The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-19) (NATO reporting name Farmer) is a third-generation Soviet, single-seater jet engined fighter aircraft. It was the first Soviet production aircraft capable of supersonic speeds in level flight.During service with PVO Strany and in East Germany, MiG-19 were involved in multiple intercepts of Western reconnaissance aircraft. The first documented encounter with Lockheed U-2 took place in the autumn of 1957. The MiG-19 pilot reported seeing the aircraft but could not make up the 7,000 foot difference in altitude. When Francis Gary Powers's U-2 was shot down in the May 1, 1960, incident, one pursuing MiG-19P was also hit by the salvo of S-75 Dvina (SA-2 Guideline) missiles, killing the pilot Sergei Safronov. In a highly controversial incident, on July 1, 1960, MiG-19 shot down an RB-47H (S/N 53-4281) reconnaissance aircraft in the international airspace over the Arctic Circle with 4 of the crew killed and 2 captured by the Soviets and released in 1961. In another tragic incident, on January 28, 1964, MiG-19 shot down a T-39 Sabreliner which strayed into East German airspace while on a training mission with all three crew killed. .