Considering we have the MiG-15 and 21, I don't think the 17 justifies the moniker "early" like a MiG-9 or 3 would.
I've flown them all in SF and it mostly feels like a 15 with more thrust after all.
However, given its abilities in Falcon, I would say we need a MiG-19 so we can dominate the skies and shoot down anything, anywhere, anytime with little effort.
The Jedi Master