Mikoyan is a Russian aircraft design organisation associated with the MiG aircraft name, derived from Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. Its origins date to a special design department established at Soviet Aircraft Plant No. 1 on 8 December 1939. The bureau became particularly associated with fighters and interceptors.[1]85 years of the Mikoyan bureauRostec · rostec.ru · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details[2]MiG-15National Naval Aviation Museum · history.navy.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Origins and early jets
Artem Mikoyan headed the new department, with Mikhail Gurevich as his deputy. Its initial task was the I-200 fighter, later named MiG-1, which first flew in April 1940. The MiG-3 followed during the wartime period. Jet development became central after the war, with the MiG-9 first flying in 1946. Subsequent MiG-15 and MiG-17 aircraft helped establish the bureau's international identity and connected its design work with extensive manufacture and military service beyond the Soviet Union.[1]85 years of the Mikoyan bureauRostec · rostec.ru · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
The MiG-15 and international recognition
The swept-wing MiG-15 became one of the defining aircraft of the Korean War. Its armament included two 23 mm cannon and a 37 mm cannon. It was supplied to other communist states, including North Korea, and the improved MiG-15bis became an important version. A North Korean pilot's delivery of a MiG-15bis to South Korea in 1953 allowed detailed American evaluation. Such encounters made the MiG name familiar internationally and provided opposing air forces with direct evidence of Soviet aircraft performance.[3]Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bisNational Museum of the United States Air Force · nationalmuseum.af.mil · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details
Later fighters and corporate change
Later programmes included the high-speed MiG-25, the MiG-31 interceptor and the MiG-29 fighter family. The carrier-based MiG-29K extended the latter into naval aviation, with a ski-jump take-off demonstrated in 1989. These aircraft served different requirements, from interception over large distances to tactical and carrier operations. The MiG company was absorbed into United Aircraft Corporation in 2022 as part of corporate restructuring. The design bureau and aircraft identity continued within the consolidated organisation, rather than remaining a separate company with its previous legal structure.[4]80 years of MiGRostec · rostec.ru · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details[5]Annual Report 2022United Aircraft Corporation · reportcollection.inion.ru · Accessed 2026-09-13Open source details