On what date did the first all-jet air battle in history take place?

The first all-jet air battle in history took place on 8 November 1950 during the Korean War. Near the Yalu River, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Russell J. Brown flew an F-80C Shooting Star and engaged a North Korean MiG-15, marking the beginning of the jet-versus-jet era in aerial combat.

The encounter occurred as UN forces confronted Chinese intervention and increasingly faced Soviet-built MiG-15 fighters operating from bases near the Chinese border. The F-80 was an early American jet fighter, while the MiG-15 had a swept-wing design that gave it strong performance at high altitude. Later, the more advanced F-86 Sabre became the principal American opponent of the MiG-15 in “MiG Alley.”

Brown reported shooting down the MiG, although Soviet accounts disputed the exact circumstances and claimed the aircraft may have escaped after releasing its external fuel tanks. That uncertainty does not change the date’s historical importance: it was the first recorded jet-to-jet dogfight.