At the beginning of the Korean War, the west discovered the MiG-15, the first mass-produced jet fighter built in the Soviet Union. This small device entered service at the end of 1950 in its improved version, the MiG-15bis, and in turn was quickly deployed to Korea where, with its powerful armament and handling, it was an unpleasant surprise for the forces of the United Nations, after finding their air superiority with the arrival of the latest version of the famous F-86 Sabre. While the "bundle” - a nickname given by NATO to the MiG-15 - was barely in use, MiG conceived its successor, the more efficient and wing modified MiG-17 ("Fresco”).

The type was withdrawn from service in the USSR in the late sixties, however it had great success abroad. The "Fresco” was the most exported Soviet fighter until the arrival of its indirect successor, MiG-21 (see Planes & Pilots No. 12).