War Thunder – MiG-15 Tips

Introduction to the MiG-15 (people who are currently considering researching one will find this useful as well).

Introduction

Welcome to my personal MiG-15 and MiG-15bis guide, here I will talk mainly about the pros and cons of the plane, how to use it, if it is worth being researched, or bought with GE, as there are multiple versions of it.

I will also give you guys a short list of your most common adversaries and how to deal with them.

Keep in mind that some things will apply to other planes and jets in general.

The MiG-15 + Strengths and Weaknesses

The code name “făgot” used by N.A.T.O. to call the MiG-15 doesn’t seem fair to it’s reputation as although it might or might not be homosexual, the plane, which saw lots of action in the 1950’s, was a formidable, small, quick and nimble aircraft, which also packed a punch boasting a huge 37mm cannon and 2 secondary 23mm cannons which are by themselves above average armament for early jets.

Now to make this guide quicker I’ll just make a lazier, simplified version of the positive things about the plane and the negatives and give you an optional deep dive into them to read:

Positive Aspects:

• Deadly guns
• Good climb rate
• Good acceleration
• Decent top speed
• Highly maneuverable
• Amazing energy retention
• Amazing dogfighter
• Amazing in dogfights which develop upwards
• Has secondary weapons
• Has an airbrake
• Is a relatively small target

Negative Aspects:

• Incredibly small-sized ammo pool (40 37mm rounds and 160 23mm rounds)
• Guns are inaccurate
• Many planes can outrun it in a straight line
• Faces early guided missiles
• Does not have any countermeasures
• Loses almost all maneuverability above 900/1000kmh based on modifications

Deep Dive in the Pros and Cons

Let’s start talking about the pros:

• Deadly guns, a short burst of a few rounds placed even on the middle of the wing will cripple a plane enough to make it crash.
• Good climb rate, the plane climb 40m/s stock and much more when spaded.
• Good acceleration, although it doesn’t have an afterburner like it’s slightly more recent brothers it can reach it’s max speed within a few dozen seconds when stock.
• Decent top speed, it can go at 1044km/h stock, but this is also a downside of the plane when uptiered.
• Highly maneuverable between the speeds of 600 and 850 kmh, which are also it’s average speeds
• Amazing dogfighter due to its maneuverability and energy retention it’s great in turn fights, where if it manages to get a 37mm in the enemy instantly has an enormous edge on the crippled enemy plane, if not dead.
• The amazing energy retention the MiG-15 can both help you whilst dodging missiles and going in a horizontal tail chase with an anemy but will definitely make your pilot lose consciousness, but for that you have the airbrake
• Has secondary weapons such as heat rockets, he rockets, 100kg and 250kg bombs.
• Has an airbrake, which comes extremely handy when trying to slow down from a dive to wreak havoc upon the enemy.
• Is a relatively small target, making it slightly harder to hit compared to other contemporaries.

And now the cons:

• Incredibly small-sized ammo pool which forces you to go back to the airfield after an extenuating dogfight or 2 or 3 short ones, but for that you would have to really know how to aim it’s guns with 40 37mm rounds and 160 23mm rounds, 80 per gun.
• Guns are inaccurate but not as much as the ones on the me 262, so don’t be afraid to shoot at half a kilometer of distance, but they’re not the best in head-ons which you should avoid.
• Many planes can outrun it in a straight line in uptiers or not, even the A4 beats it.
• Faces early guided missiles, which are not too good, most of them you can manage to dodge with enough speed and awareness.
• Does not have any countermeasures, which are a must when facing guided missiles.
• Loses almost all maneuverability above 900/1000kmh based on modifications

How to MiG-15

Note that the plane’s not only good at fighting but it is also decent at boom and zooming: so climbing a lot then diving is a viable alternative gameplay style thanks to it’s airbrake… but what most players will and can do is just go straight into battle, basically climbing a few kilometers then going for the first guy they see, which is not my personal choice, but can turn out in fun chaotic dogfights.

“So, how should I play?” -well, I think the MiG-15 (especially the bis version) is a good all-rounded airplane, giving you the option to play in ground RB as CAS (either with and CAS interceptor and helicopter stomper, high altitude interceptor, dogfighter. It’s a choice you must make.

Note for those who want to go for the classic fighter role: you might be tempted to go in a head-on against a G91 or A4 but you really should not do that, what you should do when leading the start of a dogfight is to get your enemy in a upwards spiral, where you hold the edge of the knife due to your maneuverability, energy retention, good flaps and strong airbrake.

Using these tools will help you get your enemy to bleed energy faster than you, stall them or make try to ditch the spiral to regain energy, but that’s when your brakes and flaps come in play: pitch your nose down using them to then retract everything and dive into your enemy, successfully winning a dogfight.

Note for everyone: don’t forget to retract your airbrake like I do.

Note for CAS and CAS interceptor players: Gepards and vehicles alike will be your main predator but there will occasionally be early AA’s equipped with guided missiles, so, pay attention to them, which will often sit in their spawn area.

Common Adversaries and Advice on How to Engage or Disengage Them

You will see all kinds of enemy planes but mostly:

• A4’s which have air to air missiles and will outrun you in a straight line, if diving into them with your engines shut off you might be able to not get noticed until it is too late and have the awareness advantage. To disengage , well, kill them, it’s the only way since they’re faster than you.
• Do not engage in head-ons with G91’s (but also A4’s) or you will find yourself back in the hangar with 10k silver lions less in your bank account, instead get them in an upwards spiral as mentioned before.

If unable to fight to disengage them you can get in a close spiral with them and get close to teammates or airfield AA, but this will rarely work based on the number of situations you might find yourself in.

• The F104 starfighter is a flying rocket, it will outrun you in seconds due to it’s top speed being more than two times the maximum speed of the MiG. It also will have air to air missiles so beware of them, if you’re in an uptier against western countreis just know there is at least one above you, and although you might not see it, it sees you. But if you see one stay low to the ground making yourself hard to engage, even with missiles.
• F9F-8’s are garbage compared to you in dogfights but they do have 2 to 4 AIM9-B’s so make sure to engage in a dogfight with them to get a chance to win. try to outrun them when trying to disengage but still make sure that they have no missiles left.
• The F-86 has slightly less turn rate than you and less climb rate, so a vertical spiral is the way to go, it will outrun you on a distanced chase though.
• Do not engage in a head-on with any french jet, that’s all I have to say.

The Premium MiG-15: The North Korean “Shenyang F-5”

The Shenyang F-5 is a much improved version of the MiG-15 and bis, sitting at 9.3 due to it’s new afterburner, 50m/s of climb rate, better turn rate and 1114km/h of maximum speed (all stock), but mostly it’s guided missiles.

Is it worth buying? I can’t say, since I don’t have it, but you’re a MiG-15 fan with money to spare and an urge to own one, I’d say it is worth a shot, but only after you get some exeperience as a fighter pilot.

Is it fun? Yes, from what my friends who own one tell me it is, but if you decided to purchase a premium jet and are undecided about which one to get, I think there are much better choices.