Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Fresco) / Chengdu J-5 Light Attack Fighter (1952)
The MiG-17 was a major improvement over the MiG-15 series.
The MiG-17 Fresco was already being developed when the MiG-15 hit full operational status on the frontlines. The MiG-17 incorporated lengthened wings that featured more of a sweep to the geometry. A larger tail assembly along with increased horizontal surfaces assured this new design that it would surpass the poor high-speed handling that plagued its predecessor. The system would be fielded with a single engine, single seat cockpit and a weapon array of 1 x 37mm cannon and 2 x 23mm cannons - an ode to the original MiG-15 weapon layout. Underwing stores allowed for additional weaponry in the form of rockets and bombs to be carried.
Basically an all-new design when compared to the MiG-15 Fagot, the MiG-17 Fresco also featured a development of the "borrowed" British Nene powerplant - illegally licensed for production in the Soviet Union. The improved powerplant of the MiG-17 was a rather thirsty engine that required substantially more fuel when operating on full afterburn, even though this new airframe maintained roughly the same fuel-carrying capacity of the MiG-15. As a result, the MiG-17 was almost always fitted with two identifiable drop tanks underwing.
As soon as the MiG-17 went into production, production of the MiG-15 was halted. The MiG-17 was fielded by a majority of Soviet forces and supported satellite regimes globally, with some even taking on local production of the system. Reliable, responsive and a great addition to the MiG line of aircraft, the MiG-17 proposed a new and veriable threat to the West.
China took on the design of the MiG-17 and produced a local variant designated as the Chengdu J-5 for the single-seat version and JJ-5, a two-seat variant. The twin seat trainer versions were actually only manufactured in the Soviet Union and China as the MiG-15 was still deemed an adequate trainer for both the MiG-17 and upcoming MiG-19 models.
In flight, the MiG-17 proved to be quite stable at high speed and, at the time, had a turning radius better than most of the Western fighters available. Communist forces would utilize the MiG-17 against the United States in the Vietnam War to good effect. As the US military was beginning to steer aircraft development away from cannon and machine gun-armed systems to the "future" in the form of air-to-air missiles, the Soviet Union continued with the World War Two designs that incorporated cannons for close-range combat. As a result, the tighter-turning fighters would simply close the distance on American warplanes, rendering their short or medium range missiles ineffective at close range, and opening up with their own 37mm and 23mm cannons.
The MiG-17 often stands as a mid-level design in between the oft-thought of MiG-15 and the more powerful MiG-19 though the MiG-17 could often times stand on its own. History would show that the powers of the East were in full swing and producing quite capable aircraft to match even that of the most supersonic missile-laden warfighters of the West. In the end, the MiG-17 would go down as a classic warbird, having combat history, export numbers and longevity to show for its long term success. Text ©2003-2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • No Reproduction Permitted
MilitaryFactory.com does NOT sell equipment/weaponry. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information. Our disclaimer. Email corrections / Comments to MilitaryFactory at Gmail dot com.
Specifications for the
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 (Fresco) / Chengdu J-5
Light Attack Fighter
Country of Origin: Soviet Union
Manufacturer: Mikoyan-Gurevich - Soviet Union / Chengdu - China
Initial Year of Service: 1952
Production: 10,367
Focus Model: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17F (Fresco)
Crew: 1
Length: 36.94ft (11.26m)
Width: 31.59ft (9.63m)
Height: 12.47ft (3.80m)
Weight (Empty): 8,664lbs (3,930kg)
Weight (MTOW): 13,393lbs (6,075kg)
Powerplant: 1 x Klimov VK-1F turbojet engine with afterburn generating 7,450lbs of thrust.
Maximum Speed: 711mph (1,145kmh; 618kts)
Maximum Range: 1,230miles (1,980km)
Service Ceiling: 54,462ft (16,600m; 10.3miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 8,203 feet per minute (2,500m/min)
Hardpoints: 4
Armament Suite:
1 x 37mm cannon OR 2 x 23mm cannons OR 3 x 23mm cannons.
Maximum external weapons load of up to 1,102lbs (500kg) consisting of any of the following:
2 x 550lb bombs
2 x UV-16-57 Rocket Pods (16 x 50mm rockets)
2 x AA-1 Alkali radar-guided missiles
Variants:
MiG-17 "Fresco-A" - Initial production variant not differing greatly from the base MiG-15 models.
MiG-17F "Fresco-C" - 88 gallon drop tanks for increased fuel range; Most produced model of the series.
MiG-17P - Night Fighter / All-Weather Capability series designation.
MiG-17PF "Fresco-D" - Night Fighter / All-Weather Capability featuring search and ranging radar systems.
MiG-17PFU - Provisions for ARS-212 (AA-1) Alkali air-to-air radar-guided missiles; First missile-produced Soviet fighter.
J-5 - Chinese single-seat locally-produced version based on the single-seat MiG-17; manufactured through Chengdu.
JJ-5 - Chinese two-seat locally-produced version based on the two-seat MiG-17; manufactured through Chengdu.
Operators: Congo; Cuba; Guinea-Bissau; Guinea; Madagascar; Mali; North Vietnam; Syria; Albania; China; Soviet Union; Russia; Sudan
BY DECADE:
• 1900 to 1909
• 1910 to 1919
• 1920 to 1929
• 1930 to 1939
• 1940 to 1949
• 1950 to 1959
• 1960 to 1969
• 1970 to 1979
• 1980 to 1989
• 1990 to 1999
• 2000 to 2009
• 2010 to 2019
• 2020 to 2029
• VIEW ALL
• Compare Aircraft
BY TYPE:
• Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW)
• Attack Helicopters
• Bomber Aircraft
• Medium Bombers
• Heavy Bombers
• Close-Air Support (CAS)
• Commercial Aircraft
• Dive Bombers
• Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA)
• Experimental / X-Planes
• Fighter Aircraft
• Floatplane Aircraft
• Flying Boat Aircraft
• Aerial Refueling Tankers
• Helicopters (ALL)
• Interceptor Aircraft
• Multi-Role Aircraft
• Navy Carrier Aircraft
• Night Fighters
• Reconnaissance / Scout
• Search & Rescue (SAR)
• Scout Helicopters
• Special Purpose
• Torpedo Bombers
• Trainer Aircraft
• Transport Aircraft
• Transport Helicopters
• Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
• Unmanned Combat Air Vehicles (UCAVs)
COLLECTIONS:
• 4th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• 5th Generation Fighter Aircraft
• US X-Planes
• Classic US Warbirds
• French Military Helicopters
• Grumman "Cats"
• Howard Hughes Aircraft
• Indian Air Force
• Israeli Air Force
• Libyan Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Aircraft
• Modern Chinese Fighters
• Modern Military Aircraft
• Modern North Korean Aircraft
• Modern Trainer Aircraft
• Modern US Aircraft
• Mikoyan Aircraft
• Sukhoi Aircraft
• Syrian Aircraft
• Top 10 Fighter Aircraft of All Time
AIRCRAFT BY CONFLICT:
• Arab-Israeli War (1948)
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1959-1962)
• Falklands War (1982)
• Indo-Pak War (1965, 1971)
• Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
• Lebanon War (1982)
• Operation Allied Force (1999)
• Operation Desert Storm (1991)
• Six Day War (1967)
• Spanish Civil War (1936)
• Soviet-Afghan War (1979-1989)
• Yom Kippur War (1973)
MISCELLANEOUS:
• Aircraft Cockpits
• Aircraft Manufacturers List
• Aircraft Timeline
WORLD WAR 2:
• 1939 Aircraft
• 1940 Aircraft
• 1941 Aircraft
• 1942 Aircraft
• 1943 Aircraft
• 1944 Aircraft
• 1945 Aircraft
• 1946 Aircraft
• Australian Aircraft
• Battle of Britain Aircraft
• Bombers
• Four-Engine Bombers
• British Aircraft
• British Bombers
• British Transports
• Dive Bombers
• Canadian Aircraft
• Fighters
• Chinese Aircraft
• French Aircraft
• German Aircraft
• German Fighters
• German Flying Boats
• German Jets
• Secret Weapons of the Luftwaffe
• Italian Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Aircraft
• Imperial Japanese Fighters
• Mitsubishi Bombers
• Navy Aircraft
• Pearl Harbor
• Polish Aircraft
• Romanian Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Navy Aircraft
• Soviet Aircraft
• Torpedo Bombers
• Transport Aircraft
• Tuskegee Airmen Aircraft
• W.A.S.P. Aircraft
• WW2 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL
WORLD WAR 1:
• 1914 Aircraft
• 1915 Aircraft
• 1916 Aircraft
• 1917 Aircraft
• 1918 Aircraft
• Aircraft Timeline
• Austro-Hungarian Aircraft
• Bomber Aircraft
• British Aircraft
• Fighters
• Flying Boats
• French Aircraft
• Imperial German Aircraft
• Italian Aircraft
• Scout Aircraft
• Russian Empire Aircraft
• US Aircraft
• WW1 Aircraft Ranked by Speed
• VIEW ALL
KOREAN WAR:
• Australian Aircraft
• Korean War Aces
• Korean War Jets
• North Korean Aircraft
• US Military Aircraft
• VIEW ALL
VIETNAM WAR:
• Helicopters
• North Vietnam Air Force
• US Airpower
• VIEW ALL
COLD WAR:
• 1950s French Aircraft
• British V-Bombers
• Cold War Bombers
• Soviet Aircraft
• Soviet Bombers
• Soviet Interceptors
• Soviet Helicopters
• Strategic Air Command
• US Aircraft
• US Bombers
• US Interceptors
• VIEW ALL
©2013 www.MilitaryFactory.com • Content ©2003-2013 MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Site Contact Email: militaryfactory at gmail dot com. The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® trademarks and protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws.
Top MF Stuff: 2013 Military Pay Scale | Military Ranks | WW2 Weapons | Sniper Rifles | Kts to Mph | WW1 Aircraft | Automatic Rifles | Aircraft Cockpits | Vietnam War Weapons | Main Battle Tanks | Submachine Guns | Shotguns | French Military Victories
Most photographic images appearing on this site are courtesy of the United States Department of Defense and are approved for public use. Other images acquired through the public domain. Digital art work courtesy of Dan Alex. Business Consulting by Kyle Williams. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance or general operation. Please consult manufacturers for such information.
