Plate 064 — Aircraft
REF: BF-AIR-064MiG-23 Flogger: Russian Swing-Wing Fighter
MiG-23M Flogger B; MiG-23MF Flogger B; MiG-23UB Flogger C; MiG-23UM Flogger C; MiG-23MF Flogger; MiG-23MS Flogger E; MiG-23BN Flogger F; MiG-23BM Flogger F; MiG-23B Flogger F; MiG23ML Flogger G; MiG23P Flogger G; MiG23BK Flogger H; MiG23BN Flogger H; MiG23MLD Flogger K; MiG-24 (export MiG-23)
MIG23 Fighter MiG-23
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Flogger).
MiG-23 (NATO reporting name Flogger) is a fighter aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. Its predecessor, the MiG-21, was notoriously lightly armed (some were armed only with two guns, others with only one gun and two short-range air-to-air missiles), and short on fuel (making it very difficult to reach either the intended ceiling or the intended top speed). The MiG-23 was a heavier, more powerful machine designed to remedy these deficiencies.
It was designed to rival the American F-4 Phantom II, and was fitted with similar jet intakes. To facilitate operation on the poor-quality airstrips common in the Soviet Union, the aircraft was fitted with swing-wings.
The MiG-27 was a simplified version of the MiG-23 for use as a ground attack aircraft. The radar and variable-geomety jet intakes were removed on this version. This aircraft was also codenamed Flogger by NATO.
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Specifications
Country of Origin
CIS (formerly USSR)
Variants
Similar Aircraft
Crew
Role
Length
55 ft (16.6 m)
Span
46 ft, 9 in (14.26 m)
Ceiling
18600 meters
Cruise range
970 nm
In-Flight Refueling
No
Internal Fuel
4600 kg
Payload
2000 kg
Sensors
High Lark radar, RWR, IRST, Basic Bombsight
Drop Tanks
800 L drop tank with 639kg of fuel for 67nm range
Armament
Cannon: GSh-23L 23mm
AS-7 Kerry, UV-16-57, FAB-500, AA-7, ,AA-8, AA-10, AA-11
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