The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17PF was delivered as an all-weather interceptor version of the MiG-17. The design of the MiG-17 was undertaken to correct the deficiencies that the earlier MiG-15 had at higher speeds, with the prototype first flying on January 13, 1950. It was the first Soviet fighter to have an afterburning engine, the Klimov VK-1. The MiG-17PF featured the Izumrud ‘Scan-Odd’ radar, and three Mudelmann-Rikhter 23mm cannons. Over 9,000 of all versions of the MiG-17 were built in the Soviet Union, Poland, and China. A total of 104 MiG-17s were shot down by American fighters during the Viet Nam War.

The museum’s MiG-17PF arrived by truck from Ellsworth AFB, South Dakota on October 12, 1993. How, when and where the USAF obtained it remains classified.