The end of the Second World War saw victorious Allied nations desperately attempting to secure details of German jet technology and high-speed research data which could be applied to their own jet projects. The Soviet Union used information and engine technology obtained from Britain to introduce the diminutive Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 in 1949 - one of the most capable of the early jet fighters.
Even as this aircraft proved effective during the Korean War, the Soviets were already working on its successor. The larger and faster Mig-17 Fresco may have looked like a larger incarnation of its predecessor, yet this was a completely redesigned aircraft, incorporating many improvements over the MiG-15 and a significant upgrade in Soviet jet capability.
The MiG-17 was designed to perform the role of bomber killer and was never intended as a dogfighter. However, its exceptional agility would allow this aircraft to score combat victories over much heavier and more modern American designs.
The Vietnam War was a sobering experience for the US Air Force, as some of their modern aircraft fell victim to the guns of the MiG-17. Lighter and much more manoeuvrable than the US aircraft, the subsonic MiG-17 claimed victories over aircraft like the F-105 Thunderchief and McDonnell Douglas Phantom, resulting in the US developing new agile air superiority fighters.
Possessing excellent performance, and being cost-effective and easy to maintain, the rugged MiG-17 was produced in large numbers. It became the standard Warsaw Pact fighter from the mid-1950s and for the next decade, with aircraft produced under licence in both China and Poland.
It was an attractive fighter option for many of the world's smaller air forces and more than thirty overseas nations eventually operated the type. Perversely, for a nation against which the MiG-17 was designed to combat, America became home to significant numbers of these aircraft, most coming into the hands of private collectors but a small number used in dissimilar aircraft trials and to perfect combat techniques against smaller, more agile jet fighters. Two beautifully restored examples have also been popular display performers on the US Airshow circuit over the years.
