During the Vietnam War, the MIG-19 didn’t ship on its excessive price ticket. Analyzing its reception on the time, Michael Peck of The National Interest observes, “Intensive maintenance requirements and difficult handling characteristics proved unpopular with the Soviets and many of their allies, such as North Vietnam.” Yet, China had a special opinion. Peck writes, “Strangely, China proved quite fond of the MIG-19.”

China purchased a whole bunch of MIG-19s and even had its personal manufacturing facility. It’s nearly sure that China wasn’t simply shopping for and constructing the MIG-19 for fight service. At the time, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s finest house designs could not match the pace and low-altitude efficiency of the MIG-19. Many different international locations have been additionally counting on the MIG-19’s superior engineering, similar to North Korea where it’s still used today. 

With conflicts in Vietnam, Thailand, and Taiwan raging within the mid-Twentieth century, the PRC wanted one thing extremely maneuverable for floor assaults and shut air help. The MIG-19 was the proper mannequin. Plus, if China might get its title on a contemporary supersonic jet (albeit one which “borrowed” its tech from Soviet engineers), it will be a logo of its world energy.