The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19, 'Farmer', was a single-seat, fighter-bomber used by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was Russia's first supersonic fighter aircraft and it was as advanced as the American counterparts. Having a sleek profile and swept wing, it was very maneuverable and a formidable opponent in a dogfight. The MiG-19 had a similar layout to the North American F-100 Super Sabre and the French Dassault Super Mystere aircraft. It was widely exported to Arab countries and Eastern European nations. Developed from the MiG-17, about 2,150 MiG-19 fighter-bombers were built in the Soviet Union.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau confirmed its place in the front ranks of world aircraft design with its MiG-19 model. Although the North American F-100 Super Sabre, first flown in 1953, is traditionally regarded as the first fighter capable of supersonic speed at sustained level flight, the MiG-19, which performed its maiden flight in 1954, was as fast and versatile. It was excellent in dogfight and to carry out ground-attack missions. The MiG-19 was introduced into service with the Soviet Air Force in June 1955. It would see combat action in the Vietnam War as the Shenyang J-6, which was the Chinese-made version of the aircraft.
Technical Description
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 was a single-seat, twin-engine monoplane of all-metal construction. It was fitted with cantilever, swept mid-wing, with anhedral angle. The wing leading edge swept back at 55 degrees and it had fences on top to reduce induced drag. This highly swept wing design was conceived so that the aircraft was able to attain supersonic speeds. The cockpit had relatively cluttered forward visibility due to the large gunsight. The MiG-19 featured an all-moving tailplane, which had the same angle of sweep as the wing. The ejection seat could not be used safely at low speeds. The aircraft was powered by two Tumansky RD-9BM afterburning turbojet engines, each being able to deliver 7,346 pounds of thrust. The engine air intake was located in the nose of aircraft.
Specifications (MiG-19SF)
Type: fighter-bomber
Length: 12.60 m (41 feet, 4 inches)
Wing Span: 9.20 m (30 feet, 2 inches)
Wing Area: 25 m2 (269 square feet)
Height: 3.88 m (12 feet, 9 inches)
Power Plant: two 7,346-lb, Tumansky RD-9BM turbojet engines, with afterburners.
Maximum Speed: Mach 1.35 (1,452 km/h)
Range: 2,200 km (1,367 miles)
Service Ceiling: 17,500 m (57,400 feet)
Crew: one
Armament: two 30-mm NR-30 cannons; pod rockets; two 250-kg bombs.
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| Above, a MiG-19 of the Pakistani Air Force. |
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| The MiG-19 during take-off in the 1960s. |
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| The MiG-19S version in flight, armed with air-to-air missiles. |