Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-23

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Russian: ?????? ? ??????? ???-23; NATO reporting
name: Flogger) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the
Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong
to the Soviet third-generation jet fighter category, along with similarly aged
Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25 "Foxbat". It was the first attempt by the
Soviet Union to design look-down/shoot-down radar and one of the first to be
armed with beyond visual range missiles. Production started in 1970 and reached
large numbers with over 5,000 aircraft built. Today the MiG-23 remains in
limited service with some export customers.

The basic design was also used as the basis for the Mikoyan MiG-27, a dedicated
ground-attack variant. Among many minor changes, the MiG-27 replaced the
MiG-23's nose-mounted radar system with an optical panel holding a laser
designator and a TV camera.

The MiG-23's predecessor, the MiG-21 (NATO reporting name "Fishbed"), was fast
and agile, but limited in its operational capabilities by its primitive radar,
short range, and limited weapons load (restricted in some aircraft to a pair of
short-range R-3/K-13 (AA-2 "Atoll") air-to-air missiles). The MiG-23 was to be a
heavier, more powerful machine designed to remedy these deficiencies, and match
Western aircraft like the F-4 Phantom. The new fighter was to feature a totally
new S-23 sensor and weapon system capable of firing beyond-visual-range (BVR)
missiles.


Role
Interceptor/Fighter (M series)
Fighter-bomber (B series)

National origin
Soviet Union

Manufacturer
Mikoyan-Gurevich

First flight
10 June 1967

Introduction
1970

Status
Limited service

Primary users
Soviet Air Force (historical)
Syrian Air Force
Indian Air force (historical)
Bulgarian Air Force (historical)
See Operators below

Produced
1967–1985

Number built
5,047

Variants
Mikoyan MiG-27


Western and Russian aviation historians usually differ in respect to combat
record for their military vehicles and doctrines part due to the bias in favor
of their respective national industries and academies. They also usually accept
claims going along with their respective political views since usually many
conflicting and contradictory reports are written and accepted by their
respective historians. Before recent years, with widespread use of hand portable
cameras, little pictorial evidence could be published about specific losses and
victories of the different combat systems, with a limited number of losses and
victories confirmed by both parties. Western sources, generally attribute a very
limited number of confirmed air-to-air victories to the MiG-23 while reporting a
higher number of MiG-23s downed mostly by Israeli Air Force in 1982, while
Russian sources generally decrease the number of losses and increase the number
of inflicted kills bringing the air-to-air kill to loss ratio to around parity.

Soviet MiG-23s were used over Afghanistan. Some of them were claimed shot down.

Soviet and Afghan MiG-23s and Pakistani F-16s clashed a few times during the
Soviet war in Afghanistan from 1987. Two MiG-23 were claimed shot down in air to
air fight by Pakistani F-16s when crossing the border while one F-16 was shot
down on 29 April 1987. Pakistani[citation needed] and Western[10] sources
consider it a friendly fire incident but the Soviet-backed Afghan government of
the time claimed that Soviet aircraft downed the Pakistani F-16 – a claim that
The New York Times and the Washington Post also reported. According to a Russian
version of the event, the F-16 was shot down when Pakistani F-16s encountered
Soviet MiG-23MLDs. Soviet MiG-23MLD pilots, while on a bombing raid along the
Pakistani-Afghan border, reported being attacked by F-16s and then seeing one
F-16 explode. It could have been downed by gunfire from a MiG whose pilot did
not report the kill, because Soviet pilots were not allowed to attack Pakistani
aircraft without permission


Specifications (MiG-23MLD Flogger-K)

General characteristics
Crew: One
Length: 16.70 m (56 ft 9.5)
Wingspan: Spread, 13.97 m (45 ft 10 in)
Height: 4.82 m (15 ft 9.75 in)
Wing area: 37.35 m² spread, 34.16 m² swept (402.05 ft² / 367.71 ft²)
Empty weight: 9,595 kg (21,153 lb)
Loaded weight: 15,700 kg (34,612 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 18,030 kg (39,749 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Khatchaturov R-35-300 afterburning turbojet, 83.6 kN dry, 127 kN
afterburning (18,850 lbf / 28,700 lbf)

Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.32, 2,445 km/h at altitude; Mach 1.14, 1,350 km/h at sea
level (1,553 mph / 840 mph)
Range: 1,150 km with six AAMs combat, 2,820 km ferry (570 mi / 1,750 mi)
Service ceiling: 18,500 m (60,695 ft)
Rate of climb: 240 m/s (47,245 ft/min)
Wing loading: 420 kg/m² (78.6 lb/ft²)
Thrust/weight: 0.88

Armament

1× Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23L 23 mm cannon with 200 rounds
Two fuselage, two wing glove, and two wing pylons for up to 3,000 kg (6,610 lb)
of stores, including:
R-23/24 (AA-7 "Apex")
R-60 (AA-8 "Aphid")
also, upgraded aircraft may carry:
R-27 (AA-10 "Alamo")
R-73 (AA-11 "Archer")
R-77 (AA-12 "Adder")

According to the MiG-23ML manual, the MiG-23ML has a maximum sustained turn rate
of 14.1 deg/sec and a maximum instantaneous turn rate of 16.7 deg/sec. The
MiG-23ML accelerates from 600 km/h (373 mph) to 900 km/h (559 mph) in 12 seconds
at the altitude of 1000 meters. The MiG-23 accelerates at the altitude of 1 km
from 630 km/h (391 mph) to 1300 km/h (808 mph) in 30 seconds and at the altitude
of 10–12 km will accelerate from Mach 1 to Mach 2 in 160 seconds.





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