/ world today news/ This aircraft guarded the skies of the Soviet Union for many years, fought in different parts of the world and still serves in the Air Force in some places. Seventy years ago, on January 5, 1954, the experimental jet fighter SM-9 took off. The very next year, it was put into service under the name MiG-19 (according to the NATO classification – Farmer, “farmer”). About the breakthrough creation of the Soviet designers – in the material.
Engine search
By the summer of 1950, the command of the Soviet Air Force had already formed a vision for the future of the country’s fighter aviation. They decided to develop two aircraft: a twin-engine all-weather interceptor with radar, which later became the Yak-25, and a twin-engine highly maneuverable fighter – the MiG-19.
It’s an iconic machine. The MiG-19 was the first mass-produced Soviet supersonic aircraft. And the last MiG with a swept wing.
The project began in mid-1951. The first versions of the pre-production prototype with MiG-17 engines, designated as CM-1 and CM-2, did not meet the set speed and maneuverability characteristics. The “Nine” is equipped with two promising AM-9 turbojet engines with afterburner. And test pilot Grigoriy Sedov has already overcome the sound barrier on his second flight.
The production MiG-19 first took to the skies on 27 November 1955. The aircraft was built to a normal aerodynamic design, with a swept wing and a fully movable horizontal tail.
Like many other fighters of the time, the MiG-19 has a frontal air intake with a central body and sharp edges. At the front of the fuselage is a single cockpit. The middle section was used for fuel tanks and various equipment, and the engines were placed in the tail section.
Above the ground, the fighter accelerates to 1100-1150 kilometers per hour, at altitude – up to 1400. Cruise speed – 950. Service ceiling – 17.2 kilometers. With internal fuel supply, the flight range is 1,400 kilometers, with two 760-liter external tanks – 2,200.
The built-in armament is three automatic cannons HP-23 with a caliber of 23 mm. Two guns are located at the base of the wing, the third in the nose of the fuselage. Ammunition – 70 shells per cannon. The rate of fire of each is 900 rounds per minute. If necessary, the fighter can carry unguided ASR-57 missiles and free-falling bombs with a caliber of up to 250 kilograms.
Still in operation
The MiG-19 was produced until 1960, after which the factories switched to the MiG-21 and Su-9. Over several years, 2,069 aircraft of several modifications were produced. The majority were assembled by the Gorky plant – more than 1300. It is important to note that the machines in the basic configuration were produced only until 1956, after which the troops were supplied with improved models.
The MiG-19P was equipped with an on-board “Emerald” radar with a target detection range of up to 15 kilometers. The PG variant can use P-3S air-to-air missiles. The MiG-19P reconnaissance aircraft had a powerful AFA-39 camera. The MiG-19S front-line fighter is armed with 30 mm HP-30 guns. And the MiG-19PML interceptor with the “Lazur” complex is precisely directed to the target by commands from the ground.
In 1958, the Soviet Union transferred the MiG-19 license to China. The first 20 aircraft, designated J-6, were assembled from Soviet components.
For several decades, the PRC has been developing several modifications. It is the Chinese version of the MiG-19 that is still used by the DPRK – the only country that still has this second-generation fighter.
The Soviet Air Force operated the MiG-19 until the 1970s. A large part of the machines are written off after the end of their useful life and are discarded. Some aircraft have become museum exhibits or monuments.
Battle way
Over the years of service in the Air Force of more than 20 countries, the MiG-19 has participated in air battles more than once. The “Farmer” won his first victory on July 1, 1960 – he shot down an American reconnaissance aircraft RB-47X “Stratojet”, which violated the Soviet border over the Barents Sea. 111 30mm shells were used to hit the target.
On March 10, 1964, a MiG-19S shot down an American RB-77C Destroyer reconnaissance aircraft near the East German city of Magdeburg. In addition, from 1966 to 1976, these fighters shot down seven NATO balloons with reconnaissance equipment over the territory of the USSR.
MiG-19, or rather its licensed version J-6, is used extremely actively by the Chinese. Since the mid-1960s, in connection with the entry of American troops into Vietnam, these aircraft have become one of the main means of protecting the air borders of China and Vietnam. From August 1964 to November 1968, US Air Force aircraft entered China’s airspace 383 times. Not always with impunity.
In air battles, Chinese fighters (without losses on their side) achieved at least 16 air victories, shot down 11 AKM-34 UAVs, two A6A Intruder attack aircraft, F-4C Phantom II fighter-bomber, F-105 fighter Thunderchief, F-104C Starfighter and KA-3B Skywarrior tanker aircraft. What’s more, ace pilot Gao Xiang shot down the Starfighter from cannons from a distance of only 29 meters – the shortest distance to shoot down a supersonic aircraft in history. The MiG was hit by 19 pieces of debris, having to land on one engine.
MiG-19s also fought in Vietnam, where their main opponent was the American “Phantoms”. According to official Vietnamese figures, nine fighters of the J-6 version out of 54 were lost during the entire war, of which five or six were destroyed by the enemy, two or three crashed in accidents and one was shot down by friendly fire. The Vietnamese themselves claimed seven aerial victories on the Nineteenth over the Phantoms.
In the Middle East, the MiG-19 and J-6 participated in the 1966 Arab-Israeli conflict, the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1969 War of Attrition as part of the Egyptian Air Force. The plane did not perform particularly well: the poor technical condition and the low level of training of the pilots affected it. Fighters performed much more effectively during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. The Pakistan Air Force scored five aerial victories, losing two aircraft in combat.
The MiG-19, even in its latest modifications, is hopelessly out of date. But its importance in the history of Russian military aviation can hardly be overestimated. It revealed to Soviet pilots all the tactical advantages of supersonic flight and served as the basis for modern fighters.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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