Shenyang F-6, Vietnamese users

 

The Shenyang F-6 is the export denomination that the Chinese gave to their own version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 supersonic fighter. 

During the 1960s, the North Vietnamese government was supplied with an unknown number of F-6s and FT-6 trainers by the Chinese to employ them against the American-backed South Vietnamese state.  

These fighters, when compared to the more modern MiG-21, which were active with the North Vietnam Democratic Republic Air Force (NVDRAF), were more successful than expected as the supersonic capabilities of the MiG-21 weren't as useful in combat as originally thought because aerial dogfights at the time were conducted almost entirely at sub-sonic speeds. 

The F-6 (and the MiG-19 too) was found to be more manoeuvrable than the MiG-21 and, although slower, its acceleration during dogfights was considered adequate. 

In fact, one unit of the NVDRAF was almost entirely equipped with the F-6, the 925th Fighter Regiment, from 1969 onwards. They served until late 1970s when they were replaced by more modern types.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-6

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

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, Asian and Middle-East users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 is a Soviet-made single-seat twin-engined second generation supersonic jet fighter which is capable of maintaining supersonic speeds in level flight. The MiG-19S has been the most produced and exported variant with more than 1.000 exemplars manufactured it was exported to, among many others, to these next countries:

• Iraq: In spite of the contradictory reports about the MiG-19's career in Iraq, it seems that 15 MiG-19S were delivered to the Iraqi Air Force (IAF) in 1960. Other reports claim that they were complemented with 30 MiG-19s of unspecified origin, most probably, if those reports are right, from North Korea in 1983.
  Anyway, they were based at Al Rashed, Amarah, Karbalah and Jalibah Air Bases. A number of MiG-19 and its Chinese copy, the Shenyang F-6 were destroyed on the ground during Operation Desert Storm in January-March 1991, as Saddam Hussein ordered them to be strategically placed on his air bases as decoys in an attempt to save his real combat aircraft.
  Other reports claim that they were sold to Uganda, Afghanistan and North Korea.
• North Korea: After the mutual assistance and military co-operation treaty the the USSR and North Korea signed in 1961, an unknown number of MiG-19Ss was supplied to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Some sources claim 15 of them but it's most probably that there were at least twice as many.
  Thirty original MiG-19Ss were sold to Iraq in 1983. Given the high secrecy surrounding North Korea, the MiG-19S depicted below is speculative. 
• Syria: Syria became the second non Warsaw-pact nation to operate the MiG-19S as they received 40 from the USSR in 1958-1962. However, according to some report, they were acquired second-hand from Egypt. Many of them were destroyed on ground in 1967 during the Six Days War.
• North Vietnam: Forty-four MiG-19S fighters were supplied to the North Vietnam Democratic Republic Air Force (NVDRAF) in 1968-1969 to equip the 925th Fighter Regiment. They were based at Yen Bai Air Base, close to Hanoi, and saw very active service through the second phase of the Vietnam War.
  Just like any other type of fighter in service with the NVDRAF the MiG-19S was mostly used for point air defence os strategically important targets against USAF bombing raids.  

Sources: 

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

2. Midland Publishing - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19. The Soviet Union's First Production Supersonic Fighter
3. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-MiG-19S-kod-NATO-Farmer-C-t12470

4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17PF, part one, Asian users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17PF  (NATO codename 'Fresco D') is an all weather fighter variant of the MiG-17F equipped with an Izumrud radar and armed with three 23 mm NR-23 cannons. It was exported to many countries:

• Indonesia: Just like it happened with the MiG-17F, Indonesia got some PFs in the early 1960s (which, unlike the 'F' ones, weren't assigned to the acrobatics squadron). They were deployed together with the 'F' ones in three squadrons, in Maluku, Seram and Banda Islands to provide air cover for the early infiltration in West Papua. Some of them were also present in Leftuan Air Base assigned to close air support duties, replacing some old North-American B-25 Mitchell and Douglas A-26 Invader. 
• Iraq: Apparently, together with the MiG-17F the Iraqi Air Force got some PFs during the 1960s as part of the Soviet aid. They served, most probably, in 5th and 7th squadrons in Rashid and Kirkuk respectively. As we couldn't find graphical information, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
•  North Korea: During the 1970s is known that the North Korean Air Force had active a great number of MiG-17s, among them many PF ones. Apparently some of them may still be active nowadays, but their status is unknown. 
• North Vietnam: Some PFs served with the North Vietnamese Democratic Republic Air Force in the 921st 'Sao Dao' Fighter Regiment. The first PF arrived in North Vietnam during the end of 1965. Their first nocturnal victory came on 3rd February 1966 when, according to North Vietnamese sources, Lam Van Lich (who piloted the fighter depicted below), shot down two A-1H Skyraiders over Cho Ben. Those claims, however, do not match up with USAF loss records.
• Syria: Twenty MiG-17PF were delivered to Syria in 1957 and were assigned to squadrons defending the capital Damascus, based at Mezzeh Military Airport. After the creation of the United Arab Republic in February 1958, the air force was reformed and a fully-equipped MiG-17PF squadron was formed, called No.31 'Crow Bat' squadron. After the end of the United Arab Republic, the squadron was reinforced. However this time it was also equipped with regular MiG-17Fs. They served well until the 1970s passing over two wars, the Six-Days War in 1967 and the Yom-Kippur War in 1973.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17#Asia

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

3. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-MiG-17PF-kod-NATO-Fresco-D-t44624

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_People%27s_Army_Air_and_Anti-Air_Force

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

6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syrian_Air_Force

7. Osprey Publishing - Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17/19 Aces of the Vietnam War

8. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Shenyang J-5, North Vietnamese Users, part two

Merry Christmas eve everyone! Today we keep going with a new post, this time being the continuation of the previous one, the Shenyang J-5/F-5 in North Vietnamese hands.
The Shenyang F-5 was the denomination the Chinese licensed copies were given to the MiG-17. Most of them were copies of the MiG-17F variant, but some of them were of the earlier MiG-17 (Fresco-A) variant. During the Vietnam war hundreds of F-5s served with the North Vietnamese Air Force and were used by many of their aces, like Nguyen Phi Hung, whose aircraft is depicted below, flew an F-5 ,numbered 2315, regularly over North Vietnam between October 1967 and July 1968 and it was during that time when he got the ace status, however, it's not clear which claims he made flying the 2315.
Another flying ace who, at some point in his career flew the F-5 was Le Hai who, together with Nguyen Dinh Phuc, claimed two F-4Bs shot down on 19th November 1967. However, US Navy's records only confirm Hai's victory.
Later, Hai added another aerial victory flying another F-5, numbered 3020, which granted him his seventh star. He shot down a Ryan Firebee drone over North Vietnam on 3rd August 1969. Flying that same aircraft, he claimed another F-4 over Thanh Chuong on 14th June 1968. He claimed that he had hit the Phantom twice with two bursts of fire at an altitude of 2000 m (6561 ft) high causing the Phantom to crash into the sea. The USAF loss records do not corroborate this kill, though.
Luu Huy Chao was another ace who flew an unusually camouflaged F-5 and was credited with 9 aerial victories over American aircraft. Chao was flying the F-5 depicted below when he claimed an F-8 Crusader on 14th December 1967 as his fifth victory, the one that granted him the ace status. However, the US Navy didn't recognise the loss, at least not on that day. That aircraft survived the war and is now present in Vietnam People's Air Force in Hanoi.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17-19 Aces of the Vietnam War

Shenyang J-5, North Vietnamese Users

The Shenyang J-5 (F-5 for exports) was a Chinese-built single-seat jet interceptor which was a licensed version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. It received the denomination of Shenyang J-5 in 1964 and, it was virtually identical to the MiG-17.
It was used by the North Vietnamese Air Force during the Vietnam War, with the first deliveries taking place in 1965 and serving until the 1990s in interception missions, when they were retired to be replaced, together with the Shenyang F-6 (license production of the MiG-19), by either the MiG-21 or the Sukhoi Su-27.
It was a Shenyang F-5 who achieved the first aerial victory made by a North Vietnamese aircraft. On 3rd April 1965 an F-5 piloted by Pham Ngoc Lan, claimed to have shot down an American F-8E over Thanh Hoa province.
It was also the aircraft that the North Korean volunteer unit, named 'Doan Z', was supplied with in March 1967. They were based in Kep, in Hanoi. They were given old variants of the F-5 as they were a copy of the regular MiG-17 and not the MiG-17F.
Vo Van Man, another North Vietnamese Ace, flew the F-5 frequently during the aerial battles that took place in May 1967. He was shot down and killed while at the controls on 14th May, downed by an AIM-7E missile fired from a F-4C Phantom.
Another ace who flew the F-5 was Nguyen Nhat Chieu, who, on 20th September 1965 shot down an US Navy F-4B over Nha Ham, in Ha Boc province. That was his first aerial score and he went on to become a respected MiG-21 ace.
The last ace on this post, Luu Huy Chao, was flying the F-5 depicted below, when his formation, comprised of four fighters, was ordered to attack a formation of F-105s on 19th April 1967 when they were flying over Cam Thuy. The F-105s were able to escape towards the Gulf of Tonkin, however, being that one of the many sorties flew by that pilot.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17-19 Aces of the Vietnam War

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F, part eight, Vietnamese users part two

A little bit later, but here it comes, Saturday's post.
On 4th April 1965 the USAF tried to take down the Thanh Hóa bridge, this time with a force composed of 48 Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs belonging to the 355th Tactical Fighter Wing, loaded with bombs. The Thunderchiefs were escorted by a flight of F-100 Super Sabres belonging to the 416th Tactical Fighter Squadron. The Thunderchiefs were ambushed by four MiG-17Fs of the 921st Fighter Regiment, which came from above, bypassed the F-100s and dove into the Thunderchiefs themselves shooting two of them down. One F-105D was shot down by the group leader Tran Hanh of Maj. F.E. Bennett. His element leader Le Minh shot down another F-105D piloted by Cpt. J.A. Magnusson. When the F-100 engaged them, one MiG-17F piloted by Pham Giay (Tran Hanh's wingman) was shot down and killed with the guns after a Sidewinder missile failed. After that action, Tran Hanh stated that at least three of his pilots were shot down by USAF fighters.
Of the four MiGs that attacked, only Tran Hanh survived and those three aircraft shot down were the first American aerial victories of the Vietnam War.
In 1965 the North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF) had just 36 MiG-17s and a similar number of pilots which were increased to 180 MiGs and 72 pilots by 1968. This contrasts with the American numbers of at least 200 F-4 Phantoms and 140 F-105s just from the USAF, plus at least 100 US Navy aircraft (F-8, A-4 and F-4s) which operated from various aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin.
The MiG-17F was the main interceptor of the weak NVAF in 1965, which was responsible for the first aerial victories of the war and saw extensive use during the Vietnam War. Some Vietnamese pilots preferred the MiG-17 over the MiG-21 given its agility although being slower. In fact, three of the NVAF's aces of the war, flew the MiG-17. Those were Nguyen Van Bay (seven victories), Luu Huy Chao and Le Hai (both of them with six victories each) and the rest of their aces gained the ace status flying the MiG-21.
The MiG-17F flew their interceptor with ground controller's guidance who directed the MiGs to ambush American formations. The MiGs made fast attacks from many directions, while the MiG-21 attacked usually from behind. After shooting down some American aircraft and forcing the F-105Ds to drop their bombs prematurely, the MiGs didn't wait for retaliation but disengaged quickly, performing some sort of "guerrilla warfare" in the air, which proved very successful.
Although the MiG-17 wasn't designed as a fighter bomber, the NVAF stated in 1971 that American warships were to be attacked, requiring some MiG-17s to be fitted with bomb mounting and releasing mechanisms. Two MiGs were modified for this role and, after three months of works, they were ready. They belonged to the 923rd Fighter Regiment and, on 19th April 1972 they attacked the destroyer USS Higbee (DDR-806) and the light cruiser USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5), destroying destroyer's main aft 5" gun, inflicting no fatalities, as the crew had already evacuated the turret due to a malfunction.
From 1965 until 1971 the MiG-17s belonging to either the 921st or 923rd Fighter Regiments would claim 71 aerial victories, while losing 63 MiG-17s in combat.
Overall, thanks to its agility, the MiG-17 was feared and it shocked American fighter pilots in 1965 to the point that some exercises were performed by the USAF to simulate dogfights between an F-86H and either a F-100 or a F-105 and they reached to the conclusion that, in a dogfight, the more modern fighters were very vulnerable to a subsonic one like the MiG-17 was.
The MiG-17 continued serving until the end of the Vietnam War and they were phased out almost immediately after when they were replaced by more types like the Sukhoi Su-22.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17#Vietnam_War
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Osprey Publishing- Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17-19 Aces of the Vietnam War

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F, part seven, Vietnamese users part one

In 1960 the first group of around 50 North Vietnamese pilots were transferred North to the People's Republic of China to receive training to the MiG-17. By that time, the first group of Chinese trained MiG-15 pilots had returned to North Vietnam and a group of 31 pilots were deployed in the Vietnam People's Air Force base at Son Dong to be converted to the MiG-17.
Shortly later, by 1962 the first North Vietnamese pilots had finished their pilot courses in the USSR and PRC, and returned to their units. To mark that occasion, the USSR sent an additional "gift" of 36 MiG-17 fighters and MiG-15UTI trainers to Hanoi in February 1964 creating North Vietnam's first fighter regiment, the 921st. The next year, in 1965, another group of pilots returned to North Vietnam from Krasnodar, in the USSR as well as from the PRC, forming the second fighter unit, the 923rd Fighter Regiment. The newly created 923rd FR operated only MiG-17Fs and initially were the only ones which could face the American supersonic jets before the arrival of MiG-19s and MiG-21s in North Vietnam.
American fighter-bombers had been in the theatre flying combat sorties since 1961 and the US had many experienced pilots from the Korean War and even the World War II. Untried MiGs and rookie pilots of the VPAF (Vietnam People's Air Force) were sent in combat against some of the most combat experienced pilots of the USAF and the US Navy. On 3rd April 1965 six MiG-17Fs took off from Noi Bai Airbase in two groups of two and four, with the first group acting as a bait and the second one acting as shooters. Their target were US Navy aircraft which were supporting an USAF 80-aircraft strike group trying to knock out the Thanh Hóa Bridge. The MiG-17 leader, Lt. Pham Ngoc Lan, attacked a group of Vought F-8 Crusaders belonging to the VF-211 squadron operating from USS Hancock (CV-19) and damaged an F-8E flown by Lt. Cdr. Spence Thomas, who managed to land the aircraft at Da Nang airbase, then in control of the Republic of Vietnam Air Force). A second F-8 was claimed by his wingman Phan Van Tuc.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17#Vietnam_War
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Osprey Publishing- Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17-19 Aces of the Vietnam War

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, part four, Asian users

Note: This will be the last post before our holidays. See you all back in August!
The basic variant of the MiG-17 saw action with various Asian Air Forces.

• People's Republic of China: The People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) adquired a number of MiG-17 in the early 1950s, which were designated as J-4. Most of them served with the PLAAF and were later sold to North Vietnam where they saw some action and were denominated, and often misidentified as Shenyangs.
• Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: After the communist coup of 1978 the Afghan Premier Mohammed Daoud Khan relied heavily on the Soviet material to modernize the Army. The USSR supplied the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan with obsolete MiG-17s which suffered heavy casualties during the Soviet-Afghan War. Some of them were still "active" in 1990 but their airworthiness it's doubtful to say the least.
• Mongolia: The Mongolian People's Army Air Force received some MiG-17s in the early 1960s which constituted the bulk of their fighter force. They were replaced in the 1970s by the MiG-21.
• Sri Lanka: After the 1971 communist insurrection, Ceylon received some Soviet material, among them some MiG-17. They were taken over by the subsequent government and kept in active until the 1990s. Nowadays one of them is preserved in a museum.
• North Vietnam: The North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF) received its first jet fighter aircraft in February 1964. They weren't based in North Vietnamese soil but in mainland China as they were undergoing formation. On 3rd February 1964 the first fighter regiment, No.921 fighter regiment was formed, led by Lt. Col. Nguyen Phuc Trach. Few "pure" (IE Soviet made) MiG-17s served with the NVAF.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_People%27s_Air_Force

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

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

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_People%27s_Army

6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI, part eight, Asian users part two

As we've said previously, the MiG-15UTI saw use in many countries. Among them many asiatic ones. The countries covered with this post are:

• North Korea: The North Korean Air Force (officially named "Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force) recieved some MiG-15UTIs shortly after the Korean cease-fire in 1953. Due to the isolationist profile of the country, the type has been in active service serving as their main trainer aircraft since then. Nowadays most of KPAAAF's UTIs are based at Pukch'ang airport, located at the Northwest of the country, close to the city of Kaechon. The ones there are part of the 60th Air Fighter Wing, which is part of the 1st Air Combat Division.
  There are some others serving at Orang, located at the Northeastern part of the country, close to the Russian border which are part of the 41st Air Regiment, which is part of the 8th Training Division. Interestingly enough, they served alongside old MiG-15bis which, supposedly are used as advanced trainers. Some of them are known to be based at Riwon North Airfield too. 
• Sri Lanka: During the insurgency that took the communists into power in 1971, the Bandaranaike government turned to Soviet assistance for help. They received a small number of MiG-17Fs and a single MiG-15UTI trainer. They remained in active service until the early 1980s when they were placed into long-term storage.
• North Vietnam: The MiG-15UTI was supplied by the USSR to the Vietnam's People Air Force in the mid 1960s. They served as their main trainer and also served as the trainer for most of North Vietnamese air regiments like 921st 'Sao Dao' Fighter Regiment, the 923rd Fighter Regiment, the 925th Fighter Regiment and the 910th 'Julius Fucik' Training Regiment. The ones assigned to the 921st FR, were kept busy by flying training sorties in parallel with MiG-17 and MiG-21 combat operations in 1966.
  As the ones assigned to the 923rd had no shelters to keep them from being bombarded, in 1967 they had to be painted and storaged under trees to camouflage them. It's known also that the People's Republic of China supplied four Shenyang FT-2 (the export version of the Shenyang JJ-2 trainer, which was itself a copy of the MiG-15UTI,  built in China) in February 1969 and assigned to the 925th FR which was equipped mainly with the MiG-19. Those received most of the technical attention as they were hard to maintain airworthy so the FT-2 was heavily tasked by pilots needing to build up their flying hours.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_People%27s_Army_Air_and_Anti-Air_Force

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

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_People%27s_Air_Force

4. Osprey Publishing- Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17-19 Aces of the Vietnam War