Mikoyan/Gurevich MiG-19

MiG-19, -19S, -19SF (Lim-7, S-105, F-6), -19PF and -19PM; NATO name "Farmer"

Origin: The design bureau named for Mikoyan and Gurevich, Soviet Union: licence-production as described in the text.

Type: Single-seat fighter (PF, PM, all-weather interceptor).

Engines: (-19, -19S) two 6,700lb (3,040kg) thrust (afterburner rating) Mikulin AM-5 single-shaft afterburning turbojets: (-19SF, PF, PM) two 7,1651b (3250kg) thrust (afterburner) Klimov RD-9B afterburning turbojets. Dimensions: Span 29ft 6Jin (9m): length (S, SF, excluding pitot boom) 42ft 11 iin (13-08m): (-19PF, PM) 44ft 7in; height 13ft 2Jin (4-02m). Weights: Empty (SF) 12,6981b (5760kg): loaded (SF, clean) 1 6,7551b (7600kg): (maximum, SF) 19,1801b (8700kg): (PM) 20,9441b (9500kg). Performance: Maximum speed (typical) 920mph at 20,000ft (1480km/h, Mach 1-3): initial climb (SF) 22,640ft (6900m)/min; service ceiling’(SF) 58.725ft (17,900m): maximum range (high, with two drop tanks) 1,367 miles (2200km).

Armament: See text

History: First flight, September 1953: service delivery early 1955: first flight (F-6) December 1 961.

Users: Afghanistan, Albania, Bulgaria, China, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, E Germany (not operational), Flungary, Indonesia (in storage), Iraq, N Korea, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Soviet Union, Tanzania (F6), Vietnam, Zambia (F6).

Development: With the MiG-19 the Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau established itself right in the front rank of the world’s fighter design teams. The new fighter was on the drawing board as the I-350 before even the MiG-15 had been encountered in Korea, the five prototypes being ordered on 30 July 1 951, Maj. Grigori Sedov flew the first aircraft on 18 September 1953 on the power of two non-afterburning AM-5 engines giving only 4,4101b thrust each. Nevertheless, despite the high wing loading and bold sweep angle of 55° (at 25% chord), the MiG-19 handled well, large fences and Fowler flaps giving satisfactory low-speed control. With afterburning engines the MiG-19 became the first Russian supersonic fighter and it was put into production on a very large scale, rivalling that of the MiG-15 and -17, despite a 100 per cent increase in price. After about 500 had been delivered the MiG-1 9S (stabilizator) supplanted the early model with the fixed tail – plane and manual elevators replaced by a fully powered slab. At the same time the old armament (unchanged since MiG-15 and -17) was replaced by three of the new 30mm NR-30 guns, one in each wing root and one under the right side of the nose. A large ventral airbrake was also added. In 1956 the AM-5 engine was replaced by the newer and more powerful RD-9.

Right: Few of this specialized missile­armed interceptor version (the MiG – 19PM, which unlike earlier MiG fighters was not made in Poland) remain in service with the PWL (Polish Air Force).

increasing peak Mach number from 1-1 to 1 -3. The new fighter was desig­nated MiG-19SF (forsirovanni. increased power), and has been built in very large numbers. Total production possibly exceeds 10,000. including licence-manufacture as the Lim-7 in Poland. S-105 in Czechoslovakia and F-6 in China. The corresponding MiG-19PF (perekhvatchik. interceptor) has an Izumrud Al radar (called "Scan Odd" by NATO) in a bullet carried on the inlet duct splitter, with the ranging unit in the upper inlet lip, changing the nose shape and adding 22in to the aircraft length. The final production version was the MiG-19PM (modifikatsirovanni), with guns removed and pylons for four early beam-rider air-to-air missiles (called "Alkali" by NATO). All MiG-19s can carry the simple K-1 ЗА missile (the copy of Side­winder. called "Atoll" by NATO) and underwing pylons can carry two 176 gal drop tanks plus two 5511b weapons or dispensers. Perhaps sur­prisingly. there has been no evidence of a two-seat trainer version of this fine fighter, which in 1960 was judged obsolescent and in 1970 was fast being reappraised as an extremely potent dogfighter. Part of the understand­ing of the MiG-19’s qualities has resulted from its purchase in large numbers by Pakistan as the F-6 from the Chinese factory at Shenyang. The notable features of the F-6 were its superb finish, outstanding dogfight man­oeuvrability and tremendous hitting power of the NR-30 guns, each projectile having more than twice the kinetic energy of those of the Aden or DEFA of similar calibre. Though China soon ceased making the MiG-21 the F-6 remains in production, and has been developed into the F-6bis.

Left: Very large numbers of many versions of F-6 (Chinese-built MiG-19) are used by the air force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. This is a regular F-6 single-seat tactical machine, but some versions — notably the TF-6 dual-control trainer — are wholly of Chinese design and have no counterpart in the Soviet Union. The F-6 was also the basis for the much heavier and more powerful F-6bis, called ‘Fantan-A’ by NATO.