MiG 17

MiG 17 Fresco

Mikoyan - Gurevich

MiG 17

Design on the MiG 17 began in 1949 with the goal of improving the overall performance of the MiG 15, in particular to correct its poor handling at Mach 0.88 and above.  The new MiG had a longer fuselage and redesigned wings, a larger tail and the F model would receive an afterburning engine.  

MiG 17F

Crew:                    1

Power:                  Klimov 3380 kg / 7452 lb thrust VK-1F afterburning turbojet

Max. Speed:        1145 kph / 711 mph

Ceiling:                16,600 m / 54,460 ft

Range:                 1980 km / 1230 miles with external tanks

Climb:                   5000 m / 16,405 ft in 2 minutes, 36 seconds

Weight - 

Empty:                 3930 kg / 8664 lb

Max. Take Off:     6075 kg / 13,393 lb

Size -

Wingspan:           9.63 m / 31 ft 7.25 in

Wing Area:          22.6 sq m / 243.27 sq ft

Length:                11.26 m / 36 ft 11.25 in

Height:                 3.8 m / 12 ft 5.5 in

Armament:

                            1 - 37 mm / 1.46 in cannon

                            2 or 3 - 23 mm / 0.9 in cannon

                            2 - 500 kg / 1102 lb weapons under wings

 

V I D E O

Drop Tanks

A larger, heavier jet with 50 percent more thrust but the same internal fuel capacity as the MiG 15 made it almost mandatory that the MiG 17 carry its two 600 liter drop tanks.  The MiG 17 was more than an upgrade of its predecessor and it had wide appeal, with over 9,000 built and many of them either exported or built under license by Soviet allies and other third world countries.  

Cutaway

In 1956 the Russians replaced the cannon on the MiG 17 with 4 radar guided air-to-air missiles and it became the first Soviet missile-armed fighter.  A decade later North Vietnamese piloting MiG 17s used cannon in close up engagements and, on rare occasion, downed missile armed American jets.  Air-to-air missiles often proved unreliable and the era of the dogfight had not yet passed into history.  

Afghanistan MiG 17

With the exception of East Germany Soviet fighters exported to Warsaw Pact countries and Third World allies were downgraded models and did not contain the most advanced avionics.  None the less air forces ordering the MiG 17 received a high performance dogfighter that was relatively easy to maintain.  

Afterburner

Like the MiG 15 before it and the MiG 21 that followed, the MiG 17 was basically a clear weather, short range interceptor designed to defend against western air strikes.  These MiGs were all highly maneuverable and their small size often made them difficult to see but their short range and light payload made them inadequate for combat roles such as ground attack.  The image is by Richard Seaman.   

Defending the skies over North Vietnam

Lessons learned over the skies of North Vietnam directly led to the design and development of the F-16 Falcon, an agile but heavily armed fighter popular with pilots and purchasers in the export market.  American planes involved in Rolling Thunder such as the F-105 Thunderchief, or Thud, were not designed for close engagement with enemy jets and the heavy F-4 Phantom proved vulnerable to the quick strike tactics of North Vietnamese pilots.  More important, though, the dogfighting skills of American pilots had been allowed to lapse as Pentagon planners believed air-to-air missiles made close quarters combat obsolete.  

Tight turns

Ultimately the MiG 17 was not a match for American air power north of the DMZ.  Most North Vietnamese air combat victories were credited to the newer MiG 21.  Still, the older, outdated MiG of the 50s earned respect for its solid aerodynamic design and maneuverability when in capable hands.  

Related Topics:

F7U Cutlass

F-84 Thunderstreak 

F-86 Sabre

B-47 Stratojet

A V I A T I O N

 

OVER EASY

coldValentine

Military Jet Age Photos

The following entries provide links to quality images of military jets at a variety of sites.  Some pictures are great as is but you may want to tweak others in any photo editor to get the effect you like.

                                                              F-15 Eagle

This great F-15 Eagle photo is 1280 x 1024 at 72 dpi.  You'll need to scroll just over 2/3 the way down the page for this one.  You'll find other interesting aviation pictures from this site - AR15.

                                                                  F-15

This 1024 x 768 at 72 dpi photo of an F-15 launch of an air-to-air missile is misidentified as an F-14 Tomcat by the Wallpaper Base site... but who cares?  The picture's a definite keeper.

                                        More F-15 information and photos here.

                                                            A-4 Skyhawk

This A-4 taken in a Fast Pass mode is 980 x 689 at 72 dpi.  It is from Richard Seaman's page dedicated to the 2006 Yankee Air Museum Thunder over Michigan Air Show.  You'll find many good photos as you scroll to near the bottom for this one.

                                                             A-7 Crusader

The image is 1024 x 768 at 72 dpi.  The cockpit was snug and fully loaded the Crusader seemed under-powered but it was rugged enough to have a low loss rate over North Vietnam.  The picture is from Wallpaper - S.

                                                                B-1B Lancer

This B-1B photo with wings forward is provided by Wikipedia at 1,219 x 800, 72 dpi.  This variable wing bomber was used extensively in the Middle East and against Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War.  It is armed with conventional weapons and no longer has a nuclear role.  The image is at Wikipedia.

                                                                 B-1B

This dramatic bomb run photo is 1,600 x 1,200 at 72 dpi and is provided by Wallpaper Base.  Originally intended by the Air Force as replacement for the B-52 this supersonic strategic bomber has a bomb bay capable of holding up to 75,000 lbs.

                                                              B-2 Spirit

America's stealth bomber, the B-2, pictured flying over desert terrain is unlike any aircraft ever made.  Costing nearly a billion dollars each in current (2011) dollars the Air Force has a limited inventory of 20 planes.  This photo, provided by Wikipedia, is 2,993 x 2,416 at 72 dpi and is available in various other sizes.

                                                                  B-52

This scene of Winter on the Ramparts is 1500 x 997 at 72 dpi.  You'll need to scroll about a quarter of the way down the page for this BUFF photo from AR15.

                                                      C-17 Globemaster III

This picture of C-17s in formation is available at Wikipedia in a variety of sizes, including a large 2974 x 2183 version at 72 dpi.  The US Air Force has just over 200 Globemasters in inventory at a price of nearly $200 million apiece.

                                                            EA-6B Prowler

This 1,600 x 1,200 image at 72 dpi is available at Wallpaper Base.  The Prowler is a four seat electronic warfare aircraft that is expected to continue in operation until at least 2015.

                                                             F-4 Phantom

This jack of all trades Vietnam era fighter-bomber is here pictured at 1,924 x 1,424, 72 dpi.  In a ground support role it was capable of carrying 5 tons of ordinance.  As a fighter it was credited with 280 air-to-air victories over North Vietnam and in the Gulf War.  You'll find this photo at Wikipedia.

                                                                      F-4

Looking at its ordinance it is hard to believe the Phantom was originally designed as an interceptor.  The age of dogfights was thought to be over and early Phantoms in Vietnam had no gun and had to rely on missiles.  This photo offered by the site as wallpaper is 1024 x 768, 72 dpi at Flash-Screen.

                                          More F-4 information and photos here

                                                              F-14 Tomcat

This picture of the Navy's variable wing successor to the F-4 Phantom is 1024 x 768 at 72 dpi.  The Grumman Tomcat was the defensive arm of the US Navy's fleet for 30 years.  This photo is an offering at Wallpaper - S.

                                                                 F-14

The F-14 grew out of Defense Secretary McNamara's failed attempt to make the F-111 a carrier based plane.  It would be America's counter to the Soviet MiG 21 and replace the F-8 Crusader and the Phantom as the Navy's defender of the fleet.  This carrier deck image is 1024 x 768 and is available at Wallpaper Base.

Related Topics:

MiG 29

MiG 21

F-18 Super Hornet

F-111

                                        More F-14 information and photos here

                                                            F-16 Falcon

This highly maneuverable, fly by wire, single seat F-16 is seen loaded with ordinance flying over the flat terrain desert.  The F-16 has been in operation with the Air Force since 1979.  This large Wikipedia file is 3,842 x 2,655 at 300 dpi.

                                                                   F-16

The era of fly-by-wire aircraft began with the F-16 as it and subsequent fighter designs became too aerodynamically unstable for human pilots to control without computerized assistance.  This photo is 2,050 x 1,310 at 300 dpi and is available at Wallpaper Base.

                                                             F-22 Raptor

This 1152 x 864 at 72 dpi image of the Raptor in blistering performance mode is provided by Richard Seaman.  It is one of many of his copyrighted photos made available at his website for your computer wallpaper.

                                                     F-35 Joint Strike Fighter

The U.S. plans to buy over 2,000 of these aircraft at just over $150 million apiece.  The Air Force has ordered a conventional take off version while the navy receives F-35s designed for carrier landings and the Marines have chosen a short take off, vertical landing model.  The F-35 Wikipedia photo here is 3,000 x 2,357 at 72 dpi.

                                                              F-86 Sabre

This Korean War era jet photo is 980 x 705 at 72 dpi and is about half way down the page.  There are a number of World War II aircraft also pictured on this page by Richard Seaman that is dedicated to the 2006 Nellis AFB Aviation Nation Air Show.  Click the following link to access general pictures of World War II.

                                       More F-86 information and photos here

                                                          F-104 Starfighter

The F-104 flies high over the desert in this 1024 x 683 image from Hubert Peitzmeier's 916-Starfighter Home Page.

                                       More F-104 information and photos here

                                                          F-106 Delta Dart

The image of this Cold War interceptor comes from an unusually large file that is 3000 x 1980 at 300 dpi.  You'll find it a short scroll from the top of the page to access this picture offered by AR15.

                                                         SR-71 Blackbird

Here's a picture of the legendary spy plane flying over rugged terrain and it is available in sizes up to 3,000 x 2,350 at 72 dpi from Wikipedia.  Over 17,000 missions were flown by this product of the famed Lockheed Skunk Works before high operating costs and spy satellites brought its era to a close in 1990.

                                                                  MiG 15

A MiG 15 fly-by as photographed by Richard Seaman at the Chino Air Show in 2010.  The image is 850 x 569.

                                      More MiG 15 information and photos here

                                                                MiG 17

Richard Seaman provides this terrific afterburner shot of a MiG 17 taken at the 2006 Yankee Air Museum Thunder Over Michigan Air Show.  It is 980 x 705 at 72 dpi.

                                                                 MiG 21

There are not enough good wallpaper size images on the internet of historic Soviet aircraft in flight.  This 1600 x 1067 MiG 21 flight shot appears to come from reddit.

More MiG 21 information and photos here

                                                           MiG 25 Foxbat

The premier interceptor of its day the MiG 25 was initially designed to counter the US B-70 Valkyrie, but it never went into service.  The 1280 x 866 image is found at reddit.

                                      More MiG 25 information and photos here

                                                                  Su-27

Here's a very good bank photo of the Sukhoi Su-27, designated Flanker by NATO.  It is 1152 x 864 and is one of many excellent aviation pictures available at Richard Seaman's Flying Kiwi site.

                                        More Su-27 information and photos here

                                                                 Su-30

The odyssey of Richard Seaman continues at Russia's MAKS Air Show with this 980 x 705 image at 72 dpi. You'll find this Su-30 performance picture a long third of the way down the page.

                                                                 Tu-95

Long range and high speed despite being a turboprop makes the Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" arguably the Soviet's most important Cold War bomber.  This 1024 x 678 image may be a bit small for wallpaper but its still a fine photo.  It's posted at Military Today.

                                       More Tu-95 information and photos here

                                                  F-22 Raptor escorts Tu-95

The Cold War is over but the Russians and Americans remain two large egos at a small party.  This contemporary reminder of earlier times is posted by the people at AR15 - Home of the Black Rifle.  The image is a generous third of the way down the page and is 2000 x 1500 at 72 dpi.

                                                      RAF Harrier GR7     Before

                                                      RAF Harrier GR7     After

The original picture, 1024 x 768 at 72 dpi, gives you dramatic atmospherics but if you'd like a clearer look at the Harrier you can use most any photo editor to back off the high contrast and heavy emphasis on blue.  The image is offered by Wallpaper - S.

                                                       F-18 Royal Marines

A site called Crazy Themes provides this 1920 x 1200 image at 300 dpi.  It is the Royal Marine version of the American F-18.

                                                      F/A-18 Super Hornet

The F-18 along with the AV-8B Harrier provide the needed ground support role for the Marine Corps.  It remains the Marines all-weather fighter-bomber until the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter becomes operational.  This sunset carrier deck image is 1,200 x 787 at 300 dpi and is another offering from Wallpaper Base.

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                                                    COLD VALENTINE