#vpaf

During the Vietnam War, the advanced F-4 was struggling to handle MiG-19s and early MiG-21s, which were classed as "Day Fighters." Day fighters are a type of fighter aircraft designed primarily to operate, as the name implies, during the day. VPAF MiG-19 and MiG-21F-13 below.

Pacific Aviation Museum’s VPAF MIG-21 No.4326

11: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 ‘Fresco’

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 was a Soviet fighter introduced in the early 1950s, further improving and correcting the excellent but flawed MiG-15. The MiG-17 featured an afterburner, refined aerodynamics, including a new wing with greater sweep, which enhanced speed and climb performance compared to its predecessor.

Though slower than U.S. aircraft like the F-4 and F-105, the MiG-17 enjoyed exceptional manoeuvrability and a high turn rate. This allowed it to outturn American fighters, making it very effective in close-range dogfights against faster but less agile opponents.

So why didn’t the MiG-17 score more kills?

The MiG-17 did not achieve a high kill total in Vietnam despite its excellent manoeuvrability and agility because its strengths only applied within a narrow type of engagement. It was subsonic, so its slower speed limited its ability to dictate when and how fights began or ended, especially against faster U.S. jets that could disengage or reposition more easily. However, this did not make it obsolete—in close-range turning fights, it was highly effective, and guns still accounted for many kills during the war. The problem was opportunity: improved U.S. tactics, better situational awareness, and coordinated formations reduced the number of favourable merge situations, limiting the MiG-17’s ability to consistently exploit its turning advantage.

The MiG-17’s armament typically included one powerful 37mm and two 23mm cannons, delivering astonishing firepower. North Vietnamese pilots used the MiG-17’s agility and heavy guns to ambush and engage larger U.S. aircraft, taking advantage of surprise and terrain for hit-and-run attacks.

During the Vietnam War, the MiG-17 scored about 87 confirmed kills (though this is much debated). Its success showed that agility and manoeuvrability could still take down newer, higher technology jets like the F-4 Phantom. Despite being older, the MiG-17 remained a persistent threat.

North Vietnamese losses

U.S. pilots claimed roughly 195 to 204 North Vietnamese aircraft destroyed in air combat, while Vietnamese records show about 146 to 159 MiG fighter losses from all causes, including air combat, surface-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery and accidents. When isolating air-to-air combat alone, about 131 MiGs were lost, which broadly aligns with U.S. claims once over-claiming and confirmation errors are taken into account. North Vietnam operated only around 70 to 150 MiG fighters at any one time, so these losses represented a very large proportion of its air combat force. Several hundred non-MiG aircraft, including transports, trainers and liaison types, were also lost during the war. Precise total North Vietnamese aircrew casualties are unknown, though fighter pilot losses alone are generally estimated at more than 100 killed or missing.

The North Vietnamese Air Force was extremely small compared with its American and South Vietnamese counterparts, operating only a few dozen MiG fighters at any one time against an overwhelming coalition that fielded thousands of aircraft across the theatre.