Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, American users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 was a Soviet second-generation single-seat twin-engined supersonic fighter. As it was world's first mass produced supersonic aircraft, capable of supersonic speeds in level flight, it was exported and sold to many countries around the globe. Among them, the following ones:

• Cuba: When the Cuban Fuerza Aérea Revolucionaria (FAR) consolidated, some of their units were still equipped with the outdated MiG-15bis. In order to update their aircraft, they received a batch of 8 MiG-19P in November 1961, making the FAR the first Latin-American Air Force equipped with supersonic fighters. Most of them were based in San Antonio Air Base, in Artemisa province and served for a rather brief period of time, as they were retired in 1966 after being replaced by the MiG-21PFM. The MiG-19s were put into a reserve status and most of them were scrapped, as it proved a very complicated machine to maintain.
  It seems that the only variant of the MiG-19 used by the FAR was the "P" one. However, there are some reports (reported as either wrong or even false) that suggest that they also had the S and the PM variants serving in their rows.
  Anyway, at most, 12 MiG-19P served with the FAR from November 1961 until 1966. They were used to patrol Cuban aerospace during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962.
  As we like to draw even hypothetical aircraft, we decided to include those variants as well.
• United States of America: Even if there isn't official evidence of the MiG-19 flying in American colours, during the 1980s a MiG-19S built in Novosibirsk, was displayed at the Wright-Patterson Air Base in Dayton, Ohio as part of a display of the US Air Force Museum. Oddly enough, it was painted in People's Liberation Army Air Force's colours and insignia.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-19

2. http://www.urrib2000.narod.ru/EqMiG19-e.html

3. Midland Publishing  - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19. The Soviet Union's First Production Supersonic Fighter

MIkoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, part three, various African & American users

The regular version of the MiG-17 was used by many African countries and saw action in many wars that took place in that continent. Among those users are:

• Congo-Brazzaville: After achieving independence from France in the 1960s, in the 1970s they switched to the USSR for equipment. They were sold some MiG-17s and some MiG-15UTIs which were in service until the 1990s when they were replaced by MiG-21s.
• Morocco: In 1961 the Royal Moroccan Air Force adquired 12 MiG-17s together with MiG-15UTI trainers and Il-28 bombers. The MiG-17s saw action two years later, in 1963 during the Sand War and later, during Yom-Kippur War, a squadron of Moroccan MiG-17s were deployed in Egypt with the Egyptian 69 Squadron. Every Moroccan MiG-17 was replaced by more modern types.
• Mozambique: The People's Liberation Air Force of Mozambique was supplied with ex-East-German MiG-17s. They saw extensive action during Mozambican Civil War in the 1980s. The depicted one belonged to Adriano Bomba, a pilot who defected to South Africa on 8th July 1981. The South African Air Force tested the aircraft before returning it to its original owners. The MiG-17 was operated by two squadrons of the People's Liberarion Air Force of Mozambique which were based in Maputo. By the early 1990s they were totally inoperative as they lacked fuel and spare parts. When the Civil War ended, they were scrapped and replaced by more modern types.
• Nigeria: The Nigerian Air Force received real aerial combat capability when the USSR supplied MiG-17s during the Nigerian Civil War from Egypt and a Polish merchant ship. They served during the Biafran conflict and were in active until 1975 when they were replaced by the MiG-21.
• Somalia: Just before the outbreak of the Ogaden War (1977-1978) the Somalian Government bought some MiG-17s which most of them were destroyed shortly after the beginning of the war as they were whipped by the Cuban-backed Ethiopian Air Force. Some of them survived and were found derelict in 1992.
• Cuba: The first MiG-17s arrived in Cuba in 1964 and were based in Santa Clara. They were active until the 1980s when they were replaced by the MiG-23. In 1964 two American F-8 Crusaders which were escorting a Lockheed P-3 Orion almost got into combat against two Cuban MiG-17 as the MiG-17s were impending the P-3 to do its job. The F-8's pilots asked for permission to fire, but didn't get it.
  It was also the aircraft on which the Cuban pilot Eduardo Guerra Jiménez defected to Florida. 

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People’s_Republic_of_Congo_Air_Force

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Moroccan_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Air_Force

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozambique_Defence_Armed_Forces

6. http://www.urrib2000.narod.ru/EqMiG17.html (translated)

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI, part five, African and American users.

As we've written previously, the MiG-15UTI was widely used across the African continent and that's not counting its Chinese copy, the Shenyang JJ-2/FT-2. On the other hand, the only American user of the UTI was Cuba.
The countries covered in this post are:

• Nigeria: The MiG-15UTIs arrived on to Nigeria in August 1967 from Egypt. They were used in the Nigerian Civil War (AKA Biafran conflict) and later in the 1970s were replaced in the training role by the Czechoslovak Aero L-29.
• Somalia: Back in the 1960s, the Somalian Air Force switched to Soviet material and advisors which were mainly Cuban. Therefore they received four MiG-15UTIs (some sources claiming they were the Shenyang FT-2) in order to train their pilots in the piloting of jet fighters. They took part in the Ogaden War in 1977 and soon after the chaos the country entered in, they left to decay. Some of them were found by US Rangers and Delta forces when they operated in the country in 1992.
• Uganda: The Ugandan People's Defence Air Force employed the MiG-15UTI since its foundation back in 1964. They operated from its capital, as the main trainer aircraft, and were used until they were replaced by the Aero L-29 in the mid-to-late 1970s. 
• Cuba: The MiG-15UTI was the main trainer aircraft of the Cuban Air Force, specially from 1959 onwards when they switched to Soviet equipment. The first aircrafts arrived in Cuba in 1962 making it the main trainer. They had quite a long career sine they kept on serving on that role until 1981 when they were replaced by the Czechoslovak Aero L-39.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-15

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigerian_Air_Force

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somali_Air_Force

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uganda_People%27s_Defence_Force

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_Revolutionary_Air_and_Air_Defense_Force

6. http://www.urrib2000.narod.ru/EqMiG15.html (translated)

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis, Prototypes and rare versions

In this post we're covering many sub-variants, prototypes and dedicated versions of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis (excluding the MiG-15UTI which will have its series of own posts.
The MiG-15Pbis was a variant with just six exemplars built that featured a Torij radar mounted in a radome placed in the nose. It was armed with just the 37mm N-37 cannon to fit the radar equipment, just six of them were built with the first one being completed and flown on 23rd April 1949. It was built by the Moscow Aircraft Factory Number 155, in Moscow from converting a regular MiG-15bis. The remaining 5 were built by Kuybyshev Aircraft Factory Number 1 "Stalin", located at the Russian city of Kuybyshev in 1951. All six of them were used to train pilots in the usage of aircraft-mounted aerial-radars.
The MiG-15Rbis was a reconnaissance variant of the regular MiG-15bis. Three-hundred and sixty-four of them were manufactured by the Gorky Aircraft Factory Number 21, at Gorky, in Russia from 1951 to 1952. To incorporate the reconnaissance gear which consisted on a single AFA-BA/40 daytime camera, one gun was removed so it was armed with just the N-37 cannon and a single N-23 23mm cannon. It had a range of 1045km (649,33 milles) without external fuel tanks and it's worth mentioning that it differed from the Czechoslovakian version as this one was based on the MiG-15bis and the Czechoslovakian version was based on the regular MiG-15. It served with the VVS (Soviet Air Force), the Bulgarian People's Air Force (which, as we couldn't find a pic, the drawing should be considered as speculative) and the Cuban Air Force (which we also couldn't find a pic, so the drawing should be considered as speculative) performing low-level recon missions.
The MiG-15Sbis was a variant with integrated fuel tanks added into the wings in order to achieve a greater range. It had a range of 1200km (745.64 milles), it was produced in 1951 by the Saratov Aircraft Factory Number 22 in Saratov, Russia, which produced all 45 of them. It was armed like a regular MiG-15bis and only saw brief service with the VVS.
The MiG-15bis(ISh) was a ground-support variant. Only 4 of them were manufactured plus other 12 which were converted from the MiG-15bis. All of them were produced or converted by the Research Institute of Air Force for Aircraft Operations and Repairs in 1958. As it was intended for ground-support duties, it had an additional underwing hardpoint to carry a wide arrangement of bombs and/or air-to-ground rockets, apart of the traditional N-37 and NR-23 guns.
The MiG-15bisR was a recon variant locally produced in Czechoslovakia at the town of Kbely by Letecké opravny Kbely n.p.. Seventy-six of them were converted from regular MiG-15bis (or its Czechoslovak licensed version built by Aero) during a production period starting in 1960 until 1963.
As in its Russian counterpart, in order to fit the photographical equipment, it was underarmed with just one NR-23 gun.
Lastly, we have the MiG-15bisSB which was a ground-attack version also built and converted by Letecké opravny Kbely n.p. from either regular MiG-15bis or MiG-15bisR aircraft. Production started as late as 1968 and lasted until 1978 having manufactured 72 machines plus an unknown number of conversions. It featured hardpoints to carry a set of ground-attack rockets (most notably the LR-130 and the LR-55 rocket launcher) and up to six OFAB-100 bombs.
Most of them served with the Czechoslovak Air Force during the 1960s and the 1970s and, apparently, some of them were exported to Iraq where they served in the Iraqi Air Force, however, as we couldn't find any photo or pic whatsoever of the MiG-15bisSB under Iraqi colours, the pic should be taken as speculative.

Sources.
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-15
2. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/196279
3. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/196286
4. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/60332
5. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/196285
6. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/53557
7. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/60333
8. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/196279

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis - Various users

Edit: Sorry, we forgot to upload the pic. The have been added now.
The MiG-15bis was used by many countries and some of them evaluated captured exemplars, like the Republic of China (Taiwan) or the USA.

• Cuba: The only American user to equip the MiG-15bis in their air force. Shortly after the end of the Cuban Revolution in 1959 the Cuban government starts negotiations with the USSR for buying armament. After some negotiations, the first 41 MiG-15bis arrived disassembled to Havana in May 1961 together with another MiG-15Rbis (the reconnaissance version), MiG-15UTI (the trainer version) and MiG-19P. During June 1961 they were assembled with the help of Soviet advisors. They were assigned to the newly created "Primer Escuadrón de caza 'Carlos Ulloa'", named after a fallen pilot who died at the Bay of Pigs invasion. They saw action patrolling the Cuban airspace during the Cuban missile crisis and some times there were even some interception flights against American fighters. Some Cuban MiG-15s were involved in the attack on the CIA ship Rex and some skirmishes until 1964 when they were replaced by the MiG-17. On Cuban hands they worked together with their more advanced models like the MiG-19 or the MiG-21, which, as they were more advanced, required better trained pilots which the Cuban Air Force lacked (they were undergoing training in Eastern bloc countries like Czechoslovakia) so, as the MiG-15bis was easier to fly, it was well liked by their pilots. Nowadays many of them are conserved in the Cuban Air Force Museum.
• Republic of China (ROC) (Taiwan): During the many clashes and dogfights of the 1950s and part of the 1960s between the ROC airforce and the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) one Shenyang J-2 (PLAAF's designation for the MiG-15bis which, unlike the MiG-15UTI it was never manufactured in mainland China) defected to Tao-Yuan, in the island of Taiwan. It was the 3rd March 1962 when the pilot Liu-Chen, belonging to the 8th Squadron, 6th Division, 16th Group, 3rd Wing departed from Lu-Qiao airport located in the city of Zhejiang to Tao-Yuan airbase in Taiwan. The aircraft was repainted in ROC's colours, was test-flown by the ROC's Air Force and nowadays it's preserved at the ROC's museum in Taipei.
• United States of America: During the course of the Korean war, a North Korean pilot, No Kum Sok, defected with his MiG-15bis from Sunan airbase (at the outskirts of Pyongyang) to Kimpo airbase in South Korea on 21st September 1953. Luckily for him, he wasn't neither chased by North Korean fighters because he was too far away when the alarm was raised nor American fighters as the radar in Kimpo was temporarily shut down and he landed the opposite way in the runaway, almost hitting a F-86 Sabre which was landing at the same time from the opposite direction. No Kum Sok was given a reward of 100.000$ offered by the Operation Moolah and he moved on to live in the USA. His aircraft was taken shortly after from Kimpo to Okinawa, in Japan, where it was repainted with USAAF markings and was test flown by Cpt. H.E. Collins and Maj. Chuck Yeager. It was later shipped to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Dayton, Ohio, after diplomat efforts to return it to North Korea turned unsuccessful and nowadays it's displayed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Sources:

1. http://www.urrib2000.narod.ru/EqMiG15.html (translated)

2. http://www.hobbymastercollector.com/HA2411.html

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moolah

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Kum-sok

5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters