NOTE:
RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE
PAGE.
The
Mikoyan MiG-19 was the first supersonic Soviet jet
fighter. Rather than being based on another design, the aircraft was all
new.
The
first MiG-19 production aircraft was powered by a pair of Mikulin
engines. These were the first mass produced Soviet jet engines. Due
to instability, particularly at trans sonic speeds, the aircraft
was withdrawn from service pending major modifications.
The
result of the modifications was the Mikoyan MiG-19 model S. It featured a full
flying elevator that solved the instability problems. Also new were a
pair of more reliable and powerful Tumansky engines.
Versions
of the Mikoyan MiG-19 included an all-weather radar equipped MiG-19PF and the MiG-19PM
that was equipped with air-to-air missiles as its primary weapons and no guns.
Export variants were used by Poland and used by Czechslovakia.
The
Shenyang J-6 was a licensed Mikoyan MiG-19 built by the Chinese from
1961 through 1986. They sold their aircraft to a number of countries
around the world.
Chinese MiG-19 aircraft saw combat against U.S. aircraft over Vietnam, and were used by Pakistan in combat with India.
The Mikoyan MiG-19 was known as a "pilots aircraft" for its forgiving flight
characteristics. It is said to be one of the best fighter aircraft of
its time.
A total of approximately 10,000 Mikoyan MiG-19 aircraft of all types were produced.