With a history dating back 83 years, the Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau has built some memorable aircraft. Rather than look at all the MiG planes that have been manufactured, we will concentrate on notable post-war aircraft.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was one of the world's first fighters to incorporate swept wings. During aerial combat in the Korean War (1950-1953), it outperformed conventional wing fighters.

As a response, the United States rushed the North American F-86 Sabre into the conflict. The Soviets later developed an advanced version of the MiG-15, the MiG-17, which was flown by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War in the 1960s. During its production run, the Soviet Union is believed to have built 13,130 and at least another 4,180 under license.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21, NATO reporting name Fishbed, was first introduced in 1959 as a supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft. Developed from the MiG-15 and MiG-17, one of the most notable differences was its delta rather than swept wing.

The aircraft's main improvement over its predecessors was that it was much faster and could carry more armaments. Because of its relatively simple design, it was easy to build, with 10,645 built in the Soviet Union and a further 851 made in Czechoslovakia and India.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

Regarded as a third-generation Soviet jet fighter, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 was introduced in 1970. It was one of the first Soviet aircraft fitted with beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles.

In total, 5,047 were manufactured between 196 and 1985.

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25

When the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25, Foxbat, first appeared in 1970, it was one of the fastest planes in the sky, with a top speed of Mach 2.83. It could fly as fast as Mach 3.2 but was prevented to prevent the engines from overheating. Theoretically able to climb to an altitude of 89,000 feet, the plane was a significant worry to NATO.

To combat the MiG-25, McDonnell Douglas improved its F-15 Eagle. NATO received a gift on September 6, 1976, when disillusioned and fed up with the USSR's Communist system, Russian pilot Viktor Belenko decided to defect to the West in a MiG-25.

Stationed at Chuguyevka Air Base near Vladivostok in the Far East, Belenko decided to fly to Japan and apply for political asylum. At around 13:10, Japanese radar detected the MiG-25 and dispatched a pair of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighter interceptors.

Belenko was expecting to be met by the Japanese planes and escorted to a military air base. Because of poor weather, the Phantom's failed to make contact, and running out of fuel, Belenko landed at the closest place he could find, which was Hakodate Airport (HKD) in southern Hokkaido.

While the Soviets did all they could to regain the aircraft, it was disassembled and flown to an air base near Tokyo where Western engineers could study it. In total, 1,185 MiG-25s were built between 1964 and 1984.

Mikoyan MiG-29

The Mikoyan MiG-29, Fulcrum, Is a Russian air superiority fighter developed alongside the Sukhoi Su-27. The twin-engine fighter was designed to counter the American F-15 Eagle and the F-16 Fighting Falcon.

While initially meant to be an air-to-air combat fighter, since its introduction in 1983, many have been modified to perform a variety of roles. Today, the MiG-29 is playing a combat role in the Russian invasion. It is one of the Ukrainian Air Force's top planes and will remain so until the arrival of the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon in 2024.

Mikoyan MiG-35

The Mikoyan MiG-35, Fulcrum-F, is the latest Russian multirole fighter jet. Marketed as a fourth-generation fighter derived from the MiG-29, the Mig-35 has new, improved engines and state-of-the-art electronics.

The first two MiG-35s entered service with the Russian Air Force in 2019, but its numbers remain limited.

Source: Military Today