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-17F, part two, Sri Lankan and Syrian users

Continuing with the Asian users of the MiG-17F, now it's the turn for two more countries: Sri Lanka and Syria.

• Sri Lanka: During the March 1971 communist insurrection that placed a left-leaning government in power, the Ceylon Air Force received five MiG-17F from the USSR. They served with the Sri-Lankan Air Force, mostly in the ground support role. After the insurgency, the country became a republic and the name was changed to Sri-Lanka. The Sri-Lankan Air Force kept the MiG-17Fs until the early 1980s when they withdrawn as they were clearly outdated.
• Syria: After the creation of the United Arab Republic in 1958, the Syrian Air Force was merged with the Egyptian one and nearly all of its aircraft and personnel were redeployed to Egypt. There, they were replaced by two squadrons of MiG-17Fs. After the dissolution of the United Arab Republic in 1961, the new Syrian Air Force - designated as Syrian Arab Air Force (SyAAF) - was re-established later in that same year, acquiring aircraft left by the Egyptians; around 40 MiG-17Fs.
  During the Six-Days War of 1967, the SyAAF flew some strikes on Northern Israel's bases but was shortly evacuated to other air bases in remote parts of Syria, preventing this way the destruction of their Air Force on the ground just like it had happened with both Egyptian and Jordanian ones. After that war, Syria kept on buying small amount of MiG-17s from East Germany. After the Yom-Kippur War in 1973, the SyAAF suffered heavy losses, prompting the Soviets to establish an air-bridge with Damascus and, in April 1974 they received the first batch of MiG-23 which redeemed the MiG-17fs as obsolete and replaceable.

Sources:

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

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

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Aero L-29 part six, African and Middle-east users

As we've said previously, the Aero L-29 was exported to an enormous amount of countries. Here are some of them:

• Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA): Apparently, when the USSR invaded Afghanistan and created the DRA, they received a small amount of Aero L-29s together with some L-39s. As we couldn't find any graphical evidence of this, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• United Arab Republic/Egypt: The United Arab Republic's Air Force received the Aero L-29 in 1959. It was the main trainer of the Egyptian Air Force during the 1960s and it was used in active combat role during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 when some of them were armed with missile launchers and sent to attack Israeli ground forces. It served as their main trainer until the late 1970s when it was replaced by the more advanced Aero L-39.
• Iraq: It seems that some Aero L-29s were delivered to Iraq after the 1958 coup d'etat that overthrew the King of Iraq. The L-29s served with the 2nd Training Squadron at the Tikrit Air Force Base during the 1960s until they were phased out by the more advanced Aero L-39.
• Libya: Some sources claim that the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (Gaddafi's Libya) received some Aero L-29s to equip the air force. As we couldn't find graphical evidences or even text references, the drawing should be considered as speculative as most probably only the L-39 served in Libya and not the L-29.
• Mali: Just like in the Libyan case, it seems that the Malian Air Force bought some L-29s in the mid-1960s to equip their air force. Apparently they served during the 1960s, however as we couldn't find neither graphical nor text evidence, the drawing should be taken as speculative.
• Syria: It seems that the Syrian Air Force was supplied with some Aero L-29s in the very late 1950s and served through the 1960s. Most of them were either destroyed in the Six-Days war and those that survived, served until the 1970s when they were replaced by some other more modern type like the Aero L-39.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aero_L-29_Delfín

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_Afghanistan#Air_Force

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

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

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

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

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

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI, part six, Middle-East users

As happened with the African continent, the Asian continent saw the MiG-15UTI in not few occasions.
The countries covered in this post are:

• Afghanistan: The Royal Afghan Air Force had a small amount of UTIs in its inventory. Those were purchased most probably in the 1950s together with the MiG-15 and the Il-28 bomber. It's fate is unknown, but they most probably either passed on to the successor Democratic Republic of Afghanistan or were destroyed in the subsequent conflicts that took place in the country.
• Democratic Republic of Afghanistan: As expected, the bulk of the DRA's air force was composed of Soviet aircraft, among them there was the UTI. They saw combat during the Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan supporting Soviet troops by flying reconnaissance flights or performing low-level light-attack missions.
• Iraq: After the king of Iraq was overthrown, the Iraqi Air Force switched to Soviet equipment. Among the supplied equipment there was a small number of UTIs that served as the country's main trainer. They served alongside the Aero L-29 until they were both replaced by the Aero L-39.
• South Yemen: Apparently some UTIs were exported to South Yemen, most probably during the late 1960s from Egypt. They were either destroyed or captured by North Yemen's troops.
• Syria: In 1955 Syria ordered, among others, 4 MiG-15UTIs from Czechoslovakia in an operation codenamed as 'Operation 104'. During the course of the Suez Crisis in late October 1956, three MiG-15UTIs were evacuated to Syria via Saudia Arabia and Jordan. The MiG-15UTI replaced the propeller-driven North American AT-6 Harvard and the UTI was subsequently replaced by the Aero L-39 in the 1970s.
• North Yemen: The Arab Republic of Yemen had the MiG-15UTI as some of them were purchased by the Royalist imanate in the 1960s. It's unknown for how much time they served and they were, most probably destroyed or scrapped.

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_Afghanistan#Air_Force

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

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

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

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