Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series (Jet Powered) HA2407 - MIG-15bis DDR Air Force NVA (East Germany) FAG-2 (Fighter Pilot Training Wing 2) Sachsen (Saxonia), Summer 1959 |

| The USSR had successfully copied the Rolls-Royce Nene engine and used it in the MiG- 15 then set out to make improvements. Klimov developed the VK-1 engine that used larger components such as the combustion chamber the turbine blades and tail pipe. All this had to be accomplished so the new engine would fit into the same space that the Nene used. The MiG-15bis (NATO code name – Fagot B) (bis - second) had a reconnaissance version labeled the MiG-15bisR. On this variant one of the 23 millimeter cannons was replaced with a single vertically-mounted camera and normally carried 600 liter long-range fuel tanks. The MiG-15bis used a more powerful engine and hydraulically boosted ailerons. There were a total of 364 MiG-15bisR built. The MiG- 15bis was the main variant built. German Democratic Republic (GDR -East Germany) (sometimes referred to as DDR - Deutsche Demokratische Republik) was the last of the last of the Warsaw Pact countries to receive the MiG-15bis but when they did in March of 1953 they were given 102 aircraft still in packing cases. Being so close to the Western Forces that when the Cold War progressed the Soviets decided to equip the DDR Air Force NVA (Nationalen Volksarmee - National People's Army) with the best aircraft they had to offer. It wasn’t long before the East Germans received the MiG-17 and MiG-21 plus other types of Soviet aircraft. One of the Fighter Pilot Training Wings (FAG) #2 was located in Preschen/Brandenburg where advanced young flyers perfected the necessary techniques while using the MiG-15bis. Specifications (MiG-15bis) Country of origin - USSR Manufacturer - Mikoyan-Gurevich Role – fighter/interceptor Crew – 1 X pilot Performance Engine - 1 X 5,952 pound thrust Klimov VK-1 turbojet Maximum Speed at Sea Level - 668mph (1,075km/hr) Ceiling - 50,855ft. (15.5km) Range - 1,156miles (1860km) Weight Empty - 8,115lbs. (3,681kg) Max Takeoff - 13,327lbs. (6,045kg) Dimensions Wing Span – 33ft. 0.75in. (10,08m) Length – 35ft. 7.5in. (10,86m) Height – 12ft. 1.75in. (3,70m) Armament 1 X 37-mm N-37 cannon 2 X 23-mm NS-23 or NR-23 cannon Up to 1,100 pounds of mixed stores on under-wing hard-points |
