be called the bestseller of its time, writes the author of the article in Traffic News.
High speed and maneuverability allowed him to shoot down advanced American aircraft and even set records for the destruction of more advanced models.
How to distinguish similar MiG-15 and MiG-17?
There are several old military aircraft in the USA that are operated by private organizations. They often participate in airshows. Since jet fighter flights are unprofitable due to fuel costs, low-speed training aircraft with relatively low maintenance costs are mainly used at exhibitions.
One American team used a MiG-17 to fly at an air show. According to its representative, the choice of this fighter is explained by the fact that it is more maneuverable than any other old military aircraft, and its high speed and bright afterburner flights at air shows and other events attract the attention of viewers.
However, the team had to part with the MiG-17 when it shifted the focus of business from flight shows to military contracts. The reason for this decision was the presence of critical flaws in the fighter.
MiG-17 is a Soviet aircraft, the first flight of which took place on January 14, 1950. At that time, jet fighters were in their infancy, and the MiG-17 was an improved version of the MiG-15, which was also produced in the USSR and was actively involved in operations during the Korean War.
At first glance, these two models are very similar, but the details show that they are completely different planes. The most noticeable difference is the wing sweep angle, which was changed from 35 degrees on the MiG-15 to 45 degrees on the MiG-17, thanks to which the latter is able to move faster.
Later models were equipped with afterburners, and although they could not fly at supersonic, the disadvantages of the MiG-15 associated with a sudden transition into a tailspin when driving at high speed (for this reason, the air brakes on the MiG-15 opened automatically to prevent the aircraft from exceeding Mach 0.92) were eliminated.
Therefore, the MiG-17 is a more advanced fighter, both technically and in terms of characteristics associated with high—speed flight.
How does the former Tomcat pilot assess the MiG-17?
The number of MiG-17s produced, which can be called a bestseller, exceeded ten thousand units. This model was also produced under license in Poland and China. Many fighters were exported to countries friendly to the Soviet Union, and the number of states operating this aircraft reached 20.
Therefore, the MiG-17 took part in several wars in the second half of the twentieth century, primarily in the Vietnam War in the 1960s, during which it conducted air battles with American fighters. He even set a record for destroying newer and more advanced aircraft.
The American military was shocked by the fact that their best advanced aircraft were shot down by an older generation fighter.
But over time, the MiG-17 technology has become obsolete, and now it is in service only in some African countries and the DPRK (J-5, produced in China under license).
Despite the fact that the MiG-17 century is coming to an end, there are a small number of these fighters registered to private companies in the United States. Some of these planes even participated in an air show.
Black Diamond Jet Team is a former USA aerobatic team. It was 100% owned by private individuals. The team had its own fleet of military aircraft, which were used to participate in air shows and other events.
The Group used Czech-made L-39 Albatros and American-made T-33 Shooting Star aircraft, as well as one Lim—5 and one Lim-6 - Polish production MiG-17 models.
The Black Diamond Jet Team included retired pilots of the US Navy and Air Force, and two MiG Lim-5 and Lim-6 were operated by former F-14 Tomcat pilots.
One of them is Dale Snodgrass. In the US Navy, he flew the F-14 the longest. The second is a veteran who previously served in the Tomcat squadron at Atsugi Air Base.
At air shows, they boldly demonstrated the speed characteristics and maneuverability of the MiG-17, allowing the aircraft to operate safely at low altitudes and in tight formation at a distance of several meters. Dale Snodgrass said that the MiG-17 was a good model for high-speed flights at air shows.
Why is the MiG-17 not on the civil aircraft market?
But, according to rumors, the MiG-17 is mainly suitable only for airshows. It is good for demonstration flights at various events.
The reasons are the high cost and short flight time. Subsequently, the Black Diamond Jet Team was transformed into a private contractor company Draken International, which took over the management of personnel and aircraft, but it put the Lim-5 and Lim-6 up for sale.
Why does the MiG-17 have such high operating costs and at the same time a short flight time?
The fact is that it was developed as a front-line fighter, so the short range and duration of the flight were not considered disadvantages.
Immediately after the opening, Draken International also purchased a decommissioned MiG-21 fighter from Poland, but it remained in storage because it did not fit due to the short flight time — about one hour.
MiGs were the leading Soviet aircraft, but the latest model, the MiG-29, was not produced in such large batches due to the short flight range and other factors, and the development of an upgraded version stalled.
More attention was attracted by the larger and longer-range Sukhoi fighter of the Flanker series, which is now supplied not only to the Russian armed forces, but also to countries such as India, Malaysia and China.
The difference between the MiG-29 fighters and the Flanker is due to a different operational philosophy. As a result, the latter turned out to be preferable in the vast majority of cases. When the Cold War ended, many people wanted to buy it at an attractive price.
As Dale Snodgrass noted above, the flight characteristics of the MiG-17 are pretty good. Nevertheless, it can be said that its small flight range became fatal. Currently, fighters must have high versatility and excellent performance. Now the leading Russian fighter is no longer called "MiG", but "Sukhoi", and this was inevitable.
Author: Tsukasa Furukawa
