F4U Corsair vs MiG-15: The Carrier Workhorse Against the Jet That Outclassed It

Did the F4U Corsair and MiG-15 ever fight each other?

Yes, but only over Korea. The F4U Corsair flew from 1942, and the MiG-15 did not fly until the end of 1947.

Wikipedia says the Corsair was used mostly in the close-support role in Korea. The Marines also received the AU-1 ground-attack version, with about 110 delivered between February and October 1952.

The one well-known air-to-air result came on September 10, 1952. Marine Captain Jesse Folmar of VMA-312, flying from the escort carrier USS Sicily, was leading a two-plane flight near Chinnampo when MiG-15s jumped it.

Folmar turned inside one MiG and fired a five-second burst from his 20 mm cannon. His citation says the burst “ripped into the side of the jet, causing it to burst into flames.”

Minutes later his own Corsair was hit and he bailed out over the water. He was rescued with an injured arm.

Sources disagree on the odds. His citation says eight jets attacked, one account says four MiGs shot him down, and another puts it at seven against two, so treat any single count with caution.

The Corsair was not the only propeller fighter to score a jet kill. Wikipedia notes a Royal Navy Sea Fury shot down a MiG-15 on August 8, 1952, one of the few times a piston-engine fighter downed a jet after World War II.

Edge: MiG-15, though one Corsair pilot proved it could be beaten

Speed, climb and ceiling: the MiG-15 wins easily

The MiG-15 tops out at 688 mph (1,107 km/h), a figure it reached at about 9,800 feet (3,000 m). The Corsair manages 447 mph (719 km/h), so the jet is about 240 mph (390 km/h) faster.

The climb gap is just as wide. The MiG-15 climbs at 10,080 ft/min (51 m/s) against 4,360 ft/min (22 m/s) for the Corsair, more than twice as fast.

The jet also flew higher, with a ceiling of 50,800 feet (15,500 m) against 41,500 feet (12,600 m).

Weight does not explain the gap. The empty weights are close, at 9,205 lb (4,175 kg) for the Corsair and 8,115 lb (3,681 kg) for the MiG-15.

What differs is the engine. The Corsair’s Pratt & Whitney radial turned a propeller, while the MiG-15’s Klimov VK-1 produced 5,950 lbf (26 kN) of thrust.

Edge: MiG-15

Firepower: three cannon against six machine guns

The F4U-4 carried six .50 caliber (12.7 mm) Browning machine guns, with 375 to 400 rounds per gun. The MiG-15 carried one 37 mm cannon with 40 rounds and two 23 mm cannon with 80 rounds each.

The guns fit the jobs. A fighter built to kill bombers wants a few heavy shells, and the Smithsonian says the MiG-15 was designed as a high-altitude day interceptor.

On October 23, 1951, a day known as Black Tuesday, 56 MiG-15bis intercepted nine B-29s. They shot down or damaged eight B-29As and two F-84Es for the loss of one MiG.

The Corsair’s own edge was weapons load. The F4U-4 could carry eight 5 inch rockets and up to 4,000 lb (1,800 kg) of bombs, which made it a better ground-attack aircraft.

Edge: MiG-15 in the air, Corsair on the ground

Range: closer than you might expect

AeroCorner’s spec panel gives the Corsair a range of 1,000 miles (1,620 km). The MiG-15 managed 1,570 miles (2,520 km) at 39,000 feet with two drop tanks.

The MiG figure assumes drop tanks, so it describes the best case rather than a typical mission. The Corsair’s reputation for staying aloft is real, but on paper the jet flew farther.

Edge: MiG-15, on paper

Carrier work and toughness: the Corsair’s home turf

The Corsair was a Navy fighter, and carrier work is where it earned its keep. Wikipedia says it was not considered fit for carrier use until fixes for a left-wing stall and deck bounce, and that its long nose made landings hard for new pilots.

The MiG-15 was the opposite kind of aircraft: a land-based interceptor with no carrier role.

Wikipedia also credits the Corsair’s ability to take severe punishment, which let pilots stay on target through hits.

The MiG-15 had its own weakness. It tended to spin after a stall, and UN pilots recorded 56 spin entries in combat in Korea, with at least 25 ending in crashes and ten in ejections.

Pilots also had to stay below Mach 0.92, where the flight controls became ineffective, and a red warning light came on at that speed.

Edge: Corsair, on carrier operations

Numbers built and years in service

Vought and its partners built 12,571 Corsairs in 16 models between 1942 and 1953, and the final deliveries went to the French.

Wikipedia counts 13,130 MiG-15s built in the USSR, made up of 1,344 early MiG-15s, 8,352 MiG-15bis and 3,434 two-seaters. At least 4,180 more were built under license, which puts the total above 17,000.

Edge: MiG-15, on numbers built

Verdict: who wins, the F4U Corsair or the MiG-15?

In the air, the MiG-15 wins clearly. It is the faster, higher-flying and harder-hitting fighter, which is what you would expect of a jet that flew seven years after the Corsair’s debut.

The comparison flatters the Corsair only if you judge it by its own job. It was a rugged carrier fighter and ground-attack aircraft that served in two wars.

For a Mustang against the same jet, see our P-51 vs MiG-15 comparison, or our P-51 vs F4U Corsair for the two piston rivals. Our guide to Korean War fighter jets covers the wider field.