Mitsubishi Ki-57, foreign users

 

The Mitsubishi Ki-57 was a Japanese transport aircraft that was developed from the Ki-21 bomber. It was used by Japan but also by many other countries, like the following ones:

• People's Republic of China: After World War II and the subsequent follow-up of the Chinese Civil War, the Red Army of China took over many Ki-57 transports, left over by the Japanese, mostly in Manchuria, left overs at Changchun airfield. They were employed during the last part of the conflict in the mainland, mainly as trainers, in the flight academy that the Red Army of China (forerunner of the People's Liberation Army) had set in that region. After the war ended, in 1949, they were still being used as trainers until 1952, when they were written off due to their age.
• Republic of China: Just like their Communist foes, the Republic of China Air Force (ROCAF) used some captured MC-20s (the civilian version of the Ki-57 military transport) after the Japanese retreat in 1945. Those were captured mainly in the Mukden airfield, they were also used during the latest stages of the Chinese Civil War, however, they were mostly either destroyed or captured by the Red Army when the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan. 
• Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China: The Japanese collaborationist puppet government had, theoretically, one MC-20 in strength which was used as the presidential transport of Wang Jingwei (president of the collaborationist government). Further details are unknown and, as we couldn't find graphical information, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Dutch East Indies: In order to repatriate and liberate Allied civilian and soldiers prisoners of war the Rescue of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees (RAPWI) commission, set up a RAPWI-Air transport company. This was founded by Captain Arens, a former KNILM (the official airline of the Dutch East Indies) pilot and was composed of dozens of left-over Japanese airplanes, among them four Ki-57 machines as well as Japanese airmen. A number of those repatriation flights were conducted by Japanese pilots, often accompanied by Dutch soldiers. For example, one of those service repatriation flights was set up between the cities of Bali and Bandung.
• Manchukuo: The Manchukuo National Airways, more known by its Japanese acronym MKKK (a paramilitary organization working for the Japanese Kwantung Army), had in inventory a total of 20 MC-20 machines. These were supplied by Japan and were used as transport and VIP aircraft. During the last stages of World War II, they were taken over by the Manchukuo Imperial Air Force and flew with Japanese markings, though they kept their Manchurian numbers and pilots. Most of them were either destroyed during the Soviet Invasion of Manchuria or captured and given to the Chinese Red Army.
• Second Philippine Republic: The Japanese puppet government set up in the Philippines had one MC-20 which was used as the presidential transport of José P. Laurel (the president of that republic). As we couldn't find further info nor pics of this aircraft, the drawing should be considered as speculative.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Ki-57

2. http://cwlam2000.epizy.com/manchu_x.htm#6、三菱陸軍百式運輸機_/_MC-20_（1945）（Mitsubishi_Ki-57_,_MC-20）(M-600,_601,602,_603,_604,_605...) (translated as much as we could)

3. https://www.ipms.nl/artikelen/nedmil-luchtvaart/vliegtuigen-m/vliegtuigen-m-mitsubishi-ki57 (translated)

4. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/gy/reg_M-.html

Shenyang J-6, Chinese users, part one

 

The Shenyang J-6 is the Chinese-built version of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft.

Even if the MiG-19 had a relatively short life span when serving with the Soviet Air Force, the Chinese valued its agility, turning performance and its powerful weapon arrangement. Therefore, it comes no surprise that between 1958 and 1981 they manufactured it for their own use in various versions. While the original MiG-19 has been retired from active service in practically every nation in the world, the Shenyang J-6 still flies for nine of its original 15 operators, albeit in a very limited capacity and not in the fighter role. Its airframe is the starting point for the Nanchang Q-5 ground attack aircraft which is still active in many nations around the world.

The J-6 was considered as an interim fighter until a more capable aircraft could be manufactured in China (namely, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21), so it was intended to be operated for just 100 flight hours, which are approximately 100 sorties, before having to be overhauled. However, with adequate maintenance, those numbers could be stretched, like in the case of the Pakistan Air Force, up to 130 hours.

Sources:

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

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

3. https://www.valka.cz/Sen-jang-J-6-kod-NATO-Farmer-t42341 (translated)

Shenyang J-5/F-5.

The Shenyang J-5/F-5 is a Chinese-built single-seat jet fighter interceptor which is a license-built Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. It was exported to many countries under the denomination of Shenyang F-5.
It was originally designated as Dongfeng 101 and also as Type 56 before it was definitely named as J-5 in 1964.
It was built in China from 1956 until the 1960s when production ceased. It's believed that around 767 machines just of the regular version, the copy of the MiG-17F, were manufactured at Songling State-Owned Machinery Factory in the city of Shenyang, located in the province of Liaoning, in Manchuria. Initially, the Chinese obtained a license for the regular version of the MiG-17, which would retroactively be called Shenyang J-4 in the early 1950s. In order to introduce modern production methods to Chinese industry the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) obtained plans for the MiG-17F in 1955, along with two completed pattern aircraft, 15 knockdown kits and parts for ten aircraft. The first Shenyang J-5 flew for the first time on 19th July 1956 with test pilot Wu Keming as the pilot.
It was powered by a Wopen WP-5 engine (a copy of the Klimov VK-1) that yielded 25.5 kN (5700 lbf) of thrust and 33.8 kN (7600 lbf) with afterburner. It was armed with a single 37mm Type 37 cannon and two 23mm Type 23-1 cannons placed in the lower part of the nose, just like the regular MiG-17F.
It became the main PLAAF's fighter during the mid-to-late 1950s and even the first part of the 1960s and was also exported to many countries.
It served with the Cambodian Air Force, as ten F-5 were sent to the back then called Royal Khmer Aviation in 1965 as military aid. By 1970 only six of them were operational and those six remaining ones were lost on the ground in 1971 when the North Vietnamese Air Force conducted their "Sapper" attack.
It's also serving with the North Korean Air Force (NKAF). It's believed that at least 107 F-5s are still in active service with the NKAF. However, more than half of them are supposed to not be airworthy as they acquired back in the late 1960s and have been in active since then.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5
2. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/80747
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

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

Shenyang JJ-2/FT-2

The Shenyang JJ-2 (called Shenyang FT-2 when exported) was a Chinese copy of the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI.
It was one of the first locally-built jet aircrafts and all of them were built at the State-owned Factory No.112 in the city of Shenyang, located at the coastal province of Liaoning, in Manchuria. Production started in 1953 and continued well until the very late 1950s as an unknown amount of them were manufactured. Just like its original, it was powered by the Chinese copy of the Klimov RD-45F which delivered a thrust of 5005lb (22.26Kn) and was down-armed with just one 12.7mm (0.5in) UBK-E machine gun.
It served with the next air forces:

• Albania: During the late 1960s, when the Soviet-Albanian relations collapsed, Albania turned to China for military supplies and they were sold many Shenyang JJ-2 which served as the main Albanian trainer from the mid-1960s well until the 1990s when the communism fell. 
• China: As we said previously, the JJ-2 was the backbone of the People's Liberation Army Air Force's training squadrons and flying schools. It served at least until 1966 when the Chengdu JJ-5 (a trainer version of the MiG-17) started to roll out from the factories.
• Pakistan: The Pakistani Air Force bought some FT-2s in 1967 to equip their training and school squadrons. They served until the 1970s when they were gradually replaced by the FT-5 and, in many cases, served alongside them (the trainer version of the MiG-17 designated like that for export).
• Sudan: After their independence and the creation of their air force, the Sudanese government switched mainly to USSR and China for new aircrafts. Therefore the Shenyang FT-2 became their main trainer aircraft from 1968 until it was replaced by the Shenyang FT-5 in the late 1970s which is still in active use nowadays.
• Tanzania: During the late 1960s the Shenyang FT-2 was the first trainer aircraft that served in the Tanzanian Air Force, together with the more advanced FT-5, which is still in active service, although it's storaged.

Sources:

1. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/22676

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

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Army_Air_Force

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

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

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

Mitsubishi Ki-15

The Mitsubishi Ki-15 was a Japanese reconnaisssance aircraft which was also used as a light attack bomber during the Second World War.
It was designed by Mitsubishi to meet a requirement from the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force of 1935 for a two-seat high-speed reconnaisssance aircraft. The design submitted by Mitsubishi was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a fixed, spatted undercarriage which was similar to other all-metal designs of the early-to-mid 1930s like the Heinkel He.70 or the Northrop Alpha.
Initially it was powered by a single Nakajima Ha-8 radial engine which yielded 750hp of power at 4000m (13120ft) high. The first prototype made it to the air in May 1936 and testing proved succesful with the aircraft meeting all performance requirements and achieving a speed of 481km/h (299mph) showing, at the same time, good flying characteristics.
Service testing was completed without any difficulty and the type was ordered into production under the official denomination of Army Type 97 Command Reconnaisssance Plane Model 1. One year after the prototype flew for the first time, in May 1937, the first batch of 437 aircrafts was handed to the Imperial Japanese Army.
The first model, Ki-15-I, was rushed into operational service at the beginning of the second Sino-Japanese war in 1937. It proved very useful in Chinese soil, where it performed missions deep into Chinese strategic rear areas, reaching even the city of Lanzhou, located at the province of Gansu. It enjoyed a clear advantage thanks to its high speed, until the Chinese Air Force adquired the Polikarpov I-16. The Ki-15 was used in a wide variety of roles like level bombing, close support and photo reconnaissance before it was eventually replaced by the Mitsubishi Ki-30.
It's known that after the World War 2, the Chinese Communist Air Force, operated an unknown number of captured aircraft which were based in Manchuria. They were captured at the city of Harbin in June 1946 and by 1948 they were completely repaired and being used as trainers. They served in that role until 1951 when they were withdrawn.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_Ki-15
2. https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=890

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis, Chinese and Albanian users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich was the second jet fighter to serve with the Chinese People's Liberation Army's Air Force (PLAAF), the first one was the MiG-9.
They saw action first, under PLAAF's colours in the Korean war, and, after that conflict, the USSR supplied China with hundreds of them and they received the denomination of Shenyang J-2 for those serving with the PLAAF and Shenyang F-2 for the exported ones, to give the appearance that they were manufactured in China, in spite of having being manufactured abroad, in the USSR.
They played a role in the First Taiwan Strait crisis. After the end of the Korean War, China turned its attention towards Taiwan, as it was controlled by the Kuomintang. Chinese MiG-15bis engaged the outnumbered Chinese Nationalist Air Force (CNAF) and they helped with the occupation of two strategic island groups by the Communists forces in 1954. As the United States was backing the Taiwan government since 1951, the CNAF was equipped with F-86 Sabres since 1955. Therefore, MiG-15bis and F-86 Sabres clashed three years later, in 1958 at the Quemoy crisis, AKA Second Taiwan Strait crisis. Throughout the decade of the 1950s, the PLAAF's MiG-15bis and the CNAF's Sabres kept clashing in spontaneous skirmishes and, during the Quemoy crisis, a CNAF's Sabre achieved the first air-to-air kill with an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile against a MiG-15bis.
The Chinese MiG-15bis were outdated by the MiG-17 which was also locally manufactured under the denomination of Shenyang J-5. Many of the J-2s were sold to Albania, which kept them active under either fighter or advanced trainer role until the early 1990s.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-15#Taiwan_Straits_crisis
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, Chinese and Korean users

The MiG-15 was widely exported, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) receiving in 1950 an amount of Mikoyan-MiG-15. In fact, it saw action first during the closing stages of the late period of the Chinese civil war, at the opening months of 1950.
During the early part of 1950, the Chinese Nationalist Air Force was attacking Chinese Communist positions in mainland China from their bases in Taiwan, concentrating their efforts specially on the Shanghai region.
That's why Mao Zedong requested military aid from the USSR, and therefore the 50th IAD (Fighter Regiment) which was equipped with the earlier version of the MiG-15 was deployed in the southern region of mainland China. Shortly later the first aerial victory was achieved when a MiG-15 shot down a Nationalist P-38 Lightning on 28th April 1950 and shortly later, on 11th May, Cpt. Ilya I. Schinkarenko shot down the B-24 Liberator commanded by Li Chao Hua, who was the commander of the Nationalist 8th Air Group.
Later, from late June 1950 the first jet-against-jet dogfights took place in the Korean war where the MiG-15 with its swept wing proved superior to the first generation of the western powers which had straight-wings, like the F-80 Shooting Star or the Gloster Meteor. They also proved to be superior to the piston-powered fighters like the P-51 or the F-4 Corsair. The first jet-to-jet dogfight in history was won by First Lieutenant Semyon F. Fyodorovich Khominich when he shot down the F-80C of Frank Sickle who died in the dogfight, although the official USAF credits the loss to North Korean flak.
When the People's Republic of China entered the Korean war, after having formed the People's Volunteer Army, whose Air Corps was equipped with the MiG-15 which showed as a very unpleasant surprise for the United Nations pilots and against the F-80 and Gloster Meteors. Only until the F-86 came in, the MiG-15 had a worthy contender.
Some Soviet units flew the MiG-15 in North Korean colours (whose Air Force, equipped with a mixture of vintage World War II Soviet and captured Japanese aircraft like the Yakovlev Yak-9P was almost destroyed on the ground). The 324th IAD, which was comprised of two regiments, the 176th GIAP and 196th IAP were rebased to airfield along the Yalu river in late 1950 where they engaged many UN forces.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-15
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Volunteer_Army
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9, part one

Back in February 1945 the Soviet Council of People's Commissars ordered Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau to develop a single-seat jet fighter that was powered by the German BMW 003 engines.As it was intended to destroy strategical bombers, it was going to be heavily armed; its expected armament was a single 57mm (2.2in) or 37mm (1.5in) fast-firing guns plus two 23mm (0.9in) guns. According to the directive, it also had to have a maximum speed of 900km/h (559mph) at sea level and it had to achieve a speed of 910km/h (565mph) at 5000m high (16400ft). It had to climb to that altittude in four minutes or less and had to have a range of 820km (510mi). Three prototypes were ordered with a deadline on 15th March 1946.
The prototype, called I-300 by Mikoyan-Gurevich, had a 'pod-and-boom' configuration as it offered many advantages in landing performance and had better visibility from the cockpit when landing, but it had also some setbacks like the unusual tricycle arrangement landing gear which protected the rear fuselage from the jet exhaust, and where to place the aircraft's armament.
It was an all-metal with unswept mid-mounted wings with two prominents air intakes in the nose. Both spar-wings were equipped with slotted flaps and Frise ailerons. It was powered by two RD-20 turbojets (which were a Soviet copy of the German BMW 003) integrated into the fuselage, with a power of 7.8kN (1754lbf) each of them. A steel laminate heatshield was installed on the bottom of the rear fuselage in order to protect it from the exhaust gasses and the fuselage held four bag-type fuel tanks plus other three in each wing, providing a total internal fuel capacity of 1625L (429US gal) and the cockpit wasn't pressurized.
The construction of the three prototypes began in late 1945 and the first prototype was ready to be tested on 30th December. However it wasn't until 24th April 1946 that it flew for the first time, after luck favoured MiG bureau in the rivalry with Yakovlev to see which one would be the first official Soviet jet aircraft to flight. MiG won the contest and they were awarded with a production contract with production starting in 1946 at the No.1 factory in Kazan.
A total of 598 exemplars were manufactured and they served with the Soviet Air Force from 1946 until 1948 (when they replaced by the better MiG-15) and they served with the Fighter Regiments of the 1st, 7th, 14th, 15th and 16th Air Armies with the 15th and 16th based in Kaliningrad and East Germany respectively. Additionaly, the 177th Fighter Aviation Regiment, of the 303rd Aviation Division, based in Yaroslavl, in the USSR, flew the aircraft in 1949 as an interim fighter before receiving the MiG-15.
The USSR sent six Air Divisions, each of them with two Fighter Regiments, to China in November/December 1950 to defend the air space and train Chinese pilots after the outbreak of the Korean War.
The 17th Guards Fighter Aviation Division was based in Shenyang area, the 20th Fighter Aviation Division was based in Tangshan and the 65th Fighter Aviation Division was based in Guangzhou. Shortly later the 144th Fighter Aviation Division arrived in Shanghai, the 309th Fighter Aviation Division was sent to Gongzhuling and the 328th Fighter Aviation Division was assigned to protect Peking. After the training was completed they handed over the MiG-9s to the 6th, 7th, 12th, 14th, 16th and 17th Fighter Divisions of the, back then, newly created, People's Liberation Army Air Force. They considered to send the MiG-9s to Korea, as the Soviets pressured them, however, after some after battle reports about the performance of the F-86 Sabre and other UN fighters, they considered that it was better to retrain their pilots on the MiG-15 as it was a better adversary for the F-86 Sabre.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-9
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters