Number 9: The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 "Fresco"
The Soviet Union unveils its next major jet aircraft design.
by Staff Writer

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Synopsis: Building upon the successes of the earlier MiG-15, the MiG-17 was a classic fighter design in its own right. The system ironed out the high-speed handling issues consistent with the MiG-15 series and introduced better overall top speed and top attitude totals in the process. The MiG-17 proved to be just as effective in the Vietnam War as the MiG-15 was in the Korean Conflict. MiG-17's added a little flair of uncertainty against American pilots in a war where the mighty US warbirds were expected to rule the skies. The close-combat capabilities of the Fresco came into play at short ranges where the missile-happy and gun-less American fighters were at the mercy of this little machine sporting powerful cannons, leaving American fighter pilots with a poor kill-to-loss ratio then they were use to.

Pros: Light and agile when facing off against the heavy, missile-minded US Vietnam-era fighters.

Notoriety: Cut American warplanners a new one when squared against US fighters at close ranges; proved that illegally copying engine designs from the British is okay, so long as your design is the better one.

Total Production: 10,367

Variants: PZL-Mielec Lim-6; Shenyang J-5

Operators: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Bangladesh, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, China, Republic of Congo, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Egypt, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Indonesia, Iraq, Hungary, Libya, Madagascar, Mali, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, North Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Somalia, Somaliland, Soviet Union, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Uganda, United States, Vietnam, Yemen and Zimbabwe.

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