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Graphic shows MiG-15 history and specifications.
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AVIATION

70th anniversary of MiG-15 first flight

By Mike Tyler

December 30, 2017 - The Soviet fighter jet that shocked the West during the Korean War, the MiG-15, was flown for the first time on December 30, 1947. Seventy years on, the aircraft is still believed to be in service in North Korea.

When it appeared over Korea in 1950, the MiG-15 quickly proved superior to straight-wing Western jets, giving communist forces the advantage in the air and ultimately ending daylight raids by slow World War II-era B-29 Superfortress bombers.

The U.S. Air Force hurriedly deployed the swept-wing F-86 Sabre as an answer to the MiG, and dogfights between the two aircraft over North Korea were the first jet vs jet battles in history.

More than 15,000 MiG-15s were built, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, making it probably the most-produced jet aircraft of all time.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 15/12/2017; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Other
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