MiG-15

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-15) was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. The MiG-15 was one of

the first successful swept-wing jet fighters, and it achieved fame in the skies over Korea, where early in the war, it outclassed all enemy fighters. The MiG-15 also served as the

starting point for development of the more advanced MiG-17 which would oppose American fighters over Vietnam in the 1960s. The MiG-15 is believed to have been one of the

most numerous jet aircraft ever made, with over 12,000 built. Licensed foreign production perhaps raised the total to over 18,000.[1] The Mig-15 is often mentioned along with

the F-86 Sabre in lists of the best fighter aircraft of the Korean War and in comparison with fighters of other eras.
Most early jets were designed like piston-engined fighters with straight wings, limiting their high speed performance. German research during World War II had shown swept

wings would perform better at transonic speeds, and Soviet aircraft designers were quick to take advantage of this information. Claims of Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich

(lead designers of the "MiG" bureau) being heavily influenced by the Focke-Wulf Ta 183, however, have been discredited. Although the abortive late-war German jet had swept

wings and bore a superficial resemblance to the later MiG-15, the two aircraft are very different in structure and general design. The Soviets did seize plans and prototypes for

the Ta-183, but the majority of Focke-Wulf engineers were captured by Western armies, therefore it could be argued that the MiG-15 design team drew some limited inspiration

from the Ta-183, but there is insufficient evidence to suggest it was heavily influenced by the Ta-183. Currently, most sources acknowledge that the MiG-15 is an original

design benefiting from German research, but conceived, designed, engineered, and produced by the Soviets.