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71 years ago today was the first flight of an aircraft that would become infamous for US pilots: the Mikoyan Gurevich I 330, which developed into the MiG-17.
[This thread is probably not going where you think it is...]
![71 years ago today was the first flight of an aircraft that would become infamous for US pilots: the Mikoyan Gurevich I 330, which developed into the MiG-17. [This thread is probably not going where you think it is...]](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ert2jfvUcAA7yRy.jpg "71 years ago today was the first flight of an aircraft that would become infamous for US pilots: the Mikoyan Gurevich I 330, which developed into the MiG-17. [This thread is probably not going where you think it is...]")
[This thread is probably not going where you think it is...]
Almost a year before the earlier MiG-15s shocked US and coalition aircraft in the Korean War, the MiG-17 was already off the ground, but it did not see extensive combat until the Vietnam War, when VPAF MiG-17s proved a deadly adversary to US aircraft
The MiG-17 was both faster, more maneuverable, and more controllable at higher speeds than the -15, mostly due to a thinner wing with higher sweep, and was the first Soviet plane to use an afterburner.
By 1966, the MiG-17 was proving deadly over the skies of Vietnam. US planes like the F-4 Phantom were faster, but almost double the size and not nearly as agile.
Famed triple-ace BG Robin Olds himself said: "as marvelous as our Phantoms were in air-to-air combat, they were no match for the MiGs."
So what to do? The US did extensive mock combat tests. This is a thread about one of the best code-named secret operations: "Feather Duster"
So what to do? The US did extensive mock combat tests. This is a thread about one of the best code-named secret operations: "Feather Duster"
The US had not yet captured a MiG-17, but knew the F-86 could mimic its flight characteristics. Operation Feather Duster was a series of over 400 simulated air combat encounters to test MiG-17s and -21s against F-100s, F-104s, F-105s, F-4s, and F-5s.
Feather Duster used F-86s to simulate the MiGs, using both guns and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. The tests were in 2 parts. The first were all one-on-one dogfights, and the second set were larger groups up to four-on-four
The tests concluded: "The MIG-15/17/21 will all out-perform any of our fighters at Mach numbers below .9 at any altitude." And, "Above all, do not enter into a shin-kicking, G-pulling contest with a MIG."
This was a sobering realization for US air war planners, and was an important piece of evidence that influenced the development of more dedicated air superiority fighters
(insert plug for my forthcoming book on the subject)
(insert plug for my forthcoming book on the subject)
Of course, a few months after these tests were done, the US was able to get their hands on an actual MiG-17 and -21 due to Iraqi pilots that defected to Israel. That story is well told by others, like Col. Gaillard Peck
This story shows the importance of questioning assumptions, testing them, responding to evidence, and adapting to achieve success, which is exactly what the Air Force did (if a bit slowly) in response to the MiG-17, which first took to the air 71 years ago.
