One of the most famous jet fighters of an time, and certainly one of the most outstanding combat aircraft of the post- war years, the MiG-1S was designed by a Russo-German team headed by Artem I, Mikoyan and Mikhail I. Gurevich. The type flew for the first time on December 30, 1947 and entered series production in the following year.

The first MiG-1Ss were powered by the Rolls-Royce Nene copy, designated RD-4S. The prototype crashed during testing, killing its pilot, and the second aircraft was extensively modified, with a strengthened wing featuring slight anhedral and boundary layer fences. Many first-Iine fighter units of the Soviet Air Force had equipped with the type by the end of 1948, and a number of improvements were made to the basic design. Airframe design progress, in fact, proceeded in parallel with engine development, and starting in November 1948 the MiG-15's fuselage was modifled to accommodate an uprated version of the Nelle designated VK-1 (the engineer responsible being Vladimir Klirnov). This engine had redesigned turbine blades, larger combustion chambers and developed 5,945-lb (2,697-kg) thrust (6750lb/3,058kg with water injection). The uprated aircraft was designated MiG-15B, and was serving in large numbers with the Soviet Air Force by the end of 1950. Production of the MiG-15 eventually reached some 18,000 aircraft, this figure including a tandem two-seat trainer version, the MiG-15UTI. The MiG-15 was built under license in the People's Republic of China as the Shenyang F-2, in Poland as the LIM-1, and in Czechoslovakia as the S-102.

The MiG-15 saw a great deal of action in its heyday, starting with the Korean war, where it fought the North American F-86 Sabre in history's first jet-versus-jet air battles. It also took part in the various Arab-Israeli conflicts, serving with the Syrian and Egyptian air forces, and was used operationally over North Vietnam and in the Nigerian civil war.

This aircraft, built in Poland in 1955, was donated to the Museum by Steve Craig, Lawrence, Kansas