While the first combat jet aircraft saw service in World War II, it wasn’t until after the war and during the Korean War that jet aircraft came to dominant the world of military aircraft. The Museum of Flight in Seattle, Washington, has a number of combat jets on display.
MiG-21 PFM:
![photo DSCN1773_zps0a1cf283.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1773_zps0a1cf283.jpg)
Artyem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich are among the world’s most famous and influential aircraft designers. They started building fighter for the Soviet Union in 1939 and Mikoyan began the design of the MiG-21 in 1953.
Soviet fighter planes, unlike their American counterparts, were designed and built as a relatively small, defensive fighter. It was constructed of traditional materials and simple manufacturing which meant that it could be built quickly, cheaply, and in large numbers. They are able to operate from unprepared airfields and can be maintained by less-skilled labor.
![photo DSCN1778_zpse28e78ab.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1778_zpse28e78ab.jpg)
![photo DSCN1774_zpse2207495.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1774_zpse2207495.jpg)
![photo DSCN1776_zps552efdc4.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1776_zps552efdc4.jpg)
![photo DSCN1777_zps6b2eb823.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1777_zps6b2eb823.jpg)
MiG 15:
![photo DSCN1824_zps547d3896.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1824_zps547d3896.jpg)
![photo DSCN1826_zpsff1e9136.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1826_zpsff1e9136.jpg)
The MiG 15 was developed by the Soviet Union following World War II. It was first flown in 1947 and became operational in 1949. It first saw service in the Korean War. Approximately 12,000 of these aircraft were built.
F-4C Phantom II:
![photo DSCN1780_zpse6a7fc54.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1780_zpse6a7fc54.jpg)
![photo DSCN1781_zps86bc24bd.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1781_zps86bc24bd.jpg)
![photo DSCN1859_zpsafba76f4.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1859_zpsafba76f4.jpg)
The F-4C Phantom II required a two-man crew because of its sophisticated radar and avionics. While many do not consider it “pretty,” they often describe it as “brutishly ugly,” it had exceptional performance. It was the pre-eminent American combat aircraft of the 1960s.
Canadair CL-138 Sabre Mark VI:
![photo DSCN1830_zpsd1968847.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1830_zpsd1968847.jpg)
![photo DSCN1831_zps4219d6dc.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1831_zps4219d6dc.jpg)
![photo DSCN1854_zpsb7a6e8f3.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1854_zpsb7a6e8f3.jpg)
The F-86 Sabre was designed by North American and was built under license in Japan, Italy, Canada, and Australia. The plane shown above, designated as a CL-13B, was built by Canadair. The plane shown above was the last Sabre to be retired from the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Grumman F9F Cougar:
![photo DSCN1838_zps4d3467be.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1838_zps4d3467be.jpg)
![photo DSCN1839_zps35334f8f.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1839_zps35334f8f.jpg)
The first Cougars were delivered in 1952, too late to see combat against the MiGs in Korea. A total of 1,988 were built.
Douglas A-4 F Skyhawk II:
![photo DSCN1844_zps896dab56.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1844_zps896dab56.jpg)
![photo DSCN1843_zpsae36243a.jpg](http://i821.photobucket.com/albums/zz139/Ojibwa/Seattle/Combat%20Jets/DSCN1843_zpsae36243a.jpg)
The Douglas A-4F Skyhawk was designed by Ed Heinemann as a smaller, lighter, and faster airplane. Since its inception in 1952, 2,960 of these aircraft were built over the next 26 years, making it one of the longest production runs of any combat aircraft.