MiG-17

Includes one MiG-17, one Aircraft die, two rare-earth magnets, one decal sheet & one tall plastic flight stand.

In the early 1950s, the Egyptian Air Force began the transition from prop-driven aircraft to jet fighters. Until this point, the Egyptians had been using surplus World War Two aircraft of either British or Italian origin. While the Egyptians were able to procure Gloster Metreors and De Havilland Vampires from the British, they along with the United States of America they refused to sell Egypt anything more modern.

In 1955 Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser intervened and brokered a deal with the Soviet Bloc that saw the Egyptian Air Force supplied with Mikoyan-Gurevich fighters and Ilyushin bombers. By October 1956, the Egypt had 120 MiG-15, 50 Il-28, 87 Meteors and Vampires and a handful of MiG-17s; far superior than anything the Israelis could deploy.

To the US aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom, the MiG-17 proved to be a tricky adversary in the skies over North Vietnam with its high degree of manoeuvrability combined with its powerful armament consisting of one 37mm N-37 cannon along with two 23mm MR-23 cannons. By the 1960s, US aircraft had become reliant on air-to-air missiles; the inclusion of a radar targeted cannon was considered obsolete. A price American airman paid dearly for when encountering the MiG.

Though it was designed as a general purpose fighter, the MiG-17 could also be pressed into service as a fighter-bomber if need be will a payload of up to 500kg of ordinance. This however, was considered inadequate in terms effectiveness when compared to other aircraft of the period. Instead, it was more common for the MiG-17 to carry additional fuel in the form of external tanks.

The acquisition of the MiG-17 by the Egyptians had a profound impact on the Israeli Air Force. It forced the Israelis to keep pace in terms of aircraft technology leading to their own acquisition of jet fighters such as the French Dassault Ouragan and Mirage IIICJ.

Designed by Evan Allen
Painted by Mike Haught