MiG-23 Flogger Fighter Family

I don't think the JAY BIRD equipped FLOGGERs were ever capable of using the R-23 or R-24. At least one source says they couldn't even fire the R-60.
 
Does anyone have the Aide-Memoire for the MiG-23MLD Pilot on Air Combat vs F-15A, F-I6A, F-4E and Kfir C.2 manual? I have seen it being referenced several time but I can't find the original manual
 
GTX said:
I saw a mention of a proposed Recon MiG-23R variant. Does anyone have more details about this?
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I seem to recall reading somewhere it was intended for both Photo- and ELINT battlefield reconnaissance.
 
Grey Havoc said:
GTX said:
I saw a mention of a proposed Recon MiG-23R variant. Does anyone have more details about this?
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I seem to recall reading somewhere it was intended for both Photo- and ELINT battlefield reconnaissance.
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There is a brief mention in Yefim Gordon's and Dmitriy Komissarov's "Mikoyan MiG-23 & MiG-27" book (see below) which stated that in 1971/72 the Mikoyan OKB contemplated a dedicated reconnaissance variant of the MiG-23B designated the MiG-23R. It was to feature both cameras in the nose and SIGINT and IRINT and TV equipment on interchangeable pallets in a special bay aft of the cockpit. The MiG-23R did not progress beyond the preliminary design stage but work on a reconnaissance version resumed in the mid 1970s with the MiG-23BM (MiG

The second attempt was the MiG-27R. It was basically the same as the MiG-23R project with cameras in the nose and SIGINT and IRINT and TV equipment on interchangeable pallets in a rear equipment bay. It was also to carry a SLAR in a ventral pod. It too did not proceed beyond the project stage.

Source:

9781910809310.jpg
 
GTX said:
Another interesting conversion was the Iraqi conversion to allow the MiG-23 to carry the french Exocet missile:

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The Twitter thread with this picture has some follow-up on that. Turns out the metal bashing to make a suitable pylon was easy enough, but the MiG-23 did not have enough room for some specialized equipment that Exocet needed, so this idea was a bust in the end.
 
The Etendard IV ? Don't think it ever carried Exocet. the Super Etendard yes.
 
Does anyone have more information about the MiG-23MP "Flogger-E" ? Or photos ?
What can be found on wikipedia :
"Virtually identical to the MiG-23MS, the only difference was that the MiG-23MP added a dielectric head above the pylon, a feature associated with ground-attack versions. A possible developmental prototype, very few were produced and none were exported"
 
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F.L. said:
Does anyone have more information about the MiG-23MP "Flogger-E" ? Or photos ?
What can be found on wikipedia :
"Virtually identical to the MiG-23MS, the only difference was that the MiG-23MP added a dielectric head above the pylon, a feature associated with ground-attack versions. A possible developmental prototype, very few were produced and none were exported"
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I don't believe this designation exists. I've never seen it before and the source cited on Wikipedia proves nothing.

MiG-23P was an interceptor version of the MiG-23ML. There are a few pages calling it MiG-23MP (in Russian) but that's the only reference I've seen and its definitely referring to the interceptor.

A test MiG-23MS airframe might have had the "Delta" command guidance pod fitted for test purposes but it wouldn't have received an official designation like this.
 
The MiG-23MLD lost its leading-edge slats and 33-degree wing sweep setting later in service due to safety concerns.

Got this info from user Fighter1991 from RAZBAM Discord. He knows from an MLD pilot he knows personally that this feature had been removed for safety reasons. The left slat would often go down before the right result, which in unexpected rolling behavior. This was removed around late 1980s-early 1990s.
 
The original story was posted on 1 April on Russian social media. Its been reposted by a number of websites and took a few days to cross from Russian to English sites who seem to have missed the joke.

It would make some sense if there were large stocks of MiG-23/27 in storage ready for refurbishment, but there aren't.

Nobody would ever choose to build a new MiG-23 based fighter/bomber.
 
How many countries still fly the MiG-23? It can't be many given how old the design is.
 
NMaude said:
How many countries still fly the MiG-23? It can't be many given how old the design is.
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North Korea is probably the largest operator of the type, followed by Angola.
It is analgeous timewise of the Mirage F1, Viggen, and Jaguar but probably still operated by a similar amount of countries as the F1 currently.
For some countries, it makes sense within a limited budget to operate a pure interceptor for certain tasks.
Viggen is operated by no one, being less of an export success with less of a support base.
Only India still operates the Jaguar in dwindling numbers.
The Mirage F1 was an unsung hero.
Over 5000 Mig 23's were built, and operated by about 30 operators.
Regardless of modern reinterpretations, a successful programme from the manufacturing side of things.
 
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Back to 1970 ( from NY Times archives):

Soviet's Swift New MIG‐23 Fighter Is Regarded as a Problem for NATO​


''The fighter is labeled the Foxbat in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's listings of Soviet‐bloc weapons. All reportes agree that it is faster than comparable aircraft being used by United States forces. Its reported speed is Mach 3— three times the speed of sound —compared with a listed speed of Mach 2 to Mach 2.5 for the F‐111A/D and Mach 2.2 for the F‐4.''

https://www.nytimes.com/1970/12/15/...ighter-is-regarded-as-a-problem-for-nato.html
Of course it was not Mach 3 but it was close....


A.M. article in AFM from Oct. 2003

file:///C:/Users/Windows%207/Downloads/MiG-23MLDvsWesternFighters%20(1).pdf

Многоцелевой истребитель МиГ-23-98.
http://xn--80aafy5bs.xn--p1ai/aviam...i-okb-mig/mnogotselevoj-istrebitel-mig-23-98/
.....would have big combat potential.
 
Here's this video by Ward Carroll concerning the crash of a MiG-23UB on August 13, 2023 at an airshow in the US:


Ward reviews the NTSB's preliminary report about the MiG-23 crash during the "Thunder Over Michigan" air show on August 13, 2023.
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kaiserbill said:
North Korea is probably the largest operator of the type, followed by Angola.
It is analgeous timewise of the Mirage F1, Viggen, and Jaguar but probably still operated by a similar amount of countries as the F1 currently.
For some countries, it makes sense within a limited budget to operate a pure interceptor for certain tasks.
Viggen is operated by no one, being less of an export success with less of a support base.
Only India still operates the Jaguar in dwindling numbers.
The Mirage F1 was an unsung hero.
Over 5000 Mig 23's were built, and operated by about 30 operators.
Regardless of modern reinterpretations, a successful programme from the manufacturing side of things.
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I believe Cuba still has a few in service.
 
NMaude said:
How many countries still fly the MiG-23? It can't be many given how old the design is.
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According Wikipedia 7 nations

Angola with 22
Ethiopia with 9
Libya with 4
People Republic of Korea with 56
Sudan with 4
Syria around 27 (after IDF Operation Bashan Arrow)
Zimbabwe has 4

Private ownership
11 operating in US only
 
I wonder if Russia scrapped all of their MiG-23s in the 1990s after they were retired or if there are still some available to be refurbished in their boneyard?
 
I just stumbled across this rather interesting video about the MiG-23 from the Wings Over The Rockies Air & Space Museum channel:


Join retired fighter pilot John Mann and Russian linguist Bob Marion as we take an in-depth look at the MiG-23 cockpit.
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John flew MiG-21s and MiG-23s as part of the once-secret Constant Peg program, a first-of-its-kind adversary training where American pilots flew against Soviet aircraft. Bob Marion is a Russian language expert and historian who helps decipher the many gauges and switches in the cockpit. This one is going to be cool!​
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Check out more Constant Peg and MiG-23 content:
Part 1: • America's Secret MiG-23s | Behind the Wings https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0H3NfLNu6z4&t=1s
Part 2: • The Secret MiGs at Area 52 | Behind the Wi... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2PFDyF1Yzk
Behind the Wings Podcast with John Mann: https://wingsmuseum.org/resources/pod...https://www.youtube.com/redirect?ev...wings-the-podcast-s3-episode-30&v=4UsPp5TuebU
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00:00 Intro
00:43 Russian Linguist Bob Marion
01:23 Translating Challenges
2:19 MiG-23 vs Flogger
3:35 Cockpit Tour
5:17 Navigation System
6:09 The Control Stick
7:32 The Fin
8:37 Brakes
9:21 Throttle, Flaps & Wing Position
10:06 Angle of Attack
10:53 Fuel Gauge
12:09 Wing Sweep Indicator
12:34 Top Speed
12:56 Constant Peg Program
13:52 Left Side Panels
14:40 Why Turquoise?
14:56 Right Side Panels
15:57 Ejection Seat
17:30 Seat Position
18:09 Periscope
18:33 Break Air Pressure Gauges
18:49 Takeaways
19:47 Outro
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Grey Havoc said:
Calling it the 'Worst Fighter Jet in History' would be rather unfair to the design.
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it was the year 1985, a school boy (me) saw a MiG-23ML picture
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this picture made me fall in love with the MiG-23.

As a fan of the 1980s of the MiG-23 I have some bias for my childhood favorite fighter.

In my 30s I was lucky to find a lot of Russian websites and even the MiG-23ML manual.

Well I have to confess once I saw Top gun i became a Tomcat fan.

After many years of reading sources, in my personal opinion the MiG-23 was one of the best 3rd generation fighters but sadly fought mostly 4th generation F-15s, F-16s, F-14s.

The early F-16 were not match to the BVR weaponry of the MiG-23.
But to be fair the MiG-23 evolved from a very limited Flogger A to an interceptor MiG-23M and a relatively agile MiG-23ML

It downed enemy fighters, yes it did, but since it had two variants many people forget in 1982 the MiG-23BN was the version that accounted for the most of Flogger losses over Lebanon.
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The MiG-23BN was an attack aircraft, it was not a fighter at all, but many thought the MiG-23MF was the most downed Variant


In My opinion as a 3rd generation fighter only the AJ-37 Viggen was better.
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But it suffered many loses, more than victories, it was relatively complex to operate, and in the 1990s the MiG-29 and MiG-21 were considered cheaper and more effective to operate, and the Su-27 eclipsed it.
A beautiful aircraft, an old warrior that by 2011 was obsolete since few were updated, and the modernizations were very limited, so it faded away as an old fighter.
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But in my opinion would it had been updated, the MiG-23 was a match for the Tornado and even early F-14s
 
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