Cold Warriors: The Essex Class in the Cold War

Very pretty. Not so pretty going down in flames

Worse. Indonesia has MiG-17Fs coming in another month in story

August 25, 1957
Port of Tanjung Perak, East Java, Indonesia

The Chinese flagged cargo ship SS Sheng Neng arrives at the Port of Tanjung Perak. In her holds she has numerous light industrial products, rice and the first six crated Shenyang F-5 fighters for the Indonesian Air Force. The fighters are the first thing offloaded onto trucks and quickly sent to Iswahyudi Airbase for assembly. Chinese and Soviet technicians are present at the airbase to train the Indonesian ground crews on how to assemble and service the new aircraft.

In OTL the Indonesians flew Soviet MiG-17, so here in this TL if i am correct they have the Chinese F-5, are there difference between them as I could only find this image of a Soviet Mig-17.

So what will Enterprise-class carrier with designation CVN-66 going to be named, after a president ore battle.

September 5, 1957
Clark Air Base, Luzon, Philippines

Allen Pope completed his walk around of the Douglas A-20 that had just been reassembled at the large American Air Force Base. He had been recalled from his previous assignment in Vietnam and ordered to the Philippines to take part in a covert CIA operation to support the Indonesian rebels. His part in that would be flying the Havoc to attack government targets as directed by the Permesta rebels.

Unlike the other aircraft on the flight line at Clark which were all clearly identified as US Air Force aircraft, his aircraft was planted a matte black and all it's identifying markings had been obscured. This was not his first rodeo for the CIA. He knew that this was an operation that would never see the light of day if it was performed properly. He could live with that. It was also not his first introduction to combat. He had flown numerous bombing missions over Korea during his service in the Air Force. Now he would be doing the same for the CIA. Though now, his mission also included training Indonesian pilots to fly the aircraft themselves.

Strapping into the cockpit, he turned the twin engines over and let them warm up before taxing to runway 02R. Easing the throttles forward to send the light bomber hurtling down the runway in the late afternoon sun, he carefully watched his airspeed increase to the point where he could lift his aircraft's nose off the runway and take to the air. Leaving the ground behind him, Allen climbed into the sky and felt the freedom of flight once again.
Two hours later, having completed his check flight, he gently set the old bomber down on the runway and returned it to the disused hanger that the CIA had appropriated for their use. He had no complaints about the condition of the aircraft. When the time came, he would be flying this aircraft to a rebel held airfield on Sulawesi and commencing bombing missions for the CIA.

September 12, 1957
Iswahyudi Air Force Base, East Java, Indonesia

Four aircraft were forming a classic "string of pearls" as they lined up at two mile intervals while approaching the runway for landing. The twin engine aircraft were completing a ferry flight that had started days earlier in Irkutsk, Russia. As the aircraft touched down one after another, they quickly exited the runway and taxied to the prepared hangers where they were met by the Soviet training detachment and their Indonesian students. Servicing of the aircraft began at once. In the morning, the four planes would be officially transferred to the Indonesian Air Force.

From a control room high up in one of the hangers, President Sukarno smiled. His country now had to means to directly attack the damn Dutch on West Irian. Soon, they would have a full squadron of the aircraft he saw below him. As the lights shined down on the flight of four light bombers, Soviet and Indonesian ground crew started the process of replacing the Soviet Red Star with a red Indonesian roundel on the IL-28s that would soon constitute the striking arm of the Indonesian Air Force.