MiG-19S - Egypt - 1967

My subject is an Egyptian (ex-Iraqi) MiG-19S "Mosul" with the serial number 31xx (unknown), as part of the 20. Sqn, UARAF as seen in 1965. The history of this particular machine is very interesting and can be traced back to 1959 to Iraq. This famous MiG-19S is (wrongly) depicted in a previous publication as having the serial 2921 and blueish camouflage painting.

Iraq initially ordered 50 MiG-19s from the USSR and received its first machines in late 1959. Displeased by their poor technical condition and reliability, Iraq accepted less than 20 machines in service in 1960. Iraq was actually the first Arab country to operate supersonic fighters. However, these seem to have been some of the last newly manufactured examples of MiG-19s, since the production of MiG-19S ceased in 1959 and were therefore in a better condition than those subsequently delivered from the USSR to the UARAF. The UARAF received from the USSR approximately 80 MiG-19s delivered later in 1961, but for some reason were from an older production batch. Overall, these aircraft have revealed with time several signifficant design flaws. The most critical one seemed to have been related to the hydraulic piping, which was positioned too close to the engine and thus suffered from overheating. This caused a number of catastrophic accidents which combined with the rather poor maintainance has led to high attrition of the type in the service of the UARAF.

The Iraqi MiG-19s were delivered from the USSR in a general medium grey tone, which was only recently identified as "Russian air superiority grey" (AS1115 or MRP 354). Also, only recently it was revealed that these machines NEVER had camouflage as thought and interpreted in previous publications and decal sheets neither in Iraqi nor UARAF service (while Syria never even operated the type). The AS1115 was known to develop a blueish tone under wear and fatigue, therefore leaving the false impresion that there were darker camouflage spots applied on top of a grey background.

Although several MiG-19s were destroyed in the Iraqi coups in 1963, the type remained in service at least one more year until all remaining machines (~10) were donated to Egypt. My particular subject was donated together with the batch of 1964, therefore bearing the "Russian air superiority grey" with heavy patina, together with the names of different Iraqi cities painted on the nose. Ex-Iraqi MiG-19s are known to have worn names of major Arab cities painted in white on both sides of the nose (such as "Casablanca", "Mosul", etc.). This practice was kept by the Egyptians when the aircraft came in their possession. My subject, initially thought to have the serial number 2921, is known to have had the name of the Iraqi city of "Mosul" painted also in white on both (!) sides of the front fuselage area.

UARAF (in this case Egyptian) MiG-19s are not known to have ever carried any camouflage painting at all apart from the regular grey paint from delivery. Additionally, also the MiG-19s are known to have carried the black identification stripes on the wing tips and rear fuselage (no green and no white between the lines).

The first deadly battle of Egyptian MiG-19s with the IDF occured on the 30th November 1966, when an Israeli Mirage III pilot shot down two MIG-19s in a brief dogfight over Israeli territory, in which a Matra air-to-air missile was used for the first time. One IDF Mirage pilot brought down one of the MiG-19 with a missile and the other with a salvo from his cannons. The victory was the first time that Israeli fighters had defeated a MIG-19 and the first Israeli-Egyptian air clash since 1961 when Israeli pilots shot down a MIG-17.

During the first Israeli attack of the Six Day War on the 5th of June 1967, many Egyptian MiG-19s and MiG-21s of the higher readiness levels (therefore more exposed) were destroyed on ground while stacked and aligned closely together. Nevertheless, several MiG-21s and MiG-19s of lower readiness levels survived the first attack wave and since they couldn't take off due to various reasons, they were hastely pushed by the ground crews outside the air bases beneath trees and between houses. This saved plenty of aircraft from destruction. Several lightly damaged ones were further repaired in the night of the 5th of June with Egypt still having several interceptors and fighter-bombers at hand in the morning of the 6th of June 1967. The UARAF was by no means completely destroyed in the first day of the Six Day War as stated for decades in the Western sources. Nevertheless, the catastrophic leadership and decision chain led to a slow destruction of the remaining jets during the following days of the conflict.

The numerous surviving MiG-19s were further used extensively in the Six Day War in both roles of interceptor and close air support claiming several air kills but with very high attrition. Overall, the UARAF has written off a total of 16 MiG-19 airframes at the end of the Six Day War, including both ground and air losses according to official Egyptian archives and not "half" (approx. 40) as stated so far.

Most of the above information is gathered from "Arab Migs, Volume 2", "Arab MiGs Volume 3", "Wings of Iraq" and "Migs in the Middle East, Volume 2" by Tom Cooper and co-authors. You won't really get the full picture around the MiG-19s unless you read all of them unfortunately. At page 60 of the fourth book I mentioned, there is a very beautiful and rare picture from 1966 with two Egyptian MiG-19s in flight photographed from above. Both aircraft are grey indeed with black identification stripes and with obvious wear and fatigue visible around panel lines and relevant air intakes or rear engine area. At page 62 there is another photograph with one of the ex-Iraqi MiG-19s on ground with the large visible white inscription. At page 36 there is a color profile of one of those MiG-19s from 1967 (Six Day War) in the same grey color.

Going forward in time, after Egypt cut its close links with the Soviet Union during 1976, Egypt looked towards China for spare parts and technical support. China was quick to sense the opportunity, selling about 40 Shenyang F-6C (license-built MiG-19s) fighter-bombers to the Egyptian Air Force in 1979. The Shenyang F-6 had several small design changes, such as narrower gun muzzel ends and an additional parachute container under the vertical stabilizer. In return, Egypt gave some of its newly received MiG-23s to China. The Egyptian Air Force retired the Soviet-made MiG-19S type in the early 70's, while the Shenyang F-6 was operated further untill well in the late 90's as advanced trainers.

To be noted, that the Shenyang F-6 in Egyptian service actually received proper camouflage painting, but which was wrongly associated by publications, kit and decal manufacturers with some non-existent camouflage of the initial soviet MiG-19s from the 60's.

References:
T. Copper, D. Nicolle, et al., "Arab MiGs Volume 1", Harpia Publishing
T. Copper, D. Nicolle, et al., "Arab MiGs Volume 2", Harpia Publishing
T. Copper, D. Nicolle, et al., "Arab MiGs Volume 3", Harpia Publishing
T. Copper, D. Nicolle, "MiGs in the Middle East, Volume 2", Helion and Company
B. Norton, "75 Years of the Israeli Air Force, Volume 1", Helion and Company
I. Toperczer "MiG-17 and MiG-19 units of the Vietnam War", Osprey Combat Aircraft