The prototype of the MiG-17 was a conversion of an older MiG-15 airframe. This prototype had a thinner wing that incorporated a mid-span bend in the leading edge. The prototype also had a longer fuselage and a larger vertical fin than the older MiG-15. In August 1951, with its test program completed, the aircraft was ordered into mass production and designated the MiG-17 (called the "Fresco" by NATO). The first MiG-17F (known as the "Fresco C") rolled off production lines in the spring of 1953. Not surprisingly, the MiG-17F was the most widely produced variant of the MiG-17. The main difference between the MiG-17 Fresco A and the later MiG-17F was the power plant. The MiG-17F used the more powerful VK-1 F after-burning turbojet which provided a substantial increase in power for takeoff and combat maneuvering over the older Fresco A model (the "F" in MiG-17F stands for Forsirovannyy, meaning "boosted").

Although it did not see combat in Korea, the MiG-17 saw extensive action in the Arab-Israeli Wars and in a wide variety of other Third World conflicts. In 1958, Communist Chinese produced MiG-17Fs (designated the F-5) destroyed two Republic F-84G Thunderjets and six North American F-86A Sabres flown by Nationalist Chinese pilots. However, the MiG-17F's most visible role came during the Vietnam War. The MiG-17 proved the continued worth of automatic cannons in an era of advanced air-to-air missiles. The North Vietnamese Air Force's leading ace and MiG-17 pilot, Col. Toon, was credited with destroying 13 American aircraft before being shot down in 1972 by a US Navy F-4J Phantom II. American flight crews repeatedly stated they feared the North Vietnam's elderly MiG-17s far more than the newer, faster and missile armed MiG-21 Fishbeds.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a Soviet Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 17 "Fresco A" fighter known as "Blue 88," that took part in the Invasion of Czechoslovakia during August 1968. Sold Out!

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

Release Date: April 2018

Historical Account: "The Brezhnev Doctrine" - The Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia, officially known as Operation Danube, was a joint invasion of Czechoslovakia by five Warsaw Pact nations - the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Hungary, East Germany and Poland - on the night of August 20th-21th, 1968. Approximately 250,000 Warsaw Pact troops attacked Czechoslovakia that night, with Romania and Albania refusing to participate. East German forces, except for a small number of specialists, did not participate in the invasion because they were ordered from Moscow not to cross the Czechoslovak border just hours before the invasion. 137 Czechoslovakian civilians were killed and 500 seriously wounded during the occupation.

The invasion successfully stopped Alexander Dubcek's Prague Spring liberalization reforms and strengthened the authority of the authoritarian wing within the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC). The foreign policy of the Soviet Union during this era was known as the Brezhnev Doctrine.