Changes

==Design==

==Design==

The MiG-17 has a blunt nose, [[bubble canopy]], and a short, [[cigar]]-shaped fuselage. The single exhaust is overhung by a fin. The swept wings have thick wing roots and blunt tips.  Most versions of the Fresco were armed with two 23 mm and one 37 cannon, the same armament as the MiG-15.

The MiG-17 has a blunt nose, [[bubble canopy]], and a short, [[cigar]]-shaped fuselage. The single exhaust is overhung by a fin. The swept wings have thick wing roots and blunt tips.  Most versions of the Fresco were armed with two 23 mm and one 37 cannon, the same armament as the MiG-15.

==Service==

==Service==

[[North Vietnam]] acquired MiG-17s, its first jet fighters, in early 1964.  At the time of the [[Gulf of Tonkin incident]], the pilots and planes were still in China, finishing their training.  They were hurriedly recalled, and MiG-17s (affectionately called ‘Silver Swallows’ by the Vietnamese) were soon flying regular sorties.  The first combat came on April 3, 1965, a month after [[Operation Rolling Thunder]] began.  Six MiGs engaged a US Navy strike force, and later claimed to have shot down two [[F-8 Crusader]]s.  In fact, the only American loss was to flak, although the Frescoes had damaged one of the Crusaders so badly it had to land at [[Da Nang]] instead of returning to its carrier.  No MiGs were lost.  The next day, four MiGs engaged a force of [[F-105 Thunderchief]]s and downed two (these losses were confirmed by the US Air Force).  However, three of the North Vietnamese fighters were lost, one to an [[F-100 Super Sabre]] and two to unknown causes.<ref>The surviving pilot claimed to have seen them shot down by F-105s, but no Thud pilot claimed any hits on the MiGs that day.  They may have been brought down by friendly flak.</ref>  For the first years of the war, Frescoes bore the brunt of air defence ([[MiG-21]]s arrived in 1966, but there were few of them compared to the MiG-17s), and although the machines were a full generation behind the American Phantoms, Thunderchiefs, and Crusaders, they inflicted losses on their opponents.  Fresco pilots claimed over 60 kills between 1965 and 1968, of which about a third are confirmed by American records.  However, the North Vietnamese were hampered by their lack of radar support and poor training compared to the American pilots, and over 80 Frescoes were lost over that same period, mostly to American fighters, but they also suffered a high accident rate in North Vietnamese service.<ref>''MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War'', by Istvan Toperczer, Osprey Publishing, 2001</ref>

[[North Vietnam]] acquired MiG-17s, its first jet fighters, in early 1964.  At the time of the [[Gulf of Tonkin incident]], the pilots and planes were still in China, finishing their training.  They were hurriedly recalled, and MiG-17s (affectionately called ‘Silver Swallows’ by the Vietnamese) were soon flying regular sorties.  The first combat came on April 3, 1965, a month after [[Operation Rolling Thunder]] began.  Six MiGs engaged a US Navy strike force, and later claimed to have shot down two [[F-8 Crusader]]s.  In fact, the only American loss was to flak, although the Frescoes had damaged one of the Crusaders so badly it had to land at [[Da Nang]] instead of returning to its carrier.  No MiGs were lost.  The next day, four MiGs engaged a force of [[F-105 Thunderchief]]s and downed two (these losses were confirmed by the US Air Force).  However, three of the North Vietnamese fighters were lost, one to an [[F-100 Super Sabre]] and two to unknown causes.<ref>The surviving pilot claimed to have seen them shot down by F-105s, but no Thud pilot claimed any hits on the MiGs that day.  They may have been brought down by friendly flak.</ref>  For the first years of the war, Frescoes bore the brunt of air defence ([[MiG-21]]s arrived in 1966, but there were few of them compared to the MiG-17s), and although the machines were a full generation behind the American Phantoms, Thunderchiefs, and Crusaders, they inflicted losses on their opponents.  Fresco pilots claimed over 60 kills between 1965 and 1968, of which about a third are confirmed by American records.  However, the North Vietnamese were hampered by their lack of radar support and poor training compared to the American pilots, and over 80 Frescoes were lost over that same period, mostly to American fighters, but they also suffered a high accident rate in North Vietnamese service.<ref>''MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War'', by Istvan Toperczer, Osprey Publishing, 2001</ref>

After Rolling Thunder ended, the air war entered a lull.  By the time President [[Richard Nixon]] ordered strikes to resume in early 1972, North Vietnam had acquired more MiG-21s and also [[MiG-19]]s, so Frescoes were less prominent in this stage of the war.  In 1972, Frescoes scored only three kills, while losing about a dozen of their own.  However, Frescoes scored a victory of another kind on April 19, 1972.  After weeks of training, two MiG-17 pilots attacked the destroyer USS ''Higbee'' and the cruiser USS ''Oklahoma City'' ten miles offshore, dropping two 550 lb bombs on each ship.  The ''Oklahoma City'' was only lightly damaged, but the ''Highbee''’s rear turret, with two 5 inch guns, was destroyed, and four sailors were injured.  One of the pilots was Nguyen Van Bay, North Vietnam’s top MiG-17 ace with seven kills.<ref>[http://www.acepilots.com/vietnam/viet_aces.html Vietnamese Aces]</ref>

After Rolling Thunder ended, the air war entered a lull.  By the time President [[Richard Nixon]] ordered strikes to resume in early 1972, North Vietnam had acquired more MiG-21s and also [[MiG-19]]s, so Frescoes were less prominent in this stage of the war.  In 1972, Frescoes scored only three kills, while losing about a dozen of their own.  However, Frescoes scored a victory of another kind on April 19, 1972.  After weeks of training, two MiG-17 pilots attacked the destroyer USS ''Higbee'' and the cruiser USS ''Oklahoma City'' ten miles offshore, dropping two 550&nbsp;lb bombs on each ship.  The ''Oklahoma City'' was only lightly damaged, but the ''Highbee''’s rear turret, with two 5 inch guns, was destroyed, and four sailors were injured.  One of the pilots was Nguyen Van Bay, North Vietnam’s top MiG-17 ace with seven kills.<ref>[http://www.acepilots.com/vietnam/viet_aces.html Vietnamese Aces]</ref>

===Middle East===

===Middle East===

After the region of [[Biafra]] broke away from [[Nigeria]] in 1967, the Nigerian Air Force acquired MiG-17s, its first modern fighters, from the Soviet Union.  A strike by Biafran bombers destroyed some of them on the ground, but they became operational and flew their first combat sorties on August 30.  The new fighters later supported a government offensive that captured Biafran airfields, and soon the NAF had air superiority.

After the region of [[Biafra]] broke away from [[Nigeria]] in 1967, the Nigerian Air Force acquired MiG-17s, its first modern fighters, from the Soviet Union.  A strike by Biafran bombers destroyed some of them on the ground, but they became operational and flew their first combat sorties on August 30.  The new fighters later supported a government offensive that captured Biafran airfields, and soon the NAF had air superiority.

Some of the Frescoes were flown by British [[Mercenary|mercenaries]], one of whom downed a [[Red Cross]] DC-7 transport delivering aid to the Biafrans in June of 1969.<ref>[http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_351.shtml Civil War in Nigeria (Biafra), 1967-1970]</ref>

Some of the Frescoes were flown by British [[Mercenary|mercenaries]], one of whom downed a [[Red Cross]] DC-7 transport delivering aid to the Biafrans in June 1969.<ref>[http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_351.shtml Civil War in Nigeria (Biafra), 1967-1970]</ref>

===China-Taiwan===

===China-Taiwan===

<references/>

<references/>

==External Links==

==External links==

*[http://home.att.net/~iris.gardner/subic.html USS Higbee: The Battle of Dong Hoi] (a detailed account of the attack)

*[http://home.att.net/~iris.gardner/subic.html USS Higbee: The Battle of Dong Hoi] (a detailed account of the attack)

[[Category: Aircraft]]

[[Category:Aircraft]]

[[Category:Soviet Union]]

[[Category:Soviet Union]]

[[Category:Military Aircraft]]

[[Category:Military Aircraft]]