Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-19

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (Russian: ?????? ? ??????? ???-19) (NATO reporting
name: "Farmer") is a Soviet second-generation, single-seat, twin jet-engined
fighter aircraft. It was the first Soviet production aircraft capable of
supersonic speeds in level flight. A comparable U.S. "Century Series" fighter
was the North American F-100 Super Sabre, although the MiG-19 would primarily
oppose the more modern McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Republic F-105
Thunderchief over North Vietnam.

Initial enthusiasm for the aircraft was dampened by several problems, the most
alarming inherited from MiG-15/MiG-17 was the danger of mid-air tank implosions
when more than half of the fuel had been used - the leaking fuel of the crushed
fuselage fuel tanks located between the engines would then ignite, leading to a
fatal explosion; deployment of air-brakes at high speeds caused a high-g
pitch-up; elevators lacked authority at supersonic speeds; high landing speed of
230 km/h (120 kn; 140 mph). Absence of a two-seat trainer version, slowed pilot
transition to the type. Handling problems were addressed with the second
prototype, SM-9/2, which added a third ventral air-brake and introduced
all-moving tail-planes with a damper to prevent pilot-induced oscillations (PIO)
at subsonic speeds, flying for the first time on 16 September 1954, entering
initial production as the MiG-19.

The Soviet of The Ministers of the Soviet Union issued an order #286-133 to
start serial production on 17 February 1954 at factories in Gorkiy and
Novosibirsk. Factory trials were completed on 12 September 1954, and government
trials started on 30 September. Problems with the initial production MiG-19,
were addressed in the SM-9/3 prototype which pre-saged the MiG-19S production
version, which supplanted the initial MiG-19 in production at Gorkiy and
Novosibirsk from June 1956.


Role
Fighter

Manufacturer
Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB

First flight
18 September 1953

Introduction
March 1955

Status
In service with DPRK Air Force

Primary users
Soviet Air Force
People's Liberation Army Air Force

Number built
2,172 (excluding production in China)

Variants
Shenyang J-6
Nanchang Q-5

During their service with Soviet Anti-Air Defense and in East Germany, MiG-19s
were involved in multiple interceptions of Western reconnaissance aircraft. The
first documented encounter with a Lockheed U-2 took place in the autumn of 1957.
The MiG-19 pilot reported seeing the aircraft, but could not make up the 2,234 m
(7,000 ft) difference in altitude. When Francis Gary Powers's U-2 was shot down
in the 1960 incident, one pursuing MiG-19P was also hit by the salvo of S-75
Dvina (NATO: SA-2 "Guideline") missiles, killing the pilot Sergei Safronov. In a
highly controversial incident, on 1 July 1960, a MiG-19 shot down an RB-47H (S/N
53-4281) reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace over the Arctic
Circle with four of the crew killed and two captured by the Soviets (they were
released in 1961). In another incident, on 28 January 1964, a MiG-19 shot down a
T-39 Sabreliner which had strayed into East German airspace while on a training
mission; all three crewmembers were killed.

Vietnam War

Hanoi decided in early 1969 to strengthen its air defenses by creating a third
jet fighter unit; the 925th Fighter Regiment. This unit would consist of late
model MiG-17s and the newly acquired MiG-19s (nearly all of which were J-6s from
the People's Republic of China (PRC)). The regiment was established at Yen Bai,
and by April 1969, nine combat-rated MiG-19 pilots were posted for combat duty.
While some of North Vietnam's MiG-17s and all of their MiG-21s were supplied by
the Soviet Union, the MiG-19s (J-6 models) were supplied by the PRC, which
seldom exceeded 54 MiG-19s in number.

The first use and loss of a U.S. fighter to a MiG-19 (J-6) was in 1965 when a
USAF Lockheed F-104 Starfighter piloted by Captain Philip E. Smith was attacked
by a People's Liberation Army Air Force aircraft over Hainan Island. His
Starfighter took cannon fire which damaged a portion of his wing and missile
mount. Smith gave chase and did receive missile tone on the MiG but, within a
millisecond of pressing his missile firing button, his Starfighter lost all
power. He ejected and was captured. Smith was held prisoner until released on 15
March 1973, due to improving US-China relations following U.S. President Richard
Nixon's visit to China in 1972.

The North Vietnamese Air Force began receiving the MiG-19 at the end of
Operation Rolling Thunder, which ended in 1968. Despite their limited numbers,
MiG-19s were involved in extensive combat during Operations Linebacker 1 and
Linebacker 2 (aka the Christmas Bombing). The NVAF claimed only seven victories
over U.S. aircraft, using the MiG-19, all of which were F-4 Phantom IIs. The
MiG-19 was tested by U.S. pilots in the United States in 1969 after receiving a
Chinese J-6 (F-6 exported model) from Pakistan. In addition to finding the
aircraft to have a good canopy allowing good visibility for the pilot, along
with 3 hard hitting 30mm cannons, U.S. pilots found the MiG-19 (J6/F6) to be an
excellent fighter, "like the MiG-17, it could easily out-turn the Phantom...and
could out-accelerate the F-4 out to Mach 1.2, but was slower than the MiG-21.".
However, the MiG-19's strongest fault was its extremely short range, as one U.S.
test pilot remarked, "after going in full after-burner at low altitude for 5
minutes, the MiG driver will be looking for a place to land!" This, combined
with the aircraft's twin engines, which were difficult to maintain, made the
MiG-19 unpopular with North Vietnamese pilots.

Specifications (MiG-19S)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 12.54 m (41 ft 2 in) less pitot boom; 14.64 m (48.0 ft) with pitot boom
extended
Wingspan: 9 m (29 ft 6 in)
Height: 3.885 m (12 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 25.16 m2 (270.8 sq ft)
Empty weight: 5,172 kg (11,402 lb) to 5,447 kg (12,009 lb)
Gross weight: 7,560 kg (16,667 lb) clean
Max takeoff weight: 8,662 kg (19,096 lb) with drop tanks
Fuel capacity: internal:2,170 l (570 US gal; 480 imp gal); drop tanks 2x 760 l
(200 US gal; 170 imp gal)
Powerplant: 2 × Tumansky RD-9B axial flow afterburning turbojets, 25.5 kN (5,730
lbf) thrust each dry, 31.8 kN (7,160 lbf) with afterburner

Performance
Maximum speed: 1,452 km/h (902 mph; 784 kn) at 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
Maximum speed: Mach 1.355
Range: 1,390 km (864 mi; 751 nmi)
Ferry range: 2,200 km (1,367 mi; 1,188 nmi) with drop tanks
Endurance: 1 hour 43 minutes clean ; 2 hours 38 minutes with drop tanks
Service ceiling: 15,600 m (51,181 ft) dry : 17,500–17,900 m (57,400–58,700 ft)
wet
g limits: +8
Rate of climb: 180 m/s (35,000 ft/min)
Thrust/weight: 0.86

Armament

Guns: 3x 30 millimetres (1.181 in) Nudelman-Rikhter NR-30 cannon (75 rpg for
wing-root guns, 55 rounds for the fuselage gun)
Bombs: 2x 50–250 kg (110–550 lb) bombs or 2x FFAR rocket pods

Avionics
SRD-3 Grad gun ranging radar, ASP-5N computing gun-sight and an RSIU-4 Doob UHF
radio




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