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? ? ?Oddly enough the Chinese and North Koreans had by far the most advanced Jet fighter to see action in the Korean War. The appearance of the Russian built MIG 15 came as a complete surprise to the Americans who had been using elderly World War II aircraft for their air operations. Hurriedly a wing of the new P86A Sabre Jet fighter had to be rushed out to the Korean theatre to counter the threat that the MIG represented. The MIG however proved to have a considerably faster rate of climb than the Sabre, and could operate at a greater altitude than its American counterpart. ? ? In addition the MIG was armed with cannon rather than the machine guns in the Sabre. 1500 machine gun bullets sometimes being fired to bring down a MIG, whilst only a few cannon shells could inflict considerable damage on the high flying B29 Superfortresses that the Americans were using for their bombing raids. ? ? Regrettably the MIG also proved to be quite difficult to fly.? Except for some Russian, Czech and Polish volunteer pilots using tactics learnt from the Luftwaffe during WWII the inexperienced Chinese and Korean pilots proved no match for veteran US aces who had learnt the art of dog-fighting against the Japanese in the Pacific only a few years before. The MIG also had a tendency to go into a spin from which their pilots were rarely able to pull out from, and therefore were forced to eject. ? ? ?Despite a loss rate of 10 to 1, by the time of the cease-fire the Communists had nearly 1000 MIG-15s operational compared with only just over 250 US Sabres some of which were equipped as Fighter-Bombers.
The MiG was improved over the Cold War years, perhaps with a little espionage help from the KGB. Read here for a post I made on the MiG 21 and the Canadian Arrow.
While the Mig-15 had a better rate of climb and had heavier weapons, the M3 .50 cal MG's on the F-86 had a very high rate of fire (1000-1200 rpm), and the “E” model had a radar-ranging gunsite, not to menton the F-86 was a more stable gun platform than the Mig. That , coupled with the superior skills of USAF pilots, helped gain that 10-1 ratio. I question that statement that 1500 rds of .50 might be needed to shoot down a Mig…they were not that heavily armored.Not to mention, the F-86 looks like a fighter...the Mig looks like a barrel with wings.
This post should probably be on a new thread but has anyone watched the series shown on the History Channel called, “Dog Fights”, I believe? I've watched each program and enjoyed them immensely. If you ever have the opportunity, catch'em.
Additionaly the F-86 also had hydraulic flight controls whereas the MiG did not. This not only makes the aircraft easier to fly but there is less fatigue on the pilot.
What you fail to mention guys is that MiG's were far cheaper to build so that more of them could be built. 10:1 kill ratio is no good when you have a 30:1 advantage in numbers. Besides, we never actually engaged Russian pilots who were arguably as well trained as our pilots were.
What you fail to mention guys is that MiG's were far cheaper to build so that more of them could be built. 10:1 kill ratio is no good when you have a 30:1 advantage in numbers. Besides, we never actually engaged Russian pilots who were arguably as well trained as our pilots were.
I don't have links but I remember seeing on the Military channel of the History channel, and reading years ago that Soviet pilots DID fly combat in the Mig-15...they could not use their radios, however, as that would be a give-a-way
The looks of the Mig 15 and the Saber jet alway make me wonder: Who stole whom's design? But the blood is rushing to my jet enjine with all this talk of hot jets …. gotta go! 🙂
This site lists all Soviet aces in the Korean War, top ace credited with 22 kills.http://aces.safarikovi.org/victories/sssr-ko.html
A word on the MiG 15 vs. Sabre armament: The MiG 15, was a point defense fighter with heavy, slow-firing armament designed to knock down bombers. The Sabre was an air-to-air fighter armed with quick firing .50 cals designed to gain air superiority by being able to hit fleeting, high speed targets. The two designs show a difference in Cold War philosophy.http://www.acepilots.com/discussions/mig_vs_sabre.htmlThe high kill ratio between the Sabre and the MiG 15 is misleading. When encountering experienced Soviet instructors called "Honchos", the Sabres' lead was reduced. http://www.acepilots.com/russian/rus_aces.html
