In 1949, the Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG) design bureau began work on a new fighter to replace the MiG-15.÷ (2) features of the aircraft were a thinner wing of greater sweep and a redesigned tail that improved stability and handling at speeds approaching Mach 1 (speed of sound).÷÷ The prototype MiG-17 (NATO code name Fresco) first flew in January 1950 and was reported to have exceeded Mach 1 in level flight.÷ Deliveries to the Soviet Air Force began in 1952.÷ Early production MiG-17s were fitted with the VK-1 engine, a Soviet copy of the Rolls-Royce Nene.÷ The VK-1F, an improved version with a simple afterburner and variable nozzle, was developed for the main production version, the MiG-17F (Fresco C).÷ In 1955 the radar equipped MiG-17PF (Fresco D) entered service as a limited all-weather interceptor.÷ The MiG-17PFU was armed with (4) AA-1 "Alkali" radar-guided missiles, making it the Soviet Union's first missile armed interceptor.÷ Even though it was considered obsolete by the mid-1960s, the MiG-17 gave a good account over Vietnam, being flown by most of the top North Vietnamese pilots, including the leading ace, Colonel Tomb.



Soviet production of the MiG-17 ended in 1958 with over 6,000 produced.÷ It continued to be built under license in Poland as the Lim-5P and in China as the F-4. ÷ The MiG-17 served with nearly 30 air forces worldwide, including the Soviet Union, Warsaw Pact countries, China, Afghanistan, North Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Morocco, Cuba, Indonesia, and Cambodia.÷ Though smaller than the USAF F-86 Sabre of Korean War fame, its weight and performance favorably compared to that aircraft.



The aircraft on display is an early MiG-17 built by the Soviet Union in 1953.÷ The MiG-17 came to the Museum of Aviation from the Bulgarian Air Force in April 1991 as part of an exchange with the U. S. Air Force Museum.÷ It was used in both the interceptor and ground attack roles and later as a proficiency trainer by Bulgarian cosmonauts Ivanov and Alexandrov.