Supermarine Spitfire. European Users, part eighteen. Soviet Spitfires.

 

Since June 1941, when Germany invaded the USSR and the Soviets joined the Allies, the USSR showed interest in acquiring the Spitfire. In fact, as early as August 1941, a Soviet test pilot was sent to Great Britain to test the type.

The first Spitfires to fly with the Soviets were of the reconnaissance variant. As early as 1942 three Spitfires PR.IV (a recon variant of the Mk. V) from Royal Air Force's No. 1 Photo Reconnaissance Unit, were left in Vayenga airfield, in Murmansk. In 1943 and 1944, using the same delivery method, the Soviet Northern Fleet acquired five more operational Spitfires PR. IV plus two seriously damaged ones. They were then employed by the 118 ORAP (118th Independent Reconnaissance Aviation Regiment) until 1946.

During early 1943, one hundred and forty-three Spitfire Mk. Vb were delivered to the USSR by road via the Iranian port of Abadan. These aircraft were first assigned to 25 ZAP (25th Reserve Air Regiment), from where they were transferred to at least two fighter regiments on the frontlines.

The first of those Air Regiments was 36 IAP (Fighter Aviation Regiment), which was awarded the title of 'Guards' and was renamed to 57 GIAP (Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment). After several months, however, the Spitfires were withdrawn from front-line regiments, onyl after three months of service, in the Kuban sector, as they were considered unsuitable for use in the front. 
Some Mk. Vs were sent to Moscow's anti-aircraft defence units, where they were employed against Luftwaffe's Junkers Ju.86R, the high-altitude bomber variant of the Junkers Ju.86.

From February 1944 the USSR began to receive the Spitfire Mk. IX. A total of 1.183 LF.IX and two HF.IX were delivered by the end of the war. Some Russian studies point that nine additional Mk. XVI were also delivered in the spring of 1945. 
As we said, after the first experiences in the battlefield with the Mk. V, the Soviet Air Command considered the Spitfire to be unsuitable for frontline use, so almost all those Mk. IXs were assigned to PVO (anti-aircraft defence) units. At the end of the war, twenty-six of eighty-one PVO's regiments were equipped with Spitfires. 
In 1944 out of 5.318 aircraft in PVO's inventory, there were 297 Spitfire Mk. IXs and in 1945 the number rose to 825, out of a total of 5.047 aircraft.

Not very much is known about the combat usage of the Spitfires in the USSR. The only known episode, is the shooting down of a late variant of a Junkers Ju.88 (probably either a Ju. 88S or a Ju. 88T) near Leningrad on 8th March 1945, achieved by two Spitfire Mk. IX pilots: V.  Rybin (from 11 GIAP) and A. Fedotov (from 102 GIAP).

Towards the end of the war, some Spitfires were employed to test a television-guidance system. This worked in such a way that the image of the situation from the ground radar was presented on a screen placed inside the cockpit. Two Mk. IXs from 26 GIAP, flown by Lt. Col. W. Macjewicz and Capt. N. Szczerbina were modified.

In the operational history of the Spitfire in the USSR, the official magazine of the PVO stated the following: "... Although the Spitfire did not leave a significant mark on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, at its end and during the first post-war years, it became irreplaceable in the role of a high-altitude interceptor of the PVO".

After the end of the war, Spitfires remained in PVO's fighter pool until 1947/1948, with the last being withdrawn in 1951. Towards the end of their career in the USSR, they served as a transition aircraft for retraining pilots for jet fighters. This was due to the excellent high-altitude characteristics of the Spitfire, incomparably better than any Soviet piston aircraft. 
An unknown number of Spitfire Mk. IXs were converted to two-seaters, following Soviet doctrine of retraining pilots in two-seater versions of front-line fighters. This conversion has been commonly known as Spitfire Mk. IXUTI.

After the war, several of those Mk. IXUTIs were used to break parachute jump altitude records. On 25th September 1945 V. Romaniuk set a new world altitude record by jumping from a Mk. IXUTI piloted by A. Proshakov, at an altitude of 13.105,5 m.

In addition to unit service, all versions of the Spitfire delivered to the USSR underwent testing in research facilities. 

Also, according to unconfirmed reports, a number of Soviet Spitfires were transferred to Communist China in the early 1950s. This however, is most likely false.

Sources:

1st AJ-Press - Monografie Lotnicze 40 - Supermarine Spitfire Part 3 (translated)

2nd https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Supermarine_Spitfire_operators#USSR

Focke-Wulf Fw.200 Condor. Part Three. Even more foreign Users

 

The Focke-Wulf Fw.200 Condor was a German four-engined monoplane designed and manufactured by Focke-Wulf which was initially conceived as an airliner. Luftwaffe and Lufthansa were its main users, however, there were many other non German users of the Fw.200:

• USSR: During World War 2, many Fw.200s were captured by the Soviets and push into service with the VVS (Soviet Air Force). The first machine depicted below was captured at Gumrak, Stalingrad, in January 1943. Repainted with Soviet markings, it was evaluated by the NII-VSS (Soviet Air Force's Scientific Test Institute) and it was displayed in Moscow for a brief period of time. Its fate is unknown.
  Many more were captured by the Soviets during the late period of the war. Some of these machines were reconverted Fw.200C bombers turned into airliners during 1944 to serve with Lufthansa in order to evacuate high-ranking officers and personalities from Germany. Due to the constant bombing of Germany, very few machines were reconverted.
  When the Soviet Army conquered Germany, at least three of those repurposed machines were captured and, eventually sent to serve with Aeroflot (Soviet airlines), at the Arctic Sea division. Those three planes were registered as H-400, H-401 and H-500, though it's believed that there could've been a fourth one. 
  Due to the harsh conditions of the Arctic Sea, these machines suffered many breakdowns and failures due to their temperature-sensitive Bramo engines. In fact, H-400 crash-landed on the Polar Circle in April 1946. The other machine, H-401, depicted below, served in the Polar reconnaissance role until 1950, when it was written off. Its fate is unknown, but it was most probably scrapped.
  However, H-500 was assigned to Polar Aviation in as late as 1948. It was under reparation at Factory No. 23 in Moscow and had its original Bramo engines replaced by Russian Shvetsov ASh-62 engines. It's not clear though if the engines were fitted at Factory No.23 or they were replaced in 1950 after a maintenance accident in which an oil cooler was destroyed. Anyway it received the unofficial denomination of Focke-Wulf Mk.200 and it was used to supply remote Arctic scientific outpost until April 1950 when it crash-landed and was damaged beyond reparation at Yakutsk airport, putting an end to the Fw.200 in the USSR.
• Spain: A single unarmed Fw.200C-4 served with the Spanish Air Force, at the Escuela Superior de Vuelo (Superior Air School) in Salamanca, Old Castile. This airplane, serialled T-4.2, based at Bordeaux-Merignac, landed in Seville on 1st January 1943 after having been attacked over Casablanca. It was interned and later bought by the Spanish Air Force.
  Four additional Fw.200s crash-landed in Spain during the war. They were bought by the Spanish authorities, but they were not pushed into service for political reasons and they were used as a source for spare parts. 
  The machine labeled as T-4.2 served until 1950 when it was grounded due to a lack of spare parts.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_200_Condor

2. https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_200 (translated)

3. https://www.luftfahrtmuseum-hannover.de/index.php/en/neuigkeiten-2/aircraft-of-the-month/629-modell-des-monats-januar-2022

4. Osprey Publishing - Combat Aircraft 115 - Fw 200 Condor Units of World War II

Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-12

The Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-12 was the internal denomination that Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB (Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau) gave to a series of four new prototypes for a new fighter that would replace the MiG-19. All of them were built at the Moscow's Aircraft Factory No.155. 

This new fighter design was an evolution of the basic MiG-19 which evolved, by a process of incremental modification as a point-defence interceptor with a mixed-power plant.

When the MiG-19 entered officially service with the VVS (Soviet Air Force), Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB kept on refining their SM-1 (I-340) design which dated back to 1951. The SM-12 was initially an exercise in drag reduction by using new air intake configurations. The first three prototypes (SM-12/1 to SM-12/3) were basically MiG-19S with an extended and straight-tapered nose with a sharp-lipped orifice and a pointed, two-position shock cone in the intake splitter. 

The third prototype differed from the rest in having a different engine. The previous two ones were powered by a pair of Tumansky RD-9B with 2.600 kg (5.732 lb) of thrust power. The third was, however, powered by a Sorokin R3-26 which offered the same amount of theoretical thrust power, but had more afterburning power. Thanks to this extra power, the SM-12/3 could achieve speeds of 1.430 km/h (888,56 mph - mach 1,16) at sea level and 1.930 km/h (1.199 mph - mach 1,56) at 12.000 m (39.370 ft) high. In some tests it even achieved a mach of 1.8 (2.222 km/h - 1381 mph) at an altitude between 17.500 m (57.415 ft) and 18.000 m (59.055 ft) high. Those impressive numbers prompted for the creation of a new point defence interceptor and was even tested with armament.

In a similar way, powered by the R3-26 engine, embodying a nose redesign with a larger orifice which allowed for the installation of a TsD-30 radar in a two-position conical centrebody, another prototype was produced under the name of SM-12PM. This one, unlike its predecessors, discarded the NR-30 cannons at the wing roots and was armed with two beam-riding K-5M air-to-air missile. It entered flight testing in 1957 and, in the end of 1958 it was joined by another prototype, this time called SM-12PMU. This PMU had its R3M-26 engines uprated to 3.800 kg (8.377 lbs) of thrust power with afterburning and augmented by a U-19D accelerator which, just like in the case of the of the MiG-19PU, took the form of a permanent ventral pack containing an RU-013 rocket motor with its propeller tanks. It was developed by D.D. Sevruk and the RU-013 could develop an additional thrust power of 3000 kg (6.614 lbs) of thrust power. With the aid of this ventral pack the SM-12PMU achieved an altitude of 24.000 m (78.740 ft) and a speed of mach 1,69 (2.086 km/h - 1296 mph). However, by the time this test was performed, the decision of manufacturing the Ye-7 (the prototype of the MiG-21) was already taken and the SM-12 was therefore, discontinued.

Anyway, many aspects of the SM-12 were carried over to the MiG-21 and its many variants.

Sources:

1. http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/mig_sm-12.php

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

3. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-SM-12-t826

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

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19. Soviet experiments and prototypes

During its career with the VVS (Soviet Air Force), the MiG-19 was used as a testbed for various projects and prototypes. Some of them ended up being mass-produced, while others didn't go beyond the prototype stage.

The ones we're dealing with on this post are the following:

• Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-9/2: This, together with the SM-9/1, was the initial prototype for the MiG-19 (sans suffixe) and MiG-19S series. A single prototype was produced by Moscow's Aircraft Factory No.155. Work on it started in 1953 but it wasn't finished until 5th February 1954 when it flew for the first time. 
  It was powered by two Tumansky RD-9B which offered 5.732 lb of thrust power.Although initially unarmed, later it was armed with a single 23 mm NR-23 cannon in the nose plus another two NR-23 cannons placed in the wing roots. It also had hardpoints for two ORO-57K rockets, two bombs or additional fuel tanks.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-9/3: This aircraft was the prototype for the MiG-19S version. It flew for the first time on 27th November 1955 though its production was started one year earlier. It was powered by the same engine as the SM-9/2 but it was armed with more powerful 30 mm NR-30 cannons. One in the nose and two in the wing roots. It also was equipped with a Svod long-range navigation receiver and served as the basis for the MiG-19S which was produced from 1956 onwards with some additional improvements. It could carry the same payload as the SM-9/2.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-7: This designation was used for the three prototypes of the MiG-19P all-weather interceptor. They were produced concurrently with the SM-9 in 1954 andthe first machine, SM-7/1, flew for the first time on 28th August 1954. It was powered by the same engine as the SM-9 machines and was armed with the same NR-23 cannons placed also in the nose and the wing roots with hardpoints adapted for the same payloads. It was equipped with an RP-1 Izumrud radar in the nose which gave its characteristic 'flat' looking nose.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19SU: AKA Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-50/SM-51. This was a high-altitude interceptor intended to reach the American Lockheed U-2 recon plane. It was equipped with a self-contained liquid booster rocket pack. A total of six machines were converted from MiG-19S fighters in late 1956 (the first prototype took off to the skies on 30th November 1956) and it was armed with just two NR-30 placed at the wing roots. 
  It seems that the project was abandoned due to the inability to control the aircraft at very high altitudes and its tendency to enter supersonic spins.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19PU: AKA Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-52. These were a small series of three MiG-19P fitted with a Sevrook re-usable rocket booster pack in the same fashion as the MiG-19SU. It was also intended to be a high-altitude interceptor and the first prototype took off for the first time on June 1958. It was armed with the same weaponry as the MiG-19SU and, considering it was a converted MiG-19P, it was also equipped with an RP-1 Izumrud radar.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-SM-9-t824

3. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-SM-7-t823

4. https://www.armedconflicts.com/Mikoyan-Gurevich-MiG-19SU-t828

5. https://www.armedconflicts.com/Mikoyan-Gurevich-MiG-19PU-t829

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

7. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19P & PM, Soviet users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19P was a version equipped with an RP-1 Izumrud radar placed inside a radome in the nose. It's armed with two 23 mm NR-23, late variants being armed with a 30 mm NR-30 cannons placed at the root of the wings. 

The wings were equipped with hardpoints that could carry unguided rockets, one under each wing. It also had an elongated tailfin fillet, all-moving tailplane and a third airbrake added behind the central fin. 

It was produced from 1956 until 1958, though some sources claim its production started one year earlier, in 1955. 

The prototype, the Mikoyan-Gurevich SM7/1, flew for the first time on 28th August 1954 and a total of 433 machines were manufactured at Gorky's Aircraft Factory No.21 with many of them being exported to various Warsaw Pact countries and allies. 

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19PM was another variant of the "P" with its cannons completely removed and armed only with four Kaliningrad K-5M beam-riding air-to-air missiles. A total of 369 machines were manufactured at Gorky's Aircraft Factory between 1956 and 1960.

The type entered service with the VVS (Soviet Air Force) and remained in active service together with the older MiG-17 as it never fully replaced it given to its low reliability. They were involved in many interceptions over East Germany and Warsaw Pact airspace. In fact, the first documented encounter with a Lockheed U-2 took place in autumn 1957. The MiG-19P pilot, reported seeing the aircraft but couldn't make up the 3.000 m (9.800 ft) difference in altitude. Later, when Francis Gary Powers' U-2 was shot down in 1960 one pursuing MiG-19P was also hit by a salvo of S-75 Dvina ground-to-air missiles, killing the pilot, Sergei Safronov in a friendly fire incident. 

They served as the vanguard of the VVS's fighter force from the mid 1950s until early 1960s when they were progressively replaced by the much better MiG-21. Many of them were still active in 1968 when they took part in Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Sources:

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

2. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-MiG-19P-kod-NATO-Farmer-B-t12471

3. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-MiG-19PM-kod-NATO-Farmer-D-t766

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

5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, various Soviet experimental variants

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 was the first Soviet (and world's) supersonic fighter. As expected, many experimental versions were created, among them the following ones:

• Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-6: Two MiG-19S (according to some other sources they were initially MiG-19Ps, however in the blueprints we consulted, it was clearly a regular one, sans suffixe) converted into testbeds for the Grushin K-6 air-to-air missile which was originally intended for the Sukhoi T-3 interceptor which never went beyond the prototype stage. 
• Izdeliye SM-21: In 1956 the SM-2/V prototype was converted for the third time and was successfully tested with the APU-5 launch rails moved outboard to the drop tank hardpoints. Given that the various configurations of the SM-2 were given in Cyrillic alphabetical order, this version should've been called "SM-2/G", but in fact, the aircraft was known by the name given by MiG, Izdeliye SM-21 as a reference to the rockets it carried, the S-21. A funny possible explanation could be that the suffix letter G could be interpreted as "Gavno" (Russian word for "shit").
• Refuelling probe testbed: During the late 1950s various MiG-19s were fitted with aerial refuelling probes. Tests were carried out from Myasischev M-4, Ilyushin Il-28 and Tupolev Tu-16 bombers. At least 10 flights were made with various successful and unsuccessful attempts with one of them ending in an accident. They all were discarded as, by late 1956 it was clear that aerial refuelling was more important for long-range bombers than for fighters. Furthermore, Mikoyan-Gurevich was already working on a new generation of fighters that would outperform the MiG-19 by far, so the idea of aerial refuelling was abandoned.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-20 & SM-20P: In order to verify Raduga Kh-20 missile's guidance system, two early MiG-19 were converted into avionics testbeds and designated Izdeliye SM-20. As those missiles were to be launched from a Tupolev Tu-95 bomber, those fighters were more like missile simulators than real aircraft. The first one was manned, hence the SM-20P designation (the letter "P" in this case stands for Russian "Peeloteerooyemyy" - flown by a pilot) while the second one was remotely controlled. By late 1957 both aircraft had made 27 test flights and the results were optimal so it was decided to remove the guidance system from the prototypes and attach them to the real Kh-20 missiles.
• Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-30: This version was a special Zero-length launch system equipped with PRD-22R short-duration burn booster rocket. It was intended to be able to take off from a tractor vehicle. However, as the system required an airfield for the fighter to land, and G forces were too strong, among other reasons,  the system was abandoned. 

Sources:

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

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

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, part one, MiG-19 sans suffixe

In 1950 the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau, began working on a new fighter which would have a greater range than both the MiG-15 and the MiG-17, and would also have supersonic level flight capabilities.
Consequent work resulted in both the Mikoyan-Gurevich SM-2 (AKA I-360) and the I-370 which was developed in parallel.
The MiG SM-2, which was powered by two Mikulin A5MF jet engines, suffered from serious handling problems and, as the engine generated an inadequate amount of thrust, the Mikulin design bureau designed and developed a new engine to replace it, the AM-9B (later known as the Tumansky RD-9). This new engine was rated at 5.700 lbf (2.585 kg) of thrust power at dry, and 7.160 lbf (3.248 kg) with afterburner. A single SM-2/2 was refitted with this engine, received the denomination of SM-9/1 and flew for the first time on 5th January 1954. Its performance impressed Soviet authorities and it was therefore, ordered into production as the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 on 17th February 1954, despite factory testing had barely begin.
This first production model served exclusively with the VVS (Soviet Air Forces) and 401 machines were manufactured at Gorky's Aircraft Factory No.21 and Novosibirsk Aircraft Factory No.153 between 1955 and 1957.
As the aircraft was rushed into production, it had serious problems. The type suffered in-flight explosions which were eventually traced back to the poor insulation between the aircraft's engines and the fuel tanks in the rear fuselage which exploded as they were overheated by the engine. This problem was partially solved by installing a heat shield between the engines and the tanks. The aircraft's elevators proved ineffective at supersonic speeds and all-moving slab-tail was tested in the second and third SM-9 prototypes.
The new fighter was delivered to the VVS in June 1955, with the type being unveiled to the public on 3rd July, and 48 MiG-19s taking part in a flypast during an air show at Tushino airfield, in Moscow. The NATO assigned the codename of 'Farmer-A'.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-19
2. http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/mig-19.php
3. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-MiG-19-kod-NATO-Farmer-A-t81703
4. https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~jasonrw/mig19.htm
5. https://pickledwings.wordpress.com/mikoyan-gurevich-mig-19-farmer-the-forgotten-mig/
6. Midland Publishing - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 - The Soviet Union's First Production Supersonic Fighter
7. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich I-370

In 1953, Mikoyan OKB completed a design of a single-engined tactical fighter which used a wing similar to that of the twin-engined SM-9, which was the prototype and most direct forerunner of the MiG-19, whose work was proceeding in parallel.
It was officially designated as I-370 and received the internal OKB name of 'I-1'. It was powered by a single Klimov VK-7 rated with a thrust power of 3.525 kg (7771,295 lb) and boosted to 5.235 kg (11.541,2 lb) with afterburner.
The prototype took off to the skies for the first time on 16th February 1955, but high speed manoeuvring was disappointing. Consequently, it was returned to the Moscow Air Factory No.155 (Mikoyan-Gurevich's factory) to have installed an uprated VK-7 engine with a normal thrust power of 3.935 kg (8675,19 lb) and 6.270 kg (13.822,98 lb) of afterburner thrust power. This new prototype, which received the internal designation of 'I-2', received a new wing, with the quarter-chord sweptback increased from 55 degrees, from the original one, to 57 degrees of the new one.
Testing of the second prototype was limited as it was realised that the design didn't allow to attain the maximum expected speed.
A further development was expected, the I-380, with some designs and fuselages completed, but its expected engine, a more powerful Klimov VK-3 engine was never delivered.

Sources:
1. http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/mig_i-370.php
2. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/782
3. http://ram-home.com/ram-old/i-1mikoy.html
4. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich I-360

In late 1950 the Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB managed to successfully adapt the fuselage of a MiG-17 to a pair of Mikulin AM-5 turbojet engines, as the Izdeliye SM-1 or I-340. Being a pure engine test bed, the SM-1 proved the efficacy of the side-by-side small-diameter turbojet arrangement as it could achieve, during test flights, speeds of up to 1.193 km/h (741,30 mph) at 1.000 m high (3.280,84 ft) and 1.154 km/h (717 mph) at 5.000 m (16.404 ft), altitude which could reach in just 0.94 minutes.
 As both the engine and the arrangement proved to be a success, the choice of engine for the SM-2 single-seat supersonic fighter proposal was clear. It had a similar wing to that of the previous I-350 with a 55 degree sweepback at quarter chord and 60 degree at leading edge.  It was powered by two Mikulin AM-5F turbojet engines with 4.490 lb of thrust power and an afterburner ratio of 2.700 kg (5952,481 lb). It was armed with two 37 mm N-37D cannons placed at the root of the wings and, according to some sources, it could carry rocket launchers and/or bombs under the wings.
The first SM-2, which by now had received the official designation of I-360, flew for the first time on 24th May 1952 and was unique in having a T-shaped tail, as it was clearly influenced by the previous MiG-17. Later, on 25th June, it achieved the speed of mach = 1.04 (1.240,4 km/h - 7707,49 mph) in level flight. Further testing showed that the wing tended to blanket the tailplane at high levels of attack and, in order to fix this, it was lowered to a mid-point on the fin. Flight tests of this modified prototype, which was called SM-2/2 revealed little improvement so the surface was lowered even more, to the base of the fin, this being accompanied with some increase in the vertical tail surface area. All these changes resulted in more satisfactory handling characteristics. The prototype was lost during its 132nd test flight in 1953 due to a tail flutter. It was estimated that the maximum attainable mach number for the machine was 1,19 (1.419,29 km/h - 881,90 mph), however, no exact details on performance are available.

Sources:
1. http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/mig_i-360.php
2. https://www.armedconflicts.com/Mikoyan-Gurevich-I-360-t813
3. http://ram-home.com/ram-old/i-360.html
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-19
5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17SN

The MiG-17SN has been one of the most interesting projects carried out by the MiG OKB. The entire project was based on the theory that the use of flexible cannons on a single seat fighter was an effective way to bring your weapons to bear on an enemy aircraft in a fast way, making that only the guns, not the entire aircraft, had to be aimed at the target.
The project involved Mikoyan-Gurevich and Soviet cannon manufacturers Afanasseyev and Makarov. They designed the flexible cannon system that was going to be installed in the fighter. The SN prototype was a standard MiG-17 with a complete redesigned nose which made it 1.069 m (3.5 ft) longer. In order to mount the gun system the frontal air intake was deleted and replaced by bifurcated fuselage sides mounted air intakes.
The SV-25-MiG-17 armament system fitted into the MiG-17 consisted of three TBK-495 23 mm cannons installed in the nose, two on the port side and one on the starboard side. The guns were able to rotate vertically in an arc of  + 27 degrees 26' and -9 degrees 48'. The guns were electrically aimed and had a rate of 250 rounds per minute with the entire system weighing 469 kg (1033 pounds).
Tests at Mikoyan's factory began in 1953 with test pilot G. Mossolov at the commands. The state trials took place on Flight Research Institue (NII-VVS) from 15th February 1954 onwars. The SV-25-MiG-17 system was also installed on an Ilyushin Il-28 bomber in order to train pilots in the use of the turret. The MiG-17SN underwent only three test flights involving air-to-air firings and thirteen flights were executed against ground-based targets.
It was powered by the Klimov VK-1A engine which delivered 6041 lb of thrust power, the same one that powered the MiG-17.
Tests showed that theory and practice differ strongly from each other as they showed the great difficulty to aim the articulated weapons from high speed aircraft. One of the aiming problems was that angles of +/- 10 degrees required a special gunsight. Trials also showed that the MiG-17SN was around 60 km (37 milles) slower than a standard MiG-17. Given the serious aiming difficulties and the performance problems of the prototype, the project was abandoned.

Sources:
1. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 125 - MiG-17 Fresco in Action
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
4. Midland Publishing - Aerofax - Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 The Soviet Union's Jet Fighter of the Fifties

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17PFU

The MiG-17PFU (NATO codename 'Fresco-E') became the first Soviet interceptor fighter equipped only with air-to-air missiles. This practice was the Soviet answer to a trend started by the Americans as in the late 1950s it was believed that many future fighter aircraft should only be armed with air-to-air missiles which could destroy enemy aircraft at far greater distances than the cannons could do.
The first Soviet-built air-to-air missile, was the RS-2U (NATO codename 'AA-1 "Alkali"'), a beam riding missile whose first section consisted on a fuse and a warhead, the second section on steering fins and autopilot, the third section on rocket engine and batteries, the fourth section on stabilising fins and pneumatic system and the fifth section on radio controls. The RS-2U weighed 83.5 kg (184 pounds) had a speed of 1650 km/h (1025 mph) and the warhead had a proximity fuse.
The RS-2U was equipped with a simple semi-active radar guidance system that homed on the radar energy from the beam generated by the carrier aircraft. If the missile didn't hit the target after 23 seconds it would self-destruct. When the proximity fuse detonated the warhead close to the target the explosion produced around 830 fragments, enough to shred the target.
There were only 40 or 47 (depending on the source) MiG-17PFU converted from regular MiG-17F machines at Gorki Factory Number 21 (placed in the city of Gorki, close to Moscow) and all of them were used by the Soviet PVO (Air Defences Forces). It was spotted for the first time by Western observers in 1958, and it was then when the aircraft was given its NATO codename.
The removal of the cannons implied some changes were made to the PFU. The three NR-23 cannons gun blast panels and shell ejection blisters were deleted and the openings faired over. However, the aircraft retained the S-13 gun camera on the starboard side of the nose. Two APU-4 missile rails were mounted on each wing to carry the RS-2U missiles.
The RP-5 Scan odd radar which was present in the MiG-17PF, was replaced with an RP-2U Izumrud radar system, which was basically an improved variant of the former with an increased range (2000 m for the RP-5 and 3500 m for the RP-2U). A green light was installed in the cockpit that flashed when the target was between 3500 and 1500 meters. A red lamp flashed when the target was within 2000 meters, which was too close for a successful missile launching.
As the RS-2U was a beam rider, the pilot in the MiG-17PFU had to illuminate the target until missile impact, so any evasive manoeuvre would break the lock-on and it would go as pure ballistic. Multiple missiles could be launched using the same illumination beam.
The RS-2U could be fired at ranges from 1950 and 7000 meters (6397 to 22966 ft) from the designated target. It could been used at altitudes ranging between 700 and 16600 meters (2296 and 54462 ft respectively). Given the conical shape of the radar beam, the accuracy dropped quickly the farther the missile was from the carrier aircraft.

Sources:
1. Signal Squadron - Aircraft In action 125 - MiG-17 Fresco in Action
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17#Variants
3. https://www.valka.cz/Mikojan-Gurevic-MiG-17PFU-kod-NATO-Fresco-E-t52641
4. https://tetonaviation.com/mig-17
5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17PF, part two, European Users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17PF is a high subsonic fighter produced in the USSR from 1954 until 1956, and until 1960 in Poland. It was a regular MiG-17F equipped with an Izumrud RP-2 radar placed in a radome at the frontal air intake of the aircraft. It was powered by the Klimov VK-1F engine which had a thrust power of 5046 lb and was armed with three cannons; two 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 autocannon and one 37 mm Nudelman N-37 placed in the nose under the engine. It had two pylons with a capacity of up to 500 kg in stores with provisions to carry a combination of rockets or bombs, but most of them carried additional external fuel tanks. It was exported to most of Warsaw Pact countries:

• Hungary: In 1954 a batch of MiG-17PF was delivered to the Hungarian Air Force. They served 1974 when they were replaced by more modern types.
• Romania: Just like Hungary, Romania got a batch of PFs in 1954. They were kept in active for a long period of time as some of them were still active in the late 1980s when communism fell in Romania. 
• USSR: The MiG-17PF served alongside the MiG-17F in the Soviet Air Defence Forces from the mid-1950s until the late 1960s when they were serving alongside more modern types. They were gradually replaced by more modern types.

Sources:

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

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

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

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

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

6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F, part five, Romanian and Soviet users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F was also used by every Warsaw Pact country member. Among them Romania and the USSR, as expected.

• Romania: In 1952 the People's Republic of Romania received a batch of 48 MiG-17Fs which were delivered in three stages with the last one being delivered in 1955. When, in 1958 the first MiG-19s were delivered, they were gradually withdrawn from active fighter service and sent to ground support duties, although they were technically never used in combat. During the 1960s some of them were still active and they were kept in active service with the Romanian Air Force until as late as 1992 when they were written off.
• USSR: The MiG-17F was designed for interception of enemy bombers, and not for dog fighting. As it's a subsonic fighter, it was effective against slower (0.6-0.8 mach) heavily loaded American fighters, as well as the main American bombers during its development period in the early 1950s like the piston-powered B-50 Superfortress or the Convair B-36 Peacemaker which was mixed jet and piston-powered. The MiG-17F (which composed the bulk of every Soviet Air Arm during the early-to-mid 1950s) wasn't however able of intercepting the newer generation of bombers that appeared in the mid-1950s like the Avro Vulcan or the Handley-Page Victor as they could flight higher. As the USAF introduced strategic bombers capable of supersonic dashes like the Convair B-58 Hustler or the General-Dynamics FB-111 in the early 1960s, the MiG-17 was rendered obsolete for front-line PVO (Soviet Air Defence Forces) service and they were replaced in that service branch by the MiG-21 and MiG-23.
  In 1958 PVO's MiG-17Fs shot down an American reconnaissance Lockheed C-130 Hercules that was flying over Armenia causing 17 casualties and, during the Prague spring in 1968, the Soviet Forces destined there, used MiG-17Fs to flight over Czechoslovakia.

Sources:

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

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

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

4. http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/tag/romanian-air-force

5. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, part two, European users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft made mainly in the USSR from 1952 and operated by many world's air forces in many variants. It was an advanced development of the previous MiG-15 which showed excellent results during the Korean War. It was also built under license in China, as Shenyang J-5 and in Poland as WSK-Mielec Lim-6.
It was employed in combat for the first time during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis and later proved to be effective against the more advanced supersonic fighters of the United States during the Vietnam War. Prior to the official NATO designation, it was known by the United States Air Force as Type 38.
The first variant, called just "MiG-17" (NATO code "Fresco-A") was the basic fighter version powered by the Klimov VK-1 engine which delivered a power of 26.48kN (5952lb) of thrust, with some versions retrofitted later with the improved Klimov VK-1A which yielded 26.87kN (6041lb) of power.
It was armed with a single 37mm N-37D cannon, two 23mm NR-23 cannons and could carry up to 250kg of bombs or external fuel depots, which was the most usual underwing addition.
The basic variant, was used, among others, by the next European users:

• Albania: Just before the Soviet-Albanian Split of 1955, the Albanian People's Army Air Force received some MiG-17s. Their operational use and/or fate is unknown and, as we couldn't find graphical evidence, the drawing should be taken as speculative.
• East Germany: The first fighters of the Air Forces of the National People's Army, founded in 1956, were MiG-17s and MiG-17Fs which served together until mid-1960s when they were replaced by the more advanced MiG-19 and MiG-21.
• USSR: The main user of the MiG-17. More than 5467 exemplar built in many Soviet factories from 1952 until 1955. They were the main Soviet fighter until 1955 when they were gradually replaced by the more advanced variant MiG-17F. 

Sources:

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

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army

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

4. https://www.valka.cz/topic/view/49437/

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, part one, the prototypes

When the MiG-15bis was showing the benefits of the swept wing in combat over Korea, the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau was already planning its replacement to fix any of the problems encountered in the MiG-15bis. Eventually the result was one of the best transonic fighters intruduced before the advent of the true supersonic types like the North-American F-100 Super Sabre or the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19. The design was still effective in the 1960s when faced subsonic dogfights over Vietnam against much faster planes which weren't optimized for maneuvering in such slower speed and short-range engagements.
Unlike the MiG-15 which had a Match sensor to automatically deploy the airbrakes because it couldn't safely excess the speed of Mach 0.92, the MiG-17 was designed to be controllable at higher Mach numbers.
Even if the MiG-17 strongly resembles the MiG-15, it had an entire new thinner and more highly swept wing and tailplane for speeds approaching Mach 1. While the F-86 Sabre introduced the "all-flying" tailplane, which helped to control the aircraft when close to the speed of sound, that system wasn't adopted by the Soviets until the MiG-19. The wing had a "sickle-sweep" compund shape with a 45º angle like the F-100 Super Sabre near the fuselage and tailplane and a 42º angle for the outboard part of the wings. As the wing was stiffer it tended to resist the tendency to bend its wingtips and loose aerodynamic symmetry unexpectedly at high speeds and high wing loads. As it was strongly based on its predecessor, it inherited a major design deficit which caused its fuel tanks to develop an under-pressure condition when more than half of the tank was used, which could eventually lead to tank implosions, crushing the fuselage in mid-flight, almost always with fatal consequences. Approximately the 30% of the fatal accidents of the MiG-17 were attribuited to that flaw.
Unlike the MiG-15, it had a third wing fence on each wing, a ventral fin and a longer and less tapered rear fuselage which made the aircraft around one meter longer. It was powered by the same engine model as the MiG-15, the Klimov VK-1, and much of the rest of its construction like the forward fuselage, landing gear or gun installation was carried over. The first prototype (shown in the drawing below) flew for the first time on 14th January 1950 at the hand of Ivan Ivashchenko and was called I-330 SI by MiG bureau.
During one of the test flights, Ivashchenko was killed when the aircraft developed flutter which tore off his horizontal tail causing a spin and crash on 17th March 1950. The lack of wing stiffness also leaded to aileron reversal which was quickly discovered and fixed. Additional prototypes were built named SI-2 and experimental series aircraft named SI-02 and SI-01 in 1951 and also tested and were generally successful. On 1st September 1951 the aircraft was accepted for production and was officially given the new designation of MiG-17 as it differed too much from the original MiG-15. It was estimated that with the same engine as the MiG-15, the MiG-17 could be 40-50km/h (24.85-31.06mph) faster and it had greater maneouvrability at high altitude.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-17
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis, other users

Preliminary note: This is a special post as we realized that we had forgot to post one set of MiG-15bis drawings.
The MiG-15bis was the main fighter of many countries during the early 1950s and in some cases even way beyond. The countries covered in this post are:

• Cambodia: Apparently the Royal Khmer Air Force, established in 1954 bought initally a small amount of MiG-15bis. They served until the MiG-17 arrived in 1963. However, as we couldn't find graphical evidence, (and most probably the MiG-17s of the Royal Khmer Air Force were mistaken with the MiG-15)  the drawing should be considered as purely speculative.
• Guinea-Bissau: One source claims that Guinea-Bissau had one MiG-15bis intended to be used as an advanced trainer. It was supplied in as late as 1974 (when the country got the independence from Portugal) but it was most probably mistaken with a MiG-17. We decided to drawn it nonetheless but with graphical evidences lacking, it should be taken as speculative.
• Mongolia: Being an Eastern Bloc country, it comes no surprise that the MiG-15bis composed the main fighter force of the Mongolian People's Army Air Force. Forty-eight of them were supplied by the USSR in the early 1950s and were kept in active service until most of them were replaced by the MiG-17 in the late 1950s.
• USSR: Being the home country of the MiG-15bis, it formed the bulk of the fighter force of the Soviet Air Forces (VVS). It served from 1950 until the mid 1950s when it was gradually replaced by the MiG-17 and was deployed everywhere were the VVS was. From East-Germany to the Far East, almost every VVS fighter regiment saw the MiG-15bis serving among their ranks. It was also used in acrobatical squadrons which increased even more its popularity among the Soviet citizens.
• North Vietnam: One source claims that the MiG-15bis served with the North Vietnamese Air Force from its foundation in 1954 and was replaced in 1963 by the MiG-17. However, that data is wrong as the NVAF was founded in 1963 with the MiG-17 being the first jet fighter to serve there. Most probably as the MiG-17 and the MiG-15 can be easily mistaken, everything comes from a misunderstanding. Anyway, we couldn't let the chance pass and we drawn a speculative MiG-15bis in North Vietnamese colours.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea-Bissau_Air_Force

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

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongolian_People%27s_Army_Air_Force

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

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

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI, part one

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15UTI was the two-seat trainer variant of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis. It has been regarded as one of the most successful jet-trainer aircraft of all time and, with almost 5500 exemplars having built it's also one of the most produced aircrafts in history.
It was designed by Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB (which stands for "design bureau") and flew for the first time on 27th June 1949. It was produced from 1950 until 1959, just in Soviet factories and, the licensed variants like the Czechoslovak Aero CS-102 ,the Chinese Shenyang JJ-2/FT-2 or the Polish WSK-Mielec SB Lim-1 and Lim2 were still under production as late as 1958 and, in the Chinese case most probably until early-to-mid 1960s. The first factory to produce the UTI variant was the Kuybyshev Aircraft Factory No.1 "Stalin", located at Kuybyshev which manufactured the UTI from 1950 until 1953 which, manufactured 881 exemplars. The second factory to manufacture it was Ulan-Ude's Aircraft Factory No.99, in Ulan-Ude. This one, with 1117 exemplars manufactured from 1951 until 1959 has the record of being the one that most MiG-15UTIs manufactured. The third factory to manufacture it was Kharkov's Aircraft Factory No. 135, in Kharkov which produced 511 of them from 1950 until 1954 and the fourth factory to manufacture it was Novosibirsk's Aircraft Factory No.153, in Novosibirsk which made 924 exemplars making it the second most productive one.
Just like the regular Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15, the UTI version was powered by a single Klimov RD-45F which delivered a thrust power of 5005lb (22.26KN), had an internal fuel tank of 1080L (238 imp. gal. or 250 US gal.) with the possibility of carrying two additional external fuel tanks on the wings with a capacity of 400L (88imp. gal, 106 US gal.) each. It was armed with a single 12,7mm (0,5in) UBK-machine gun placed under the nose and could also mount a single 23mm NR-23 cannon also under the nose. It had also hardpoints to carry either two 50kg (110lb) or 100kg (221lb) bombs underwings.
Due to its high success and popularity, it was quickly adopted as the VVS main trainer and remained in that role until the fall of the USSR in 1992 and, some of the ex-Soviet republics still kept it in active combat service during the conflicts of the 1990s. At VVS's command was used not only in the trainer role but also in the recon role during the 1960s (and more exactly to watch the Czechoslovak-German border during the Soviet Invasion of Czechoslovakia, AKA the Prague Spring) and the type became famous because the first man in space, Yuri Gagarin, was killed in a crash during a training flight in a MiG-15UTI due to poor visibility.
A sub-variant, the MiG-15UTI-P was a single prototype designed in Czechoslovakia by the "1st Aviation Repair Division" (translation not 100% precise) in 1957 which was unarmed but was equipped with a Izumrud RP-1 radar mounted in the nose (which was the same radar type the MiG-17PF had) and was intended to train pilots in the usage of airborne radar. However it wasn't accepted into production as there was already another type covering that need.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-15
2. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/22676
3. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/12489

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-15, Various European users

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was used by every European member of the Warsaw Pact. As both Poland and Czechoslovakia manufactured them separatedly, we will cover them in other post.

• Albania: Back when the Albanian Air Force was created in April 1951, they received some outdated Yakovlev Yak-9 and, on 15th May 1955, they received second-hand MiG-15 that had been used in the Korean War. They were replaced by the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17.
• Bulgaria: When the Bulgarian People's Army Air Force was re-established just after the World War two, they were equipped with propeller driven Soviet aircrafts like the Ilyushin Il-2, Ilysuhin Il-10 or the Tupolev Tu-2. In 1954 they were withdrawn as, since 1951 they had been receiving jet aircrafts like the MiG-15 which remained in service until they were replaced by the MiG-17.
• East-Germany: In the beginning of 1953, one MiG-15 was delivered to the East-German KVP-Luft (Kasernierten Volkspolizei - Air Garrisoned Police) which was the predecessor of the East Germany Air Force. They flew under Soviet colours, but, shortly after, on 17th June, they were taken back by Soviet authorities.
• Hungary: Just like every surrounding countries, the MiG-15 was the first jet fighter to operate with the newly created Hungarian People's Air Force during the early 1950s. They were replaced by the MiG-17 during late 1950s. As we couldn't find graphical evidence of the regular MiG-15 in Hungarian colours, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Romania: The Air Force of the People's Republic of Romania received MiG-15 in 1952 which served alongside the MiG-15bis and the MiG-17 until 1958, when they were replaced. The drawing should be considered as speculative as graphical evidence of the regular MiG-15 under Romanian colours seems to be nearly impossible.
• USSR: The MiG-15 was the backbone of the Soviet Air Force. It was in service since its introduction in 1949 and served alongside the improved MiG-15bis with the main Soviet Air Force units. It was produced from 1949 until 1953 in various Soviet factories and a total number of 1344 exemplars were manufactured in Soviet soil only at factories in Saratov, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Komsomoslk-on-Amur and Kuybyshev. Most of them were gradually replaced by the MiG-17 when it was introduced in 1952.

Sources:

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

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

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

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Forces_of_the_National_People%27s_Army

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

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

7. https://forum.valka.cz/topic/view/53179

8. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters