Although the North Vietnamese really needed more MiG-21s, thevenerable MiG-19 served them well

Although the North Vietnamese really needed more MiG-21s, the
venerable MiG-19 served them well
Carl O Schuster.
Vietnam. ISSN: 10462902
Dec 2008. Vol. 21, Iss. 4; pg. 13, 2 pgs

Abstract (Summary)
Fortunately for Hanoi, China had been trickling in Shenyang F-6
fighters (essentially a Chinese-built MiG- 19S) since 1966, and that
plane's instruments, controls and performance were only slightly
different from those of the MiG- 17, on which the pilots had trained
before going to the Soviet Union to learn how to fly the MiG-21. [...]
starting in 1969, the American forces attacked the North's fighter
bases regularly, destroying fuel supplies, planes, spare parts hangars
and ammunition. MiG- 19s were used primarily as advanced trainers
after 1975, but also served in a ground attack role, bombing suspected
Meo bases in Laos in the late 1970s and interdicting Khmer Rouge troop
movements during the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1979.

In 1969, North Vietnam decided to increase its fighter force before
the latest lull in the American bombing campaign ended. It had the
pilots, all qualified to fly the MiG-21, but not enough of the jets
were avail- able, nor would they be until year's end. Fortunately for
Hanoi, China had been trickling in Shenyang F-6 fighters (essentially
a Chinese-built MiG- 19S) since 1966, and that plane's instruments,
controls and performance were only slightly different from those of
the MiG- 17, on which the pilots had trained before going to the
Soviet Union to learn how to fly the MiG-21. The transition training
to the MiG-19 took no more than six weeks, and the pilots flew to
China in late February and brought their planes back.

In that same month, the North Viet- namese Air Force (NVAF) assigned
its MiG- 19s to the newly formed 925th Fighter Regiment at Yen Bai.
The unit did little, however, until early 1972, when American air
assets began building up for President Richard M. Nixon's bombing
campaigns. These were much larger and more intensive, and enjoyed more
flexible rules of engagement, than those conducted during Lyndon
Johnson's administration.

In anticipation of the coming raids, Hanoi imported another 24 MiG-
19s from China, bringing its total inventory up to 44. Training at the
925th was meant to be intensive, but fuel shortages and maintenance
problems limited flying hours. The first nine pilots weren't ready
until late April, but the regiment had to be thrown into the fray by
May, defending the air space over northern and northwestern North
Vietnam. Its first engagement with American F-4 Phantoms was on May 8,
1972, and in spite of claims made on both sides, neither achieved
substantive results.

The 925th's first success came two days later, when a flight of four
took off in support of MiG-21 s trying to intercept American aircraft
west of Haiphong. While the MiG21s drew the combat air patrol away,
the MiG- 19s approached the strike group from behind. They managed to
surprise one F-4D, and Pham Hung Son shot it down after a prolonged
chase, while Nguyen Van Tung downed an F-4E. One MiG-19 was hit by an
air-to-air missile, killing Nguyen Hung Son, and while landing with
just enough fuel to return to base, Nguyen Van Tung's plane overshot
the runway, crashing and killing him.

MiG-19 tactics were very similar to MiG-17 tactics, with one key
difference. The MiG-19 had significantly more power, which gave it a
higher acceleration rate and supersonic flight. Additionally, unlike
the MiG-17, the MiG-19 could carry two AA-2 Atoll air-to-air missiles,
Soviet copies of the American infrared-guided AIM-9B Sidewinder. Those
missiles and the MiG- 19's greater speed meant that accelerating away
didn't give the target the same chance of escape. The MiG-19 had a
similar turning ability to that of the MiG-17 and the MiG-21 , and its
snap roll was superior. Overall, however, it was difficult to fly.

The MiG-19 began life in 1950 when the Soviet air force directed the
development of a new fighter that had more range and speed than the
MiG-17, which was then early in its test program. The new fighter,
initially designated the SM-1, used many MiG-17 airframe components
but was to receive new, more powerful engines. It proved very unstable
in flight, but much faster than the earlier aircraft.

The second prototype, the SM-2, conducted its first flight in July
1952. It incorporated a more powerful ejection seat and new armament -
two 37mm cannons. The cannons were moved away from the engine intakes
to the wing roots to prevent the firing gases from affecting engine
performance. Provision was made to carry two 760-liter drop tanks or
250kg bombs. Range had improved to more than 1,000 miles, and
operational ceiling had improved to 52,000 feet. The aircraft was
equipped with the SRD-I Radial M gun-ranging radar and an RV-2 radio
altimeter. The resulting fighter had a far superior climb rate and
range than the MiG- 17F, but it was unstable and its turning radius
was 200 meters greater. Soviet air force authorities found that
unacceptable and demanded further development. Nonetheless, they
ordered it into production. The first operational MiG-19 unit was
formed in 1955.

The MiG-19 was the Soviets' first supersonic production fighter, and
also the first to employ a braking parachute to shorten its landing
run. The aircraft was crammed with fuel, however, and one of those
tanks was located immediately below the engine exhaust. Consequently,
early MiG-19s had a tendency to catch fire in flight and blow up,
making them very unpopular with pilots. The air brakes were also
poorly designed; when deployed, they caused the plane's nose to pitch,
which often led to a stall. Turning and landing could be tricky
because of the MiG's inherent instability. Although that gave it an
impressive snap roll, a moment's inattention or a slight mistake in
handling resulted in an uncontrolled spin that required several
thousand feet and much skill to recover.

THE LESSONS LEARNED from the early MiG-19 were used to modify the
basic design, and the resulting MiG-19S entered production in 1956. It
integrated the gun-ranging radar into a trajectory computing system
that fed the gun sight, greatly improving the pilot's ability to hit
maneuvering targets. The air brakes were improved and a third 37mm
cannon was added. Turning radius was reduced, making the plane only
slightly less maneuverable than the MiG-17. It had a better sustained
turning rate at all altitudes.

The MiG-19, however, continued to be a dangerous platform, suffering
the highest accident rate of any plane in Soviet service. Its cockpit
pressurization had a tendency to fail without warning, forcing the
pilot to descend quickly. The MiG- 19's Soviet production ended in
1958, but in 1957, components, machine tools and a production license
were sold to China, which became its largest manufacturer.

Chinese production began in 1959, and China designated it the Jianjiji
Type 6 or Jian-6 (Fighter Type 6). The J-6 was equipped with the same
RD-9B engine as the MiG-19 but suffered from poorer quality
manufacturing. Chinese engines were less reliable and required
significantly more maintenance than Soviet models. Armament was
reduced to two 23mm cannons in some Chinese variants, each carrying
100 rounds of ammunition. The wing flaps and air brakes were modified
to increase their efficiency, but the Chinese hydraulics had a high
failure rate. For all its faults, however, the J-6 offered Third World
countries an inexpensive supersonic fighter, and China sold an export
version, the F-6, to numerous countries including North Vietnam.

Few American pilots encountered the MiG-19 over North Vietnam. There
were never more than 36 in service at any one time. Given their area
of assignment, U.S. Air Force pilots were more likely to spot a MiG-19
than were Navy pilots.

The MiG-19 proved no more popular in North Vietnamese service than it
did in the Soviet Union. Vietnamese pilots loved its acceleration, and
the cabin depressurization problem was not as much a concern for them
since most of their operations were below 20,000 feet. However, pilots
who had previously trained on the MiG-21 compared the MiG-19
unfavorably to it.

Although the MiG-19's turning radius was superior to the F-4 Phantom's
at all altitudes, it entered service several years after the American
pilots had learned how to counter such tactics. By the time the 925th
took to the skies, few Americans were foolish enough to turn with any
MiG.

The MiG-19 still suffered an unusually high accident rate. Engine
failures were common, particularly in planes using Chinese license-
built engines. Ejection seat problems also reduced the chances of
survival for any pilot who had to abandon the aircraft. Finally,
starting in 1969, the American forces attacked the North's fighter
bases regularly, destroying fuel supplies, planes, spare parts hangars
and ammunition. Pilots got little rest and had to disperse their
planes shortly after landing, to reduce the chances of being caught on
the ground.

MiG- 19s were used primarily as advanced trainers after 1975, but also
served in a ground attack role, bombing suspected Meo bases in Laos in
the late 1970s and interdicting Khmer Rouge troop movements during the
Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia in 1979. The Soviet Union provided a
last batch of MiG-19s shortly after the war. Despite these deliveries,
fewer than 30 MiG-19s were still in Vietnamese service when China and
Vietnam fought their short war in 1979. The last North Vietnamese
MiG-19s reportedly were decommissioned by the late 1980s.

Despite the shortcomings of MiG-19s, they arrived at a critical time
during the air war. There weren't enough MiG-21 s to fill out the
country's order of battle, and they were an improvement on the MiG-17.
It may not have been enough to impress the pilots, but with nothing
else available, it was better than nothing. The MiG-19 remains in
service with the air forces of Bangladesh, China, North Korea and
Pakistan. A handful were also in Afghanistan when the United States
launched its war on the Taliban in November 2001 . Given world
tensions, it is possible that American pilots have not seen the last
of the venerable MiG-19.

[Sidebar]
Shenyang F-6 No. 6058 of the 925th Fighter Regiment survives in Hanoi
to remind Vietnamese of the supersonic MiG-19's brief combat role in
1972.

[Author Affiliation]
BY CAPTAIN CARL O. SCHUSTER, U.S. NAVY (RET.)

FWIW A good friend of mine flying MIGCAP out of Ubon saw a MiG19 come
in after he and his wingman. They did hard break into and under the
19, kept going down and around in the dive to pick up smash, eyes on
the 19, then pulled up hard and watched the 19 not make it through the
pull - went right into the jungle. My professional guess is that the
Gomer had his eyes on the 4s and bried himself in his dive. Literally.
FWIW, that's one of the reasons for breaking into, down, and under a
guy. If you can get his nose too deep he's set up for a good vector
roll.
The 19 was a pretty good interceptor but had a few tricky aspects that
needed a good pilot well familiar with the bird to get the most out of
it.
There was an airshow down in Cuba where a 19 was making a high speed
low altitude pass. ISTR what he was trying to do but somehow he
pressed the wrong button (what I heard) and deployed his drag chute
and it damaged his bird and he went into Havana harbor at a high rate
of knots.
Another famous pic was a 19 down in Indonesia, I believe, going
straight in with about 200 feet left to live. The pic was so clear you
could see his stabilator was full nose down. Oopsie!
Walt BJ