Thunder Over Michigan 2026 - Got MiGs?

Yes, Thunder Over Michigan had MiGs.

Not one but two MiG-17s to be exact.  One a Lim-5 and the other a Lim-6 variant.

Lim-5

Lim-6

 The Lim-6 has a beefed up strakes on the wing with strongpoints for air to ground attack, and has and an extended tailcone that was originally designed to have a parachute but that was never put into production, and instead it is used as a transport pod.

Both MiGs taxied out together for a tandem takeoff.

 

Quite a sight as, with afterburners roaring, they took to the skies.

 

Then we got some formation passes.

They were hard to pick out of the sky in the smoke and twilight until they got rather close.

 

Managed some decent shots of the MiGs in the grey. Whether in camo or bare metal, both were hard to pick out of the muck.

 

Soon they landed and taxied back after a darn nice display of their speed, power, and maneuverability.

 

 

 

An impressive display of two historic jet warbirds.

The MiG 17

One of the stars of the show was the MiG-17.

Done up in Polish colors, this two-seater MiG-17 was a serious crowd-pleaser.

The afterburner certainly caught your attention, click any and all pics to embiggen and enjoy it in larger size.

The MiG was seriously maneuverable and did some impressive flybys and quick rolls.

The low passes to finish its performance were seriously low, allowing for some great pics:

Then in for a perfect landing.

MIG-17 Sunday

At the Selfridge Open House, Randy Ball put his MIG-17F through some serious paces.

Sadly, I was stuck in traffic and could only watch it fly by without getting any shots, but I did get some decent close-up shots when it had landed and was being refueled.

A Soviet fighter that served in the east bloc starting in the 50s and with impressive longevity, continued serving through the 90s in some East Bloc air forces, and is still in service today with some African countries and North Korea. The MIG-17 had the tightest turning ratio of a jet fighter in the world until the F-16 was introduced.

With a top speed of 711 miles per hour and armed with two 23 mm cannons and a 37mm cannon, the MIG-17 was a fearsome dog-fighter in the Vietnam War. Mr. Ball, holder of an FAA unlimited jet aerobatics license, ably showed its tight turning radius and impressive speed and maneuverability.

It's an impressive, loud and fast moving aircraft and in the hands of capable pilots the aircraft gave our pilots a tough time over the skies of Vietnam.