Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19

The Soviet Union's First Production Supersonic Fighter
By Yefim Gordon
Aerofax, ©2004
ISBN 1-85780-149-0
Softbound, 160 Pages
Available from Specialty Press for $32.95

Reviewed By Chris Banyai-Riepl

Following the great success of the MiG-15 and MiG-17, the Mikoyan OKB came up with the MiG-19, a twin-engined supersonic design that initially was seen as an intermediate step to a true supersonic fighter, but actually was quite successful in its own right. This title in the Aerofax series takes a detailed look at this rather interesting fighter aircraft, as well as its Chinese derivatives.

The first part of the book details the development process and concept. After this comes a detailed breakdown of all the different MiG-19 family members, of which there were many. This section is quite interesting as it also shows how the interceptor requirements changed over the life of the MiG-19. About the only thing that could benefit this section would be a series of drawings outlining the various changes between the marks. After the description of Soviet variants follows a breakdown of the Chinese knockoffs, again following the same form as the prior section. Again, a flowchart would have been useful here, but the text does a great job of outlining the differences.

The MiG-19 had a surprisingly active service career, both with the Soviet Union and abroad. While in Soviet service, the MiG-19 took part in several notable Cold War incidents, including the shoot-down of Gary Powers' U-2 on May 1, 1960 and the shoot-down of an RB-47H a month later. The excellent interceptor characteristics of the MiG-19 made it ideal for these kinds of missions. Outside of the Soviet Union, the MiG-19 made a name for itself in the Pakistan Air Force. Its quick response time made it perfect for intercepting Indian aircraft penetrating the border.

In addition to the combat record, this book does an excellent job of outlining the foreign operators of the MiG-19, including Warsaw Pact countries as well as Far Eastern and African nations. For each country there is a brief outline of operations with the MiG-19, providing yet another glimpse of just how useful this aircraft was.

For those interested in Soviet aviation, this is a great book to add to your library. The well-written text coupled with extensive photo coverage makes this an excellent reference. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review sample.