| MiG-19 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB |
| First flight | 18 September 1953 |
| Introduced | March 1955 |
| Status | Few operational |
| Primary users | Soviet Air Force People's Liberation Army Air Force |
| Number built | 2,172 (excl. China) |
| Variants | Shenyang J-6 Nanchang Q-5 |
Design and development
On 20 April 1951, OKB-155 was given the order to develop the MiG-17 into a new fighter called "I-340", which was to be powered by two Mikulin AM-5 non-afterburning jet engines (a scaled-down version of the Mikulin AM-3) with 19.6 kN (4,410 lbf) of thrust. The I-340 was supposed to attain 1,160 km/h (725 mph, Mach 0.97) at 2,000 m (6,562 ft), 1,080 km/h (675 mph, Mach 1.0) at 10,000 m (32,808 ft), climb to 10,000 m (32,808 ft) in 2.9 minutes, and have a service ceiling of no less than 17,500 m (57,415 ft). The new fighter, internally designated "SM-1", was designed around the "SI-02" airframe (a MiG-17 prototype) modified to accept two engines in a side-by-side arrangement and was completed in March 1952.
The prototype suffered from poor cockpit pressurization and the engines proved temperamental with frequent flameouts and surges with rapid throttle movements. The engines were upgraded to the AM-5A standard with 21.1 kN (4,740 lbf) of thrust each, which exceeded the power output of the Klimov VK-1F in afterburner while providing better fuel economy. The SM-1 was barely supersonic, reaching 1,193 km/h (745 mph) at 5,000 m (16,404 ft) — Mach 1.03. This performance was deemed insufficient for the new supersonic fighter and an afterburning version of the engine, the AM-5F, was proposed. While not implemented, the AM-5F served as the basis for the Tumansky RD-9 which powered production aircraft. Further development of the twin-engine concept resulted in a government request for the "I-360", internally designated "SM-2", which was also powered by the AM-5F engines, but featured a highly swept wing.
On 15 August 1953, the Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB was given a new order to create a frontline fighter. The OKB was asked to create two designs — a single-engined version with the Klimov VK-7 and a twin-engine version with Mikulin AM-9Fs. The twin-engine fighter, internally designated "SM-9" — but also assigned the production name MiG-19 — was based on the earlier SM-2 prototype. The first airframe, "SM-9/1" flew on 5 January 1954. The afterburner did not light in the first flight, but in the second flight the aircraft reached Mach 1.25 at 8,050 m (26,411 ft). This was improved to Mach 1.44 in subsequent flights. Based on this promising performance, the MiG-19 was ordered into production on 17 February 1954, even though government acceptance trials did not start until September of that year. The first production aircraft rolled off the assembly line in March 1955.
Initial enthusiasm for the aircraft was dampened by several problems. The most alarming of these was the danger of a midair explosion due to overheating of the fuselage fuel tanks located between the engines. Deployment of airbrakes at high speeds caused a high-g pitch-up. Elevators lacked authority at supersonic speeds. The high landing speed of 230 km/h (145 mph) (compared to 160 km/h/100 mph in the MiG-15), combined with absence of a two-seat trainer version, slowed pilot transition to the type. Handling problems were addressed with the second prototype, "SM-9/2", which added a third ventral airbrake and introduced all-moving tailplanes with a damper to prevent pilot-induced oscillations at subsonic speeds. It flew on 16 September 1954, and entered production as the MiG-19S.
A total of approximately 5,500 MiG-19s were produced, first in the USSR and in Czechoslovakia as the Avia S-105, but mainly in the People's Republic of China as the Shenyang J-6. The aircraft saw service with a number of other national air forces, including those of Cuba, North Vietnam, Egypt, Pakistan, and North Korea. The aircraft saw combat during the Vietnam War, the 1967 Six Day War, and the 1971 Bangladesh War.
All Soviet-built MiG-19 variants are single-seaters only. Although the Chinese developed the JJ-6 trainer version of the Shenyang J-6, the Soviets believed that the MiG-19's handling was easy enough no special conversion trainer was needed (other than the MiG-15UTI).
In the USSR, the MiG-19 was superseded by the MiG-21. The Shenyang J-6 remained a staple of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force until the 1980s and has also been developed into the Nanchang Q-5 (NATO reporting name "Fantan") attack aircraft. Despite its age, the MiG-19 and its descendants exhibit good handling characteristics at low altitude and a surprisingly high rate of climb, and their heavy cannon armament — a one-second burst from three 30 mm NR-30 cannons had a projectile mass of 18 kg (40 lb) — makes them formidable adversaries in close combat.
Russian built MiG-19s still are in service in North Korea, Myanmar (Burma), Zambia and Sudan.
Operational history
During their service with Soviet Anti-Air Defense and in East Germany, MiG-19s were involved in multiple intercepts of Western reconnaissance aircraft. The first documented encounter with a Lockheed U-2 took place in the autumn of 1957. The MiG-19 pilot reported seeing the aircraft, but could not make up the 2,234 m (7,000 ft) difference in altitude. When Francis Gary Powers's U-2 was shot down in the 1960 incident, one pursuing MiG-19P was also hit by the salvo of S-75 Dvina (NATO: SA-2 'Guideline') missiles, killing the pilot Sergei Safronov. In a highly controversial incident, on 1 July 1960, a MiG-19 shot down an RB-47H (S/N 53-4281) reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace over the Arctic Circle with four of the crew killed and two captured by the Soviets (they were released in 1961). In another incident, on 28 January 1964, a MiG-19 shot down a T-39 Sabreliner which had strayed into East German airspace while on a training mission; all three crewmembers were killed.
Vietnam War
While most of North Vietnam's MiG-17 and MiG-21s were supplied by the Soviet Union, the bulk of their MiG-19s (J-6 models) were supplied by Communist China. The first use and loss of a U.S. fighter to a MiG-19 (J-6) was in 1965 when a USAF F-104 Starfighter piloted by LTC Philip E. Smith was jumped by a Communist Chinese aircraft near Hainan Island. His Starfighter took cannon fire which damaged a portion of his wing and missile mount. LTC Philips gave chase and did receive missile tone on the MiG, and within a millisecond of pressing his missile firing button, his Starfighter lost all power, and he had to eject. LTC Philips was held prisoner until his release in 1972, coincidentally during U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972.
North Vietnam's Air Force used the MiG-19 much later in the air war than the MiG-17 and the MiG-21. MiG-19s saw combat during Operations Linebacker 1 and Linebacker 2. The NVAF claimed only three victories over American F-4 Phantom IIs using the MiG-19. Primarily because of the aircraft's twin engines, the MiG-19 wasn't favored by North Vietnamese pilots. The MiG-17 had maneuverability, and the MiG-21 had speed, the MiG-19 had a combination of both, but not to the same degree as the others. Vietnam used the MiG-19 from the 1970s until the 1980s when it was replaced by newer aircraft. However, compared to the F-4 Phantom II, although lacking mounts for air-to-air missiles it had the one advantage that the early model Phantoms did not have: it was armed with cannons. A major victory was scored by the NVAF in which MiG-19 cannon fire brought down the F-4 Phantom of USAF Major Robert Lodge and his WSO 1st Lt Roger Locher. Combat results of the MiG-19 in VPAF service were three victories for 10 losses. An F4 Phantom piloted by Phil Handley scored the only recorded supersonic gunkill in history against a MiG-19 during the Vietnam War on June 2, 1972.
China
The MiG-19 apparently was in front line service with the Red Chinese, and saw limited combat against their common adversary, the Taiwan Air Force (Nationalist China). One major air battle between Red and Nationalist Chinese aircraft occurred in 1967, with 12 J-6s taking on four Lockheed F-104 Starfighters. The MiGs, reportedly received the worst of it, with two losses and no kills.
There were reports of Communist Chinese J-6s (MiG-19s) flying combat missions during infrequent border squabbles with the Soviets, though with no records of dogfights, and encounters during the Vietnam War with US aircraft that strayed into Chinese airspace. These confrontations resulted in a few shootdowns of US aircraft, with no recorded losses of Red Chinese planes, although the MiGs sometimes had to make a hasty retreat back into Chinese airspace when the Americans flew in reinforcements.
In 1979, Communist China conducted a punitive military incursion into Vietnam in protest of Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia. The operation did not go well for China, since the Vietnamese had well over ten years of combat experience with the United States, and at least one J-6 was shot down.
Middle East
In 1962. Egyptian MiG-19s saw some action in the ground-attack role during the civil war in Yemen during the early 1960s. The first reported air combat in the Mideast with the MiG-19 was on 29 November 1966, when two Egyptian MiG-19 fighters tangled it up with Israeli Mirage IIICs. The Israelis claimed two kills and no losses to themselves. Many MiG-19s were in service with Egypt and Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967, but most were destroyed on the ground. Despite the unequal contest, Israeli pilots did find the MiG-19 a potentially dangerous adversary because of its performance, maneuverability, and heavy armament.
Following the war, the Egyptians organized the surviving MiG-19 aircraft and assigned them air defense tasks of Egypt's interior. The Soviet Union did not supply Egypt with any replacement of the MiG-19s destroyed in the Six Day War, but Egypt might have received some from Syria and Iraq, so that by the end of 1968 there were 80+ MiG-19s in service with the Egyptian Air Force (EAF). The aircraft also saw combat during the War of Attrition; in one engagement on May 19, 1969, a MiG-19 aircraft engaged two Israeli Mirages, shooting down one with cannon fire while the other escaped.
The Iraqis obtained some MiG-19S fighters in the early 1960s, but later sold them all off, though the survivors did see some action against the Kurds in the 1970s. In 1983, during the Iran-Iraq War, the Iraqis obtained a batch of F-6s through Egypt, while the Iranians acquired a batch of their own F-6s. Neither side made that much use of them during the conflict, and there are no records of MiG-on-MiG dogfights.
Pakistan
The most significant combat seen by the MiG-19 was during the Indo-Pak War in December 1971. The Pakistanis claimed that their F-6s shot down about 10 Indian aircraft, with a loss of four F-6s. Of course, the Indians maintain that the Pakistani claims for kills are inflated and the number of losses are an underestimate.
In any case, the Pakistanis felt the F-6s had acquitted itself well and expanded their fleet. During the Afghan War, Pakistani F-6s would scramble to deal with incursions of Soviet and Afghan aircraft into Pakistani airspace. The intruders were often in "hot pursuit" of Mujahedin guerrillas who were trying to escape back to their sanctuaries in Pakistan, and since it was an open secret that the Pakistanis were supporting the Mujahedin, sometimes the intruders didn't feel like leaving when they were challenged and there are tales of wild air battles. The Pakistanis didn't retire the F-6 until 2002.
Africa
Tanzania flew MiG-19S fighters against Uganda during the war between the two states in 1978 and 1979, while the Sudan used its MiG-19S fighters against separatists in southern Sudan, with at least one shot down. The Somalis flew the F-6 against rebels and the Ethiopians in the 1980s, though with the breakdown in civil order in Somalia all their aircraft ended up derelict by the early 1990s.
Variants
- MiG-19 (NATO: "Farmer-A")
- First production version armed with 3 × 23 mm NR-23 cannons.
- MiG-19P (NATO: "Farmer-B")
- Version equipped with RP-1 Izumrud radar in the nose and armed with 2 × 23 mm NR-23 (later 2 × 30 mm NR-30) cannons in the wings. Had provision for an unguided rocket pack under each wing, elongated tailfin fillet, all-moving tailplane, third airbrake added behind the ventral fin. Vympel K-13 (AA-2 'Atoll') air-to-air missile (AAM) capability was added late in its service life; entered production in 1955.
- MiG-19PG
- MiG-19P equipped with the Gorizont-1 ground control datalink.
- MiG-19S (NATO: "Farmer-C")
- Development of the MiG-19P equipped with Svod long-range navigation receiver and armed with 3 × 30 mm NR-30 cannons. Had provisions for an unguided rocket pack or a FAB-250 bomb under each wing; entered service in 1956.
- MiG-19R
- Reconnaissance version of the MiG-19S with cameras replacing the nose cannon and powered by uprated RD-9BF-1 engines.
- MiG-19SF
- Late production MiG-19S powered by the same uprated RD-9BF-1 engines as the MiG-19R.
- MiG-19SV
- High-altitude version for intercepting reconnaissance balloons, reached 20,740 m (68,045 ft) on 6 December 1956; entered service in 1956.
- MiG-19SVK
- MiG-19SV with a new wing, small increase in altitude above MiG-19SV; did not warrant production.
- MiG-19SU (SM-50)
- High-altitude version to intercept the Lockheed U-2, equipped with a self-contained liquid-fuel booster rocket pack; appears to have been abandoned because of inability to control the aircraft at very high altitudes and the aircraft's tendency to enter supersonic spins.
- MiG-19PF
- Single-seat radar-equipped, all-weather interceptor fighter aircraft; built in small numbers.
- MiG-19PM (NATO: "Farmer-E")
- Variant with removed cannons, armed with 4 × Kaliningrad K-5M (NATO: AA-1 "Alkali") beam-riding missiles. Entered production in 1957.
- MiG-19PML
- MiG-19PM with Lazur ground control datalink.
- MiG-19PU
- Rocket pack fit similar to MiG-19SU.
- MiG-19PT
- A single MiG-19P equipped to carry Vympel K-13 (NATO: AA-2 "Atoll") missiles.
- MiG-19M
- Target drone converted from the MiG-19 and MiG-19S.
- SM-6
- Two MiG-19 Ps converted to flying laboratories for testing the Grushin K-6 developmental AAM (intended for the Sukhoi T-3 jet fighter) and Almaz-3 radar.
- SM-12
- New fighter prototype, developed into the MiG-21; four aircraft built
- SM-20
- Missile simulator for testing the Raduga Kh-20 (NATO: AS-3 "Kangaroo") cruise missile.
- SM-30
- Zero-length launch (ZEL) version with PRD-22 booster rocket.
- SM-K
- Missile simulator for testing the Raduga K-10 (NATO: AS-2 "Kipper") cruise missile.
- Avia S-105
- Czechoslovak licenced built MiG-19S.
- Shenyang J-6
- Chinese-built version of the MiG-19. This version was inducted into the Pakistani Air Force as the F-6. The F-6 was later modified by the Pakistani Air Force to carry U.S.-built AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.
Operators
Afghanistan- Afghan Air Force. 36 acquired by the Royal Afghan Air Force from 1964.
Albania- Albanian Air Force. (85) Mainly Chinese Shenyang J-6. See Albanian Air Force.
Bangladesh- Bangladesh Air Force
Bulgaria- The MiG-19 served in the Bulgarian Air Force from 1958 to 1973.
Cambodia- Cambodian Air Force
People's Republic of China- Phased out of service at 2005, except for Q-5. See Nanchang Q-5, some J-6 was converted to target/attack drone (number not confirmed).
Cuba- Cuban Air Force
Czechoslovakia- Czechoslovak Air Force operated many MIG-19S, MIG-19P, MIG-19PM and licenced build S-105
East Germany- East German Air Force
Egypt- Egyptian Air Force
Hungary- Hungarian Air Force
Indonesia- The Indonesian Air Force acquired a number of MiG-19S in 1961 and used during the preparation of Operation TRIKORA in 1962, (the taking of Western New Guinea from the Netherlands) in Western New Guinea (now, Papua and Papua Barat); several of these aircraft crashed. The MiG-19S was removed from Indonesian service in 1970.
Iraq- Iraqi Air Force
North Korea- North Korean Air Force. J-6 still in service.
Pakistan- Pakistan Air Force. All retired.
Poland- Polish Air Force. A total of 22 MiG-19P and 14 MiG-19PM interceptors served between 1957 and 1974
Romania- Romanian Air Force. A total of 17 MiG-19P and 10 MiG-19PM aircraft were in service between 1958 (1959 for the PM) and 1972.
Somalia- Somali Air Corps
Soviet Union
Sudan- Sudanese Air Force. F-6 still in service (Chinese J-6 export version).
Syria- Syrian Air Force
Tanzania- Tanzanian Air Force
Vietnam- Vietnam People's Air Force
Zambia- MiG-19S still in service.
Specifications (MiG-19S)
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 12.5 m (41 ft)
- Wingspan: 9.2 m (30 ft 2 in)
- Height: 3.9 m (12 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 25.0 m² (270 ft²)
- Empty weight: 5,447 kg (11,983 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 7,560 kg (16,632 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Tumansky RD-9B afterburning turbojets, 31.9 kN (7,178 lbf) each
- Fuel capacity: 1,800 kg (3,960 lb)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 1,455 km/h (909 mph)
- Range: 685 km (430 mi); combat 2,200 km (1,375 mi)
- Service ceiling: 17,500 m (57,400 ft)
- Rate of climb: 180 m/s (35,425 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 302.4 kg/m² (61.6 lb/ft²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.86
Armament
- 3x 30 mm NR-30 cannons (75 rounds per gun for wing guns, 55 rounds for fuselage gun)
- Up to 250 kg (550 lb) of bombs or unguided rockets on 4 underwing pylons or 4 Vympel K-13 AAMs
See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
References
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Butowski, Piotr (with Jay Miller). OKB MiG: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Leicester, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1991. ISBN 0-904597-80-6.
- Crosby, Francis. Fighter Aircraft. London: Lorenz Books, 2002. ISBN 0-7548-0990-0.
- Ethell, Jeffrey and Alfred Price. One Day in a Very Long War: May 10, 1972, Air Combat, North Vietnam. New York: Random House, 1989. ISBN 978-0517079348.
- Koenig, William and Peter Scofield. Soviet Military Power. Greenwich, Connecticut: Bison Books, 1983. ISBN 0-86124-127-4.
- Michel, Marshall L. Clashes: Air Combat Over North Vietnam 1965-1972. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1997. ISBN 1-55750-585-3.
- Nicolle, David and Tom Cooper. Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat. London: Osprey Publishing, 2004. ISBN 1-84176-655-0.
- Robinson, Anthony. Soviet Air Power. London: Bison Books, 1985. ISBN 0-86124-180-0.
- Sherwood, John D. Fast Movers: Jet Pilots and the Vietnam Experience. New York: Free Press, 1999. ISBN 0-31297-962-2.
- Smith, Philip E. and Peggy Herz. Journey Into Darkness . New York: Pocket, Simon & Schuster, 1992. ISBN 067-172-8237.
- Sweetman, Bill and Bill Gunston. Soviet Air Power: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Warsaw Pact Air Forces Today. London: Salamander Books, 1978. ISBN 0-51724-948-0.
- Toperczer, Istvan. MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War (Osprey Combat Aircraft: 25). London: Osprey. 2001. ISBN 1-84176-162-1.
External links
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