The MiG-15 was designed in 1948 by the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau as the I-310. It was an advanced swept-wing fighter, but there was no suitable jet engine to power it, until
the pro left-wing British government authorised Rolls-Royce to give the Soviets the Nene engine. This was quickly copied and became the Klimov RD-45, and the renamed MiG-15 entered service in 1949. This was followed by an improved version, the MiG-15bis, and the two-seat MiG-15UTI.

The MiG-15 was exported to many pro-Soviet countries, and also licence-built by Czechoslovakia, Poland, China and others. Over 8,000 were built in the USSR alone, and many saw combat in the Korean War, where the aircraft proved to be better in many ways than the F-86 Sabre. The USAF pilots were generally better trained, and the Sabre had better gun-sights, which swung the balance back in their favour.

The MiG-15 was armed with 1 x 37 mm cannon, and 2 x 23 mm cannon. It could also carry bombs or fuel tanks on under-wing hard points.

This example is a Letov S-103 of the Czech Air Force, circa 1955.