Polish fighter aircraft LIM-5 (MIG-17F) COBI 5824 - Cold War

You know that:

• The LIM-5 fighter, actually the MIG-17F, was produced by the Polish plant WSK Mielec under the Mikoyan-Gurevich licence from 1955.
• The design of the MIG-17 is based on its successful predecessor, the MIG-15, but the wing design has been substantially redesigned.
• The result was a heavily armed fighter capable of flight in all weather conditions.
• Although the Klimov VK-1 engine was identical to the MIG-15, there was one significant change. For the first time, an afterburner function was used on a Russian engine.
• However, the first prototype was not without its problems. Already in February 1950, Soviet pilot Ivan Ivashchenko exceeded the speed of 1114 km/h on the SI-01 prototype, but on the next flight the machine failed fatally and the test pilot died. 
• Without a proper investigation into the cause of the tragedy, a decision was made, under pressure from the new generation of American jet aircraft, to begin serial production.
• Eventually, the MIG-17 became a very successful aircraft, which was armed by all Warsaw Pact countries.
• Several countries, such as Angola, Mali, Mozambique, Tanzania, and North Korea, still fly the MIG-17 today.
• With the advent of the American B-58 and FB-111 supersonic bombers, the MIG-17 became obsolete and was gradually replaced by the MIG-21, but that's another story.
• The machine with fuselage number 1023 is located in the Museum of the Polish Air Force in Kraków.

Technical parameters:

• dimensions: wingspan 9.628 m, length 11.36 m, height 3.8 m
• weight 3 950 kg
• maximum take-off weight 5 354 kg
• power unit Klimov VK-1F jet engine with a thrust of 26.48 kN (33.15 kN with afterburner)
• maximum speed 1 154 km/h
• climb time 5 minutes and 48 seconds to an altitude of 10 000 m
• maximum flight level 16 470 m
• range 1 080 km
• fuel tank capacity 1 415 l
• armament N-37D 37 mm cannon (40 rounds) + 2x NR-23 23 mm cannon (2x80 rounds) and up to 500 kg of guided or unguided missiles
• crew 1