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Missing in MiG Alley
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Program Overview
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NOVA
explores the world's first jet war, comparing the U.S. Sabre and the
North Korean MiG fighter planes and revealing a number of stories regarding
pilots who went missing during the Korean War.
The program:
recounts how the conflict began and how
U.S. forces became involved in the Korean War. states that initially there was no Korean
air defense until the Russians supplied Koreans with the MiG-15s. explains that the majority of air fighting
took place in a region of airspace known as MiG Alley along the Chinese-North
Korean border. notes that the newly developed fighter
jets had swept wings that enabled pilots to move at much higher speeds. suggests that the MiG-15 owed its success
in part to its Rolls Royce engine, given to the Soviet Union by the British in
1946 as a gesture of friendship to a wartime ally. follows the efforts of families and the
U.S. government to find more than 30 missing Sabre pilots. reports that the
MiG-15s were being flown by Russian pilots, a fact kept secret by both the
United States and Russia to avoid the conflict from escalating into a third
world war. interviews surviving pilots who were
involved in the conflict, some of whom were captured and interrogated by
Koreans, Russians, and Chinese. suggests that the Korean War came down to
a competition between the MiG, with more firepower that could climb higher and
faster, and the Sabre that could fly farther, with greater control, and was
more user-friendly. describes some of the strategies and
advantages that the United States had, including the G-suit, radar-ranging gun
sight, the four-plane flight formation, and superior training and experience. explains that an American Sabre jet was
captured by the Soviets, allowing them to study it and create radar. recounts the end of the war and Russian
president Boris Yeltsin's promise 40 years later to return any prisoners
of war back to the United States, giving the families of missing pilots renewed
hope.
Taping Rights: Can be used up to one year after program is recorded off the air.
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