MiG-15.
The MiG-15 made its first combat appearance, over Korea, in November of 1950.
For the next three years, the MiGs, most often flown by Soviet pilots, would contest the United States Air Force for air superiority over Korea.
The Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-15 proved to have a superb performance, better in several areas than its principal opponent, the North American F-86 Sabre. The MiG-15 had a better altitude capability, a better rate of climb, and at some altitudes was faster than the Sabre. It was a much simpler aircraft, however, lacking the redundant systems of the Sabre, and it was a poor gun platform, tending to "snake" (move from side to side) at high speeds.
The Mikoyan-Guryevich MiG-15 shook the United States aviation industry out of the somewhat complacent state into which it had fallen after World War II. Regardless, the Soviets' follow-on MiG-17, MiG-19, and MiG-21 would prove to be capable opponents during the Vietnam War. Original public domain image from Flickr