The MiG-15's existence was unsuspected in the West until American fighter pilots found themselves confronted by all-swept silver fighters that could fly faster, climb and dive faster, and turn more tightly.

Mig-15bis "Fagot" parked in the modern section. Above the cockpit in the background is the F4U Corsair, and behind that is the entrance to the museum.

The development of the aircraft could be traced back to the decision of the post-war British government to send to the Soviet Union the latest British turbojet, the Rolls-Royce Nene, long before it was in service with any British service aircraft. This removed Mikoyan's problem of finding a suitable engine and by the end of December 1947 the prototype was flying, powered by an unlicensed version of the Nene. Losses in Korea were high, mainly because of pilot inexperience, but as late as 1960 the MiG-15 was still used as a fighter by 15 countries.

Country of origin: USSR
Type: single-seat fighter
Powerplant: one 2700kg (5952lb) Klimov VK-1 turbojet
Performance: maximum speed 1100km/h (684 mph); service ceiling 15,545m (51,000ft); range at height with slipper tanks 1424km (885 miles)
Weights: empty 4000kg (8820lb); maximum loaded 5700kg (12,566lb)
Dimensions: wingspan 10.08m (33ft 0.75in); length 11.05m (36ft 3.75in); height 3.4m (11ft 1.75in); wing area 20.60msq m (221.74sq ft)
Armament: one 37mm N-37 cannon and two 23mm NS-23 cannon, plus up to 500kg (1 102lb) of mixed stores on underwing pylons

Specs and description from: Attack and Interceptor Jets by Michael Sharpe (Fiedman/Fairfax, 1999, ISBN: 1-58663-301-S), a handy book covering 300 aircraft.

UHC Displays