The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 NATO reporting name: Farmer) is a Soviet second generation, single-seat, twinjet fighter aircraft, the world's first mass-produced supersonic aircraft. It was the first Soviet production aircraft capable of supersonic speeds in level flight. A comparable U.S. "Century Series" fighter was the North American F-100 Super Sabre, although the MiG-19 primarily fought against the more modern McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and Republic F-105 Thunderchief over North Vietnam.

Deliveries of the new fighter to the Soviet Air Forces (VVS) began in June 1955, with the type being publicly unveiled on 3 July that year, when 48 MiG-19s took part in a flypast during an airshow at Tushino Airfield, Moscow.

During their service with Soviet Anti-Air Defense and in East Germany, MiG-19s were involved in multiple interceptions of Western reconnaissance aircraft. The first documented encounter with a Lockheed U-2 took place in the autumn of 1957. The MiG-19 pilot reported seeing the aircraft, but could not make up the 3,000 m (9,800 ft) difference in altitude. When Francis Gary Powers's U-2 was shot down in the 1960 incident, one pursuing MiG-19P was also hit by the salvo of S-75 Dvina (NATO: SA-2 "Guideline") missiles, killing the pilot Sergei Safronov. In a highly controversial incident, on July 1st, 1960, a MiG-19 shot down an RB-47H (S/N 53-4281) reconnaissance aircraft in international airspace over the Arctic Circle with four of the crew killed and two captured by the Soviets (they were released in 1961). In another incident, on January 28th, 1964, a MiG-19 shot down a T-39 Sabreliner which had strayed into East German airspace while on a training mission; all three crewmembers were killed.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of an East German Mikoyan Gurevich MiG-19S "Farmer-C" fighter that was attached to 1 Staffel/Jagdfliegergeschwader "Vladimir Komarow", then deployed to Preschen, Germany, during 1968. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 5-1/4-inches
Length: 6-1/4-inches

Release Date: April 2023

Historical Account: "The Bockwurst Squadron" - Jagdfliegergeschwader 3 ( JG-3 ) bore the honorary title " Vladimir Komarov " and was a flying unit in regimental strength of the NVA air forces in direct subordination of the 1st Air Defense Division.

The squadron was set up on December 14th, 1954, as the 3rd command of the 1st Aero Club. On August 24th, 1956, it was taken over as the 3rd Air Wing in the NVA . On December 1st, 1961, the name was changed to Jagdfliegergeschwader 3 (JG-3) and on March 1st, 1971, the squadron was given the traditional name "Vladimir Komarow". Flight duty days were usually Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The squadron belonged to the 1st Air Defense Division (1st LVD) Cottbus .

Colloquially, this fighter pilot association was referred to as the "Bockwurst Squadron"; a parody of the self-creation of the squadron: "sausage catering variants".