MikoyanGurevichMiG23

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TheMikoyanGurevichMiG23(Russian:
23NATOreportingname:Flogger)isa
variablegeometryfighteraircraft,designedbythe
MikoyanGurevichdesignbureauintheSovietUnion.Itis
consideredtobelongtotheSovietthirdgenerationjet
fightercategory,alongwithsimilarlyagedSovietfighters
suchastheMiG25"Foxbat".Itwasthefirstattemptbythe
SovietUniontodesignlookdown/shootdownradarand
oneofthefirsttobearmedwithbeyondvisualrange
missiles.Productionstartedin1970andreachedlarge
numberswithover5,000aircraftbuilt.TodaytheMiG23
remainsinlimitedservicewithsomeexportcustomers.
ThebasicdesignwasalsousedasthebasisfortheMikoyan
MiG27,adedicatedgroundattackvariant.Amongmany
minorchanges,theMiG27replacedtheMiG23'snose
mountedradarsystemwithanopticalpanelholdingalaser
designatorandaTVcamera.

Contents
1 Development
2 Design
3 Operationalhistory
4 Variants
5 Operators
6 Incidentsandaccidents
7 Aircraftondisplay
8 Specifications(MiG23MLDFloggerK)
9 Seealso
10 Externallinks

MiG23

ASovietAirForceMiG23MLD
Role

Interceptor/Fighter(Mseries)
Fighterbomber(Bseries)

Nationalorigin SovietUnion
Manufacturer

MikoyanGurevich

Firstflight

10June1967

Introduction

1970

Status

Limitedservice

Primaryusers

SovietAirForce(historical)
SyrianAirForce
IndianAirforce(historical)
BulgarianAirForce(historical)
SeeOperatorsbelow

Produced

19671985

Numberbuilt

5,047

Variants

MikoyanMiG27

Development
TheMiG23'spredecessor,theMiG21(NATOreportingname
"Fishbed"),wasfastandagile,butlimitedinitsoperationalcapabilities
byitsprimitiveradar,shortrange,andlimitedweaponsload(restricted
insomeaircrafttoapairofshortrangeR3/K13(AA2"Atoll")airto
airmissiles).TheMiG23wastobeaheavier,morepowerfulmachine
designedtoremedythesedeficiencies,andmatchWesternaircraftlike
theF4Phantom.ThenewfighterwastofeatureatotallynewS23
sensorandweaponsystemcapableoffiringbeyondvisualrange(BVR)
missiles.
MiG23wingsweepmechanism.

Amajordesignconsiderationwastakeoffandlandingperformance.
ExistingSovietfastjetsrequiredverylongrunwayswhich,combined
withtheirlimitedrange,restrictedtheirtacticalusefulness.TheVVSdemandedthenewaircrafthaveamuch
shortertakeoffrun.LowlevelspeedandhandlingwasalsotobeimprovedovertheMiG21.Thisled

Mikoyantoconsidertwooptions:liftjets,toprovideanadditionallift
component,andvariablegeometrywings,whichhadbeendevelopedby
TsAGIforboth"cleansheet"aircraftdesignsandadaptationsofexisting
designs.
Thefirstprototype,called"2301"butalsoknownastheMiG23PD,
wasataileddeltasimilartotheMiG21butwithtwoliftjetsinthe
fuselage.However,itbecameapparentveryearlythatthisconfiguration
wasunsatisfactory,astheliftjetsbecameuselessdeadweightonce
MiG23parked.
airborne.Thesecondprototype,knownas"2311",featuredvariable
geometrywingswhichcouldbe
settoanglesof16,45and72
degrees,anditwasclearlymore
promising.Themaidenflightof
2311tookplaceon10June
1967,flownbythefamousMiG
testpilotAlexanderVasilevich
Fedotov(whosettheabsolute
altituderecordin1977inaMiG
25"Foxbat").[1]Sixmoreflight
prototypesandtwostatictest
MiG23cockpitinhighresolution
prototypeswerepreparedfor
furtherflightandsystemtesting.
AllfeaturedtheTumanskyR27300turbojetenginewithathrustof
7850kp.TheordertostartseriesproductionoftheMiG23wasgiven
APolishMiG23MF
inDecember1967.Thefirstproduction"MiG23S"(NATOreporting
name'FloggerA')tooktotheairon21May1969,withFedotovatthe
controls.[2]
TheGeneralDynamicsF111andMcDonnellDouglasF4PhantomIIwerethemainWesterninfluencesonthe
MiG23.TheSoviets,however,wantedamuchlighter,singleenginedfightertomaximizeagility.BoththeF
111andtheMiG23weredesignedasfighters,buttheheavyweightandinherentstabilityoftheF111turnedit
intoalongrangeinterdictorandkeptitoutofthefighterrole.TheMiG23'sdesignerskepttheMiG23light
andagileenoughtodogfightwithenemyfighters.

Design
Armament
TheMiG23'sarmamentevolvedasthetype'savionicswereupgraded
andnewvariantsweredeployed.Theearliestversions,whichwere
equippedwiththeMiG21'sfirecontrolsystem,werelimitedtofiring
variantsoftheR3/K13(AA2"Atoll")missile.TheR60(AA8
"Aphid")replacedtheR3duringthe'70s,andfromtheMiG23M
onwardstheBVRR23/R24(AA7"Apex")wascarried.TheMiG
23MLDiscapableoffiringtheR73(AA11"Archer"),butthismissile
wasnotexporteduntiltheMiG29wasreleasedforexport.Thehelmet
mountedsightassociatedwiththeR73missilewasfittedontheMiG
MiG23M"FloggerB"armedwith
23MLDGandotherexperimentalMiG23MLDsubvariantsthatnever
R23andR60missiles
enteredproductionashadbeenoriginallyplanned.Thereasonwasthat
theseMiG23MLDsubvariantshadlessprioritythanthethenongoing
MiG29program,andtheMikoyanbureauthereforedecidedtoconcentratealltheireffortsontheMiG29
programandhaltedfurtherworkontheMiG23.Nevertheless,ahelmetmountedsightisnowofferedaspartof
theMiG2398upgrade.TherewerereportsoftheMiG23MLDbeingcapableoffiringtheR27(AA10

"Alamo")beyondexperimentaltestshowever,itseemsonlyAngola'sMiG2398sarecapableofdoingso.A
MiG23wasusedtotestandfiretheR27,R73,andR77(AA12"Adder")airtoairmissilesduringtheir
earlyflightandfiringtrials.Groundattackarmamentincludes57mmrocketpods,generalpurposebombsup
to500kginsize,gunpods,andKh23(AS7"Kerry")radioguidedmissiles.Uptofourexternalfueltanks
couldbecarried.

Operationalhistory
WesternandRussianaviationhistoriansusuallydifferinrespecttocombatrecordfortheirmilitaryvehiclesand
doctrinespartduetothebiasinfavoroftheirrespectivenationalindustriesandacademies.Theyalsousually
acceptclaimsgoingalongwiththeirrespectivepoliticalviewssinceusuallymanyconflictingandcontradictory
reportsarewrittenandacceptedbytheirrespectivehistorians.[3][4][5]Beforerecentyears,withwidespreaduse
ofhandportablecameras,littlepictorialevidencecouldbepublishedaboutspecificlossesandvictoriesofthe
differentcombatsystems,withalimitednumberoflossesandvictoriesconfirmedbybothparties.[6]Western
sources,generallyattributeaverylimitednumberofconfirmedairtoairvictoriestotheMiG23while
reportingahighernumberofMiG23sdownedmostlybyIsraeliAirForcein1982,whileRussiansources
generallydecreasethenumberoflossesandincreasethenumberofinflictedkillsbringingtheairtoairkillto
lossratiotoaroundparity.

SovietandWarsawPactservice
Becauseofitsdistinctiveappearancewithlargeairintakesonbothsides
ofthefuselagetheaircraftwasnicknamed"Cheburashka"bysome
SovietpilotsafterapopularRussiancartooncharacterrepresentinga
fictionalanimalwithbigears.Thenicknamedidnotstickandwaslater
firmlyassignedtoAntonovAn72/74,althoughtothisdayitis
sometimesappliedtodifferentaircraftwithsimilarexteriorfeatures,
includingtheUSAFA10ThunderboltII.
TheaircraftwasnotusedinlargenumbersbythenonSovietairforces
MiG23M
oftheWarsawPactasoriginallyenvisioned.WhentheMiG23swere
initiallydeployed,theywereconsideredtheelitesoftheEasternBlocair
forces.However,veryquicklythedisadvantagesbecameevidentandtheMiG23didnotreplacetheMiG21as
initiallyintended.Theaircrafthadsomedeficienciesthatlimiteditsoperationalserviceabilityanditshourly
operatingcostwasthushigherthantheMiG21s.TheEasternBlocairforcesusedtheirMiG23storeplace
MiG17sandMiG19sstillinservice.
By1990,over1,500MiG23sofdifferentmodelswereinservicewiththeVVSandtheVPVO.Withthe
dissolutionoftheSovietUnion,thenewRussianAirForcebegantocutbackitsfighterforce,anditwas
decidedthesingleenginedMiG23sandMiG27sweretoberetiredtooperationalstorage.Thelastmodelto
servewastheMiG23Pairdefensevariantanditwasretiredon1May1998.[7]
WhenEastandWestGermanyunified,noMiG23sweretransferredtotheWestGermanAirForce,buttwelve
formerEastGermanMiG23sweresuppliedtotheU.S.WhenCzechoslovakiasplitintotheCzechRepublic
andSlovakia,theCzechsreceivedalltheMiG23s,whichwereretiredin1998.HungaryretiredtheirMiG23s
in1996,Polandin1999,Romaniain2000,andBulgariain2004.
TheMiG23wastheSovietAirForce's"TopGun"equivalentaggressoraircraftfromthelate1970stothelate
1980s.ItprovedadifficultopponentforearlyMiG29variantsflownbyinexperiencedpilots.Exercises
showedwhenwellflown,aMiG23MLDcouldachievefavorablekillratiosagainsttheMiG29inmock
combatbyusinghitandruntacticsandnotengagingtheMiG29sindogfights.UsuallytheaggressorMiG
23MLDshadasharkmouthpaintedonthenosejustaftoftheradome,andmanywerepilotedbySoviet
AfghanWarveterans.Inthelate1980s,theseaggressorMiG23swerereplacedbyMiG29s,alsofeaturing
sharkmouths.[8]

SovietwarinAfghanistan
SovietMiG23swereusedoverAfghanistan.Someofthemwereclaimedshotdown.
SovietandAfghanMiG23sandPakistaniF16sclashedafewtimesduringtheSovietwarinAfghanistanfrom
1987.TwoMiG23wereclaimedshotdowninairtoairfightbyPakistaniF16swhencrossingtheborder[9]
whileoneF16wasshotdownon29April1987.PakistaniandWestern[10]sourcesconsideritafriendlyfire
incidentbuttheSovietbackedAfghangovernmentofthetimeclaimedthatSovietaircraftdownedthe
PakistaniF16aclaimthatTheNewYorkTimesandtheWashingtonPostalsoreported.[11][12]Accordingtoa
Russianversionoftheevent,theF16wasshotdownwhenPakistaniF16sencounteredSovietMiG23MLDs.
SovietMiG23MLDpilots,whileonabombingraidalongthePakistaniAfghanborder,reportedbeing
attackedbyF16sandthenseeingoneF16explode.ItcouldhavebeendownedbygunfirefromaMiGwhose
pilotdidnotreportthekill,becauseSovietpilotswerenotallowedtoattackPakistaniaircraftwithout
permission.[13]
In1988,SovietMiG23MLDsusingR23s(NATO:AA7"Apex")downedtwoIranianAH1JCobrasthathad
intrudedintoAfghanairspace.Inasimilarincidentadecadeearlier,on21June1978,aPVOMiG23Mflown
byPilotCaptainV.ShkindershotdowntwoIranianBoeingCH47Chinookhelicoptersthathadtrespassedinto
Sovietairspace,onehelicopterbeingdispatchedbytwoR60missilesandtheotherbycannonfire.
SovietsupportofPeople'sDemocraticRepublicofYemen
TheUSSRsupportedthePeople'sDemocraticRepublicofYemenwithSovietAirForceMiG23BNandMiG
25RbasedinAdenstartingfromthelateSeventies.DuringtheSouthYemenCivilWarinJanuary1986,the
SovietMiG23BNfleetflewstrikesinsupportofloyalistforces.[14]ItisnotcleariftheseMiG23wereever
transferredtotheSouthYemenicontrolandlatertotheunifiedYemeniAirForceortheyalwaysremained
underSovietcontrolandwithdrewlater.[15]

Syria
CombatagainstIsrael(since1973)
ThefirstMiG23sweresuppliedtoSyriaon14October1973,when
twoMiG23MSsandtwoMiG23UBswereshippedincrates,aboard
An12Btransports.Bythetimetheseplanescouldbeassembled,flight
testedandtheircrewsmadecombatready,thewarwithIsraelwasover.
During1974severalSyrianMiG23swerelostinaccidents.Theprocess
ofmakingtheMiG23operationalwascomplexanddifficult,andonly
eightwereoperationalby1974.ThefirstMiG23stoseecombatwere
MiG23ondisplayinIsraelafter
exportvariantswithmanylimitations.Forexample,theMiG23MS
defectionfromSyria
lackedaradarwarningreceiver.Inaddition,comparedtotheMiG21,
theaircraftwasmechanicallycomplexandexpensiveandalsoless
agile.Earlyexportvariantsalsolackedmany"warreservemodes"intheirradars,makingthemvulnerable
againstelectroniccountermeasures(ECM),atwhichtheIsraeliswereespeciallyproficient.
On13April1974,afteralmost100daysofartilleryexchangesandskirmishesalongtheGolanHeights,Syrian
helicoptersdeliveredcommandostoattacktheIsraeliobservationpostatJebelSheikh.Thisprovokedheavy
clashesintheairandonthegroundforalmostaweek.On19April1974,CaptainalMasry,flyingaMiG
23MSonaweaponstestmission,spottedagroupofIAFF4Esandshottwoofthemdownafterfiringthree
missiles.HewasabouttoattackanotherF4withcannonfire,butwasshotdownbyfriendlyfirefromaSAM
battery.[16]Duetothissuccess,anadditional24MiG23MSinterceptors,aswellasasimilarnumberofMiG
23BNstrikevariants,weredeliveredtoSyriaduringthefollowingyear.In1978deliveriesofMiG23MFs
startedandtwosquadronswereequippedwiththem.

TheMiG23MF,MiG23MSandMiG23BNwereusedincombatbySyriaoverLebanonbetween1981and
1985.On26April1981,twoIsraeliA4SkyhawksattackingacampinSidonwereshotdownbytwoMiG
23MSs.[16]RussianhistorianVladimirIlyinwritesthattheSyrianslostsixMiG23MFs,fourMiG23MSsand
afewMiG23BNsinJune1982.OnemoreMiG23fighterwaslostinJuly.TheIsraelisalsoclaimedthatthey
shotdowntwoMiG23sin1985,whichtheSyriansdeny.AccordingtoIlyin,thedeploymentofMiG23MLs
bytheSyriansinOctober1983shiftedthebalanceofpowerintheirfavor,astheyweresoonabletoshoot
downthreeIsraeliF15sandoneF4withoutanylosses.Overall,1113SyrianMiG23fightervariantswere
lostinaircombatfrom1982to1985.Atthesametime,accordingtoIlyin,SyrianMiG23pilotsshotdown12
enemyaircraft(includingatleastfiveF16sandthreeF15s).[4]ThesearesomeoftheSyrianMiG23
claims:[3][17](itshouldbenotedthatnoclaimsofF15andF16killsbyanySyrianaircraftarerecognizedby
Westernsources.)
On7June1982,threeMiG23MFs(pilotsHallyak,SaidandMerza)attackedanF16.CaptainMerza
detectedtheF16atadistanceof25kmandbroughtitdownfrom9km.TwootherF16sthenappeared.
Merzafiredamissileatoneofthemfrom78kmandreportedthattheenemywasdowned.
On8June1982,twoMiG23MFsagainmetwithF16s.MajorHawdetectedanF16atadistanceof
20kmandshotitdownfromadistanceof7km.
On9June1982,twoMiG23MFs,pilotedbyCaptainsDibandSaid,weresenttointercepttargetseastof
Beirut.OneofthepilotsdetectedanF16andshotitdownfromadistanceof6km.
TheSyrianaircombatclaimsof1982havenotbeenconfirmedbyIsraelisources,[18][19]whichonlyadmitthat
oneF15AfighterwasheavilydamagedinaerialcombatbyaSyrianMiG21,butmanagedtolandsafely.[19]
AttheendofApril2002,unconfirmedreportsclaimsaSyrianMiG23MLshotdownanIsraeliUAVwithan
airtoairmissilenearAsSuwayda.[20]
SyrianCivilWar
AformerSyrianAirForceMiG23MSbecameiconicofthesiegeofAbuDhahurairbase:on7March2012,
Syrianrebelsuseda9K1152MetisMantitankguidedmissiletohitthederelictMiG.Later,inMarch2013
theyenteredinthebase,showingthewornoutanddamagedMiG.Finally,inMay2013,theSyrianAirForce
bombedittocompletelydestroythewreck.[21]
SyrianMiG23BNsbombedthecityofAleppoon24July2012,becomingthefirstuseoffixedwingaircraft
forbombingintheSyriancivilwar.[22][23][24]
On13August2012,aSyrianMiG23BNwasreportedlyshotdownbytherebelsoftheFreeSyrianArmynear
DeirezZor,althoughthegovernmentclaimedthatitwentdownduetotechnicaldifficulties.[25]
Sincethen,SyrianAirForceMiG23stogetherwithdifferentSyrianAirForcefighterjetswereregularly
spottedperformingattackrunsontheSyrianinsurgents,whoclaimeddifferentMiGsbeingshotdownor
destroyedonthegroundindifferentoccasions.
On23March2014,oneSyrianMiG23wasshotdownafterbeinghitbyanAIM9Sidewinderfiredbya
TurkishF16CinthevicinityoftheSyriantownofKessab,thepilotejectedsafelyandwasrecoveredby
friendlyforces,TurkishsourcessaidthefighterviolatedtheTurkishairspaceanditwasdownedafterseveral
radiowarningswhileapproachingtheborder.AnotherSyrianMiG23returnedtoSyriabeforetrespassinginto
theTurkishairspace.[26]

Iraq
IraqIranWar(19801988)

TheMiG23tookpartintheIranIraqWarandwasusedinboth
airtoairandairtogroundroles.Thereportsaboutperformancein
aircombataremixedsomeauthorsclaimthatIraqiMiG23shad
somevictoriesandseverallossesagainstIranianF14sandF4s.
Forexample,itissaidthatColonelMohammedHashemAlle
AghawasshotdownbyanIraqiMiG23MLwhileflyinghisF14
IraqiMiG23ML
on11August1984.Furthermore,Capt.BahramGhaneiiwasshot
downbyaMiG23MLon17January1987.[27][28]Accordingto
Iraniansources,fourMiG23BNswereshotdownbyF14son29October1980,butthevictorywasnot
confirmed.[29]
AccordingtoresearcherT.Cooper,IranianF14scausedexceptionallyheavylossestotheMiG23s(mostof
thembombers,modelMiG23BN)earlyinthewar,muchtothedisappointmentoftheIraqiAirForce,which
thoughtthattheSovietfighterwouldbeamatchfortheTomcat.[30]DuringtheIranIraqWaratleast58MiG
23sareclaimedtobeshotdownbyF14s(15oftheseareconfirmedaccordingtoCooper),[31]and20MiG23s
areclaimedbyF4s(16confirmedaccordingtoCooper).[32]Accordingtoothersources,MiG23lossestoall
combatcausesarebetween20and28.[33]
IraqiMiG23MS/MFs(fighters)wereusedinthefirsthalfofthewarpossiblyscoring8killsand
suffering8losses.
MiG23MLs(fighters)wereusedinthesecondhalfofthewar.Theypossiblyscored7kills(including2
F14)whilepossiblysufferingatleast2losses.[34][35][36][37]
MiG23BNs(groundattackvariant)weresuccessfullyusedagainstgroundtargets.On22September
1980,BNswereusedinfirstcombatsortiesagainstIran.TwoF4PhantomsweredestroyedatMehrabad
AirBaseinBNsattack.Howeverupto22MiG23BNsweredownedbyIranianinterceptorsduringthe
war.Accordingtoothersources,16BNswerelostduringwar,13ofthemincombat.[33][37][38]
KnownIraqiMiG23fighterpilotwascaptainOmarGoben.HeshotdownatleasttwoIranianplanes
flyingaMiG23andthreeotherswithaMiG21.[39][40]
KuwaitInvasionandGulfWar(19901991)
On2August1990,theIraqiAirForcesupportedtheInvasionofKuwaitwithMiG23BNandSu22asthe
mainstrikeassets.AnumberofIraqiaircraftandhelicopterswereclaimedshotdownbyKuwaitiairdefense
MIM23HawkSAMsites,amongthemaMiG23BN.[41]
DuringtheGulfWar,theUnitedStatesAirForcereporteddowningeightIraqiMiG23swithF15s,[42]sixof
themwereconfirmed.Upto12MiG23flewovertheborder,landinginIrantoavoiddestructionandseveral
otherairframesweredestroyedordamagedonthegroundorinthesheltersduringtheraidsovertheirairbases.
RussiansourcesclaimthatIraqiMiG23smanagedtoshootdownonetotwoF16Cs,oneTornadoand
damagedtwoF111s,whichwouldhavebeenwrittenofflater.Thesamesourcesclaimthatallvictorieswere
scoredbytheMLvariant.[43][44][45]
TheUnitedStatesstatedthatthelossesoftheF16Cswerecausedby2K12KubandS125Neva/Pechora
surfacetoairmissilesratherthanenemyaircraft.[46]Also,noTornadolossisattributedtoenemyaircraftasper
theRoyalAirForceandtheItalianAirForce.[47][48]
NoFlyZoneandinvasionofIraq(19912003)
On17January1993,aUSAFF16CdestroyedanIraqiMiG23withanAMRAAMmissile.[49]On9
September1999,aloneMiG23crossedthenoflyzoneheadingtowardsaflightofF14s.OneF14firedan
AIM54PhoenixattheMiGbutmissedandtheMiGheadedbacknorth.

In2003,duringOperationIraqiFreedom,theentireIraqiAirForceremainedgroundedwithseveralairframes
foundbyUSandalliedforcesaroundtheIraqiairbasesinderelictconditionaftertheinvasion.Theinvasion
markedtheendofIraqiservicefortheMiG23.

Cuba
CubainAngola
CubanMiG23MLsandSouthAfricanMirageF1pilotshadseveralencountersduringtheCubanintervention
inAngola,oneofwhichresultedinseveredamagetoaMirageF1.
On27September1987,duringOperationModuler,twoMiG23pilotssurprisedapairofMiragesandfired
missiles:AlbertoLeyRivasengagedaMirageflownbyCaptArthurDouglasPiercywithapairofR23Rs
(somesourcessayaR60),whiletheotherCubanpilotfiredasingleR60ataMirageflownbyCaptainCarlo
Gagiano.AlthoughthemissileshomedontheMirages,onlyoneR23Rexplodedcloseenoughtocause
damagetothelandinghydraulicsofCaptPiercy'sMirage(and,accordingtosomeaccounts,theaircraft'sdrag
chute).ThedamagelikelycontributedtotheMirageveeringofftherunwayonlanding,afterwhichthenose
gearcollapsed.ThenosehitthegroundsohardthatPiercy'sejectionseatfired.Asaresultofthisgroundlevel
ejection,Piercywasparalyzed.Theaircraftwaswrittenoff,butalargeportionoftheairframeandcomponents
wereusedtorepairanotheraccidentdamagedMirageF1andreturnittoservice.Intotal,theCubansclaim6
airvictoriesMiG23(1destroyed,1damagedand4wereunconfirmed).[50]
FAPLAMiG23soutclassedSAAFMirageF1CZandF1AZfightersintermsofpower/acceleration,
radar/avionicscapabilities,andairtoairweapons.TheMiG23'sR23andR60missilesgaveFAPLApilots
theabilitytoengageSAAFaircraftfrommostaspects.TheSAAF,hobbledbyaninternationalarmsembargo,
wasforcedtocarryanobsolescentversionoftheFrenchMatraR.550MagicmissileorearlygenerationV3
Kukrimissiles,whichhadlimitedrangeandperformancerelativetotheAA8andAA7.Despitethese
limitations,SAAFpilotswereabletovectorwithinthefiringenvelopeandfireAAMsatMiG23s(guncamera
shotsevidencethis).[51]Themissileseithermissedorexplodedineffectuallybehindinthetailplumeratherthan
homingonthehotairframe.
UNITArebels,opposingCuban/MPLAforces,shotdownanumberofMiG23swithAmericansuppliedFIM
92StingerMANPADmissiles.SouthAfricangroundforcesshotdownaMiG23,whichwasprosecutingaraid
ontheCaluequeDam,byusingtheYstervark(porcupine)20mmAAgun.[52]

Libya
Libyareceivedatotalof54MiG23MSandMiG23Usbetween1974
and1976,followedbyasimilarnumberofMiG23BNs.Manyofthese
wereimmediatelyputintostorage,butatleast20MiG23MSsand
MiG23UBsenteredservicewiththe1023rdSquadronand1124th
Squadron.
OneLibyanMiG23MSwasshotdownbyanEgyptianMiG21fighter
duringandimmediatelyaftertheLibyanEgyptianWarin1977while
supportingastrikeontheairfieldatMersaMatruh,forcingthe
remainderMiGtoabortthemission.Inoneskirmishin1979,two
LARAFMiG23MSengagedtwoEAFMiG21MFwhichhadbeen
upgradedtocarryWesternairtoairmissilessuchastheAIM9P3
Sidewinder.TheLibyanpilotsmadethemistakeoftryingto
outmaneuverthemorenimbleEgyptianMiG21s,andoneMiG23MS
wasshotdownbyMaj.SalMohammadwithanAIM9P3Sidewinder
missile,whiletheotheruseditssuperiorspeedtoescape.[53]

LibyanMikoyanGurevichMiG23
overGulfofSidrainAugust1981,
beingfollowedbyanF4justbefore
thefirstGulfofSidraincident.

LibyanMiG23swereemployedduringtheChadianLibyanconflict
performingdifferentrolesinthe1980s.On5January1987,aLibyan
MiG23wasshotdown[54]andfewmonthslater,on5September1987,
ChadianforcesperformedalandraidagainstMaatenalSarraAirBase
inLibya,destroyingseveralLibyanaircraftontheground,amongthem,
threeMiG23s.[55]
TwoLibyanMiG23MSfighterswereshotdownbyU.S.NavyF14sin
LibyanMikoyanGurevichMiG23
theSecondGulfofSidraincidentin1989.On18July1980,the
wreckageofanLARAFMiG23MSwasfoundonthenorthernsideof
MountSila,inthemiddleoftheItalianprovinceofCalabria.Thepilot'sbodywasfoundstillstrappedtohis
ejectionseat,andonhishelmet,wasthename,PilotCaptainEzzedinFadhelKhalil.
LibyanCivilWar
Inthe2011Libyancivilwar,LibyanAirForceMiG23swereusedtobombrebelpositions.[56]On15March
2011,arebelwebsitereportedthatoppositionforcesstartedusingacapturedMiG23andahelicoptertosink2
loyalistshipsandbombsometankpositions.[57]
On19March2011,aMiG23BNoftheFreeLibyanAirForcewasshotdownoverBenghazibyitsownair
defenses,whomistookitforaloyalistaircraft.[58]Thepilotwaskilledafterheejectedtoolate.[59]
On26March2011,fiveMiG23stogetherwithtwoMi35helicoptersweredestroyedbytheFrenchAirForce
whileparkedatMisrataairport,earlyreportsmisidentifiedthefixedwingaircraftasG2Galebs.[60]
On9April,arebelMiG23wasinterceptedoverBenghazibyNATOaircraftandescortedbacktoitsbasefor
violatingtheUNnoflyzone.[61]
AlimitednumberofMiG23'swhichsurvivedthe2011LibyancivilwarandNATObombingswereinvolved
inairstrikesbetweentheopposingLibyanHouseofRepresentativesandtherivalGeneralNationalCongress
duringtheLibyanCivilWar(2014present)withbothpartiescontrollingalimitednumberofaircraft.[62]
On23March2015,aNewGeneralNationalCongressoperatedMiG23UBwasshotdownwhilebombingAl
Watiyaairbase,controlledbytheLibyanHouseofRepresentativeprobablywithanIglaSMANPADS.Both
pilotswerekilled.[63]Atthebeginningof2016,LibyanHouseofRepresentativesforcescontrolledthree
airworthyMiG23samongotheraircraft,twoMiG23MLAandoneMiG23UB.Theywerealllostinthree
separateoccasionswithafirstMiG23MLA,serial6472,lostnearBeninaairbaseon4January,afteran
airstrike,[64]thesecondMiG23MLA,serial6132,loston8Februarywhileconductingairstrikesagainst
IslamicStatenearDerna[65]andtheMiG23UB,serial7834,loston12February2016whileoperatingwestof
Benghazi,claimedshotdownbytheIslamicStatewiththeofficialgovernmentattributingthelosstoanti
aircraftartillery.[66][67]Inalltheoccasionstheaircrewsejectedwhilethecauseofthefirsttwocrashesremained
debatedbetweenhostilefireandmechanicalcauses.
On28February2016,aMiG23MLAserial6453wasrestoredtoflyingstatusafterseveralyears,[68]becoming
theonlyMiG23inservicewiththeLibyanAirForceasofMarch2016,performingmissionsagainstenemy
positionsandvehiclessinceMarch2016.[69][70]
Inthefollowingweeks,boththeLibyanAirForceandtheopposingLibyanDawnAirForce,restoredanumber
ofMiG23BN,MiG23MLandMiG23UBtoflyingstatusandtheywererecordedwhileflyingoverLibyan
skyesandstrikingenemypositions.[71][72]

Egypt

Egyptbecameoneofthefirstexportcustomerswhenin1974bought
eightMiG23MSinterceptors,eightMiG23BNstrikersandfourMIG
23Utrainers,concentratingthemintoasingleregimentbasedatMersa
Matruh.By1975allEgyptianMiG23shadbeenwithdrawnfromactive
dutyandplacedinstorageduetotheEgyptianforeignpolicyshifting
towardstheWestandthuslosingUSSRsupport.
In1978ChinapurchasedtwoMiG23MSinterceptors,twoMiG
ExEgyptianAirForceMiG23atthe
23BNs,twoMiG23Us,tenMiG21MFs,andtenKSR2(AS5Kelt)
ChineseAviationMuseum
airtosurfacemissilesinexchangeforsparepartsandtechnicalsupport
fortheEgyptianfleetofSovietsuppliedMiG17FrescosandMiG21s.
TheChineseusedtheaircraftasthebasisfortheirJ9project,whichneverventuredbeyondtheresearchphase.
SometimelatertheremainingsixMiG23MSexamplesandsixMiG23BNs,aswellas16MiG21MFs,two
SukhoiSu20Fitters,twoMiG21Us,twoMilMi8HipsandtenKSR2werepurchasedfortheForeign
TechnologyDivision,aspecialdepartmentoftheUSAF,responsibleforevaluatingadversarytechnologies.
Thesewereexchangedforweaponsandsparessupport,includingAIM9J/PSidewindermissiles,whichwere
installedonremainingEgyptianMiG21s.

EthiopiaEritrea(19982000)
MiG23ssuppliedbytheSovietUniontoMengistuHaileMariam'sDergwereheavilyusedbytheEthiopian
AirForceagainstthearrayofrebelguerillasfightingthegovernmentduringtheEthiopianCivilWar.
Accordingtoa1990HumanRightsWatchreport,theattacks,oftenusingnapalmorphosphorusandcluster
munitions,werenotonlyaimedattherebels,butagainstcivilianpopulations(inbothEritreaandEthiopia)and
humanitarianconvoysinadeliberatefashion.[73]
EthiopianMiG23swereusedingroundattackandstrikemissionsduringtheborderwarwithEritreafrom
May1998toJune2000,evenstrikingtargetsattheairportintheEritreancapitalcity,Asmaraonseveral
occasions.[74][75]ThreeEthiopianMiG23BNswereclaimedshotdownbyEritreanMiG29s.[76]

India
KargilWar(1999)
On26May,theIndianforcesstartedairstrikesduringtheKargilWar.FlyingfromtheIndianairfieldsof
Srinagar,AvantipurandAdampur,MiG23BN,joinedtheotherIndianstrikeaircraft,MiG21s,MiG27s,
JaguarsandMirage2000instrikinginsurgentpositions.[77]

Performancetests
ManypotentialenemiesoftheUSSRanditsclientstateshavehadopportunitiestoevaluatetheMiG23s
performance.Inthe1970s,afterapoliticalrealignmentbytheEgyptiangovernment,EgyptgaveMiG23MSs
totheUnitedStatesandthePeople'sRepublicofChinainexchangeformilitaryhardware.IntheUS,these
MiG23MSs,andothervariantsacquiredlaterfromGermany,wereusedaspartofaSovietmilitaryhardware
evaluationprogram.DutchpilotLeonvanMaurer,whohadmorethan1,200hoursflyingF16s,flewagainst
MiG23MLsfromairbasesinGermanyandtheU.S.aspartofNATO'saerialmockcombattrainingwith
Sovietequipment.HeconcludedtheMiG23MLwassuperiorintheverticaltoearlyF16variants,justslightly
inferiortotheF16Ainthehorizontal,andhadsuperiorBVRcapability.[78]
TheIsraelistestedaMiG23MLDflowntothembyaSyriandefector,andfoundithadbetteraccelerationthan
theF16andF/A18.

U.S.andIsraelireportsalsofoundthattheMiG23'sHeadUpDisplay(HUD)
doublesasaradarscope,allowingthepilottokeephiseyesfocusedatinfinity
whileoperatinghisradar.ThisallowedtheSovietstoomittheseparate
radarscopefromtheMiG23.ThisfeaturewascarriedoverintotheMiG29,
thoughinthataircraft,acathoderaytube(CRT)iscarriedontheupperright
cornertodoubleasaradarscope.Westernopinionsaboutthis"headup
radarscope"aremixed.TheIsraeliswereimpressed,butanAmericanF16pilot
criticizeditas"stickingatransparentmapinfrontoftheHUD"andnot
providingathreedimensionalpresentationthatwouldaccuratelycueapilot's
eyestolookforafighterasitappearsinaparticulardirection.
Additionally,aCubanpilotflewaMiG23BNtotheU.S.in1991,andaLibyan
MiG23pilotalsodefectedtoGreecein1981.Inbothcases,theaircraftwere
laterrepatriated.[79]

TheKM1ejectionseat,
usedintheMiG21and
MiG23.

TheearlyMiG23MserieswasalsousedtotesttheAmericanNorthropF5s
capturedbytheNorthVietnameseandsenttotheformerUSSRforevaluation.
TheRussiansacknowledgedtheF5wasaveryagileaircraft,andatsomespeedsandaltitudesbetterthanthe
MiG23M,oneofthemainreasonstheMiG23MLDandMiG29developmentswerestarted.Thesetests
allowedtheRussianstomakemodificationstoseveraloftheirfourthgenerationaircraft.TheMiG23,
however,wasnotdesignedtocombatF5s,aweaknessreflectedbyearlyMiG23variants.[80]
EarlyWesternreportsclaimedthattheaircrafthadpoordogfightingcapability,duetobeingdesignedto
outacceleratetheF111.[81]LateranalysisshowedtheMiG23tobeequivalenttotheF4,surpassedonlyby
newerfourthgenerationfighters,suchastheF14,F15andF16.(TheMiG23isconsideredathird
generationjetfighter.)TheSovietcombatmanualforMiG23MpilotsclaimstheMiG23Mtohaveaslight
superiorityovertheF4andKfir,anddescribescombathistoryinvolvingSyrianMiG23MFsversusIsraeliF
15andF16s,whichitlabels"successful".Thismanualalsorecommendstacticstobeusedagainstthese
fighters.[82]

Variants
Firstgeneration
Ye231
("FloggerA")wastheprototypebuiltfortesting,anditlackedthesawtoothleadingedgethatlater
appearedonallMiG23/27models.Thisexperimentalmodelwasthecommonbasicdesignthatboththe
MiG23/27andSukhoiSu24werebasedon,buttheSu24experiencedmuchgreatermodification.
MiG23
("FloggerA")wasthepreproductionmodelthatlackedthehardpointsonlaterproductionversions,but
thesawtoothleadingedgeappearedonthismodel,anditwasalsoarmedwithguns.Thismodelmarked
thedivergenceoftheMiG23/27andSu24fromtheircommonancestor.
MiG23S
("FloggerA")wastheinitialproductionvariant.Onlyaround60werebuiltbetween1969and1970.
Theseaircraftwereusedforbothflightandoperationaltesting.TheMiG23ShadanimprovedR27F2
300turbojetenginewithamaximumthrustof9980kp.AstheSapfir23radarwasdelayed,theaircraft
wereinstalledwiththeS21weaponscontrolsystemwiththeRP22SMradarbasicallythesame
weaponssystemasintheMiG21MF/bis.Atwinbarreled23mmGSh23Lgunwith200roundsof
ammunitionwasfittedunderthefuselage.Thisvariantsufferedfromvariousteethingproblemsandwas
neverfieldedasanoperationalfighter.
MiG23SM
("FloggerA")wasthesecondpreproductionvariant,whichwasalsoknownastheMiG23Type1971.
ItwasconsiderablymodifiedcomparedtotheMiG23S:ithadthefullS23weaponssuite,featuringa
Sapfir23LradarcoupledwithVympelR23R(NATO:AA7"Apex")BVRmissiles.Italsohadafurther
improvedR27F2M300(laterredesignatedKhatchaturovR29300)enginewithamaximumthrustof

12,000kp.Themodified"type2"winghadanincreasedwingareaandalargersawtoothleadingedge.
Theslatsweredeletedandwingsweepwasincreasedby2.5degreeswingpositionswerechangedto
18.5,47.5and74.5degrees,respectively.Thetailfinwasmovedfurtheraft,andanextrafueltankwas
addedtotherearfuselage,asinthetwoseatvariant(seebelow).Around80exampleswere
manufactured.Theoverallreliabilitywasincreasedoverthepreviousvariant,butthe"Sapfir"radarstill
provedtobeimmature.
MiG23M
("FloggerB")ThisvariantfirstflewinJune1972.Itwasthefirst
trulymassproducedversionoftheMiG23,andthefirstVVS
fightertofeaturelookdown/shootdowncapabilities(although
thiscapabilitywasinitiallyverylimited).Thewingwasmodified
againandnowfeaturedleadingedgeslats.TheTumanskyR29
(R29A)enginewasnowratedfor12,500kp.Itfinallyhadthe
definitivesensorsuite:animprovedSapfir23D(NATO:'High
Lark')radar,aTP23infraredsearchandtrack(IRST)sensorand
anASP23Dgunsight.The"HighLark"radarhadadetection
MiG23M"FloggerB"ondisplayat
rangeofsome45kmagainstahighflying,fightersizedtarget.It
theMuseumoftheGreatPatriotic
wasnotatrueDopplerradarbutinsteadutilizedthelesseffective
warinKiev.
"envelopedetection"technique,similartosomeradarsonWestern
fightersofthe1960s.
MiG23MF
("FloggerB")ThiswasanexportderivativeoftheMiG23Moriginallyintendedtobeexportedto
WarsawPactcountries,butitwasalsosoldtomanyotheralliesandclients,asmostexportcustomers
weredissatisfiedwiththeratherprimitiveMiG23MS.Itactuallycameintwoversions.Thefirstonewas
soldtoWarsawPactallies,anditwasessentiallyidenticaltoSovietMiG23M,withsmallchangesin
"identifyfriendorfoe"(IFF)transpondersandcommunicationsequipment.Thesecondvariantwassold
outsideEasternEuropeandithadadifferentIFFandcommunicationssuite(usuallywiththedatalink
removed),anddowngradedradar,whichlackedtheelectroniccountercountermeasure(ECCM)features
andmodesofthebaseline"HighLark".ThisvariantwasmorepopularabroadthantheMiG23MSand
considerablenumberswereexported,especiallytotheMiddleEast.
Theinfraredsystemhadadetectionrangeofaround30kmagainsthighflyingbombers,butlessfor
fightersizedtargets.TheaircraftwasalsoequippedwithaLasurSMAdatalink.Thestandardarmament
consistedoftworadarorinfraredguidedVympelR23(NATO:AA7"Apex")BVRmissilesandtwo
MolniyaR60(NATO:AA8"Aphid")shortrangedinfraredmissiles.From1974onwards,double
pylonswereinstalledfortheR60s,enablinguptofourmissilestobecarried.Bombs,rocketsand
missilescouldbecarriedforgroundattack.Later,compatibilityfortheradioguidedKh23(NATO:AS7
"Kerry")groundattackmissilewasadded.MostSovietMiGswerealsowiredtocarrytacticalnuclear
weapons.Some1300MiG23MswereproducedfortheVVSandSovietAirDefenseForces(PVO
Strany)between1972and1978.ItwasthemostimportantSovietfightertypefromthemidtolate
1970s.
MiG23U
("FloggerC")TheMiG23Uwasatwinseattrainingvariant.ItwasbasedontheMiG23S,butfeatured
alengthenedcockpitwithasecondcrewstationbehindthefirst.Oneforwardfueltankwasremovedto
accommodateanextraseatthiswascompensatedforbyaddinganewfueltankintherearfuselage.The
MiG23UhadtheS21weaponsystem,althoughtheradarwaslatermostlyremoved.Duringits
productionrun,bothitswingsandenginewereimprovedtotheMiG23Mstandard.Productionbeganat
Irkutskin1971andeventuallyconvertedtotheMiG23UB.
MiG23UB
("FloggerC")VerysimilartoMiG23UexceptthattheTumanskyR29turbojetenginereplacedthe
olderR27installedintheMiG23U.Productioncontinueduntil1985(fortheexportvariant).Atotalof
769exampleswerebuilt,includingconversionsfromtheMiG23U.
MiG23MP
("FloggerE")SimilartotheMiG23MS(describedbelow),butproducedinmuchfewernumbersand
wasneverexported.VirtuallyidenticaltoMiG23MSexcepttheadditionofadielectricheadabovethe
pylon,whichwasoftenassociatedwiththegroundattackversionsforwhichitmighthavebeena
developmentalprototype.
MiG23MS

("FloggerE")Thiswasanexportvariant,asthe'70sMiG23Mwasconsideredtooadvancedtobe
exportedtoThirdWorldcountries.ItwasotherwisesimilartoMiG23M,butithadtheS21standard
weaponsystem,withaRP22SM(NATO:"JayBird")radarinasmallerradome,andtheIRSTwas
removed.Obviously,thisvarianthadnoBVRcapability,andtheonlyairtoairmissilesitwascapableof
usingweretheR3S(NATO:AA2a"Atoll")andR60(NATO:AA8"Aphid")IRguidedmissilesand
theR3R(NATO:AA2d"Atoll")semiactiveradarhoming(SARH)missile.Theavionicssuitewasvery
basic.Thisvariantwasproducedbetween1973and1978andexportedprincipallytoNorthAfricaand
theMiddleEast.

Secondgeneration
MiG23P
("FloggerG")ThiswasaspecializedairdefenseinterceptorvariantdevelopedforthePVOStrany.Ithad
thesameairframeandpowerplantastheMiG23ML,butthereisacutbackfinrootfilletinsteadofthe
originalextendedoneonothermodels.ItsavionicssuitewasimprovedtomeetPVOrequirementsand
missionprofiles.ItsradarwastheimprovedSapfir23P,whichcouldbeusedinconjunctionwiththe
gunsightforbetterlookdown/shootdowncapabilitiestocounterincreasinglowlevelthreatslikecruise
missiles.TheIRST,however,wasabsent.Theautopilotincludedanewdigitalcomputer,anditwas
linkedwiththeLasurMdatalink.Thisenabledgroundcontrolledinterception(GCI)groundstationsto
steertheaircrafttowardsthetargetinsuchanintercept,allthepilothadtodowascontroltheengineand
usetheweapons.TheMiG23PwasthemostnumerousPVOinterceptorinthe1980s.Around500
aircraftweremanufacturedbetween1978and1981.TheMiG23Pwasneverexportedandservedonly
withinthePVOinSovietservice.
MiG23bis
("FloggerG")SimilartotheMiG23PexcepttheIRSTwasrestoredandthecumbersomeradarscope
waseliminatedbecausealloftheinformationitprovidedcouldbedisplayedonthenewheadupdisplay
(HUD).
MiG23ML
Theearly"Flogger"variantswereintendedtobeusedinhigh
speedmissileattacks,butitwassoonnoticedthatfightersoften
hadtoengageinmorestressfulcloseincombat.Earlyproduction
aircrafthadactuallysufferedcracksinthefuselageduringtheir
servicecareer.Maneuverabilityoftheaircraftwasalsocriticized.
Aconsiderableredesignoftheairframewasperformed,resulting
intheMiG23ML(Llightweight),whichmadeitinsomeways
anewaircraft.Emptyweightwasreducedby1250kg,whichwas
achievedpartlybyremovingarearfuselagefueltank.
MiG23ML332attheInformation
Aerodynamicswererefinedforlessdrag.Thedorsalfinextension
CentreforHistoryandTechnology,
wasremoved.Thelighterweightoftheairframeresultedina
Peenemnde
differentsitontheground,withtheaircraftappearingmorelevel
whenatrestcomparedtothenosehighappearanceofearlier
variants.ThishasledtoabeliefthattheundercarriagewasredesignedfortheMLvariant,butitis
identicaltoearliervariants.Theairframewasnowratedforaglimitof8.5,comparedto8gfortheearly
generationMiG23M/MF"FloggerB".Anewenginemodel,theR35F300,nowprovidedamaximum
drythrustof8,550kp,and13,000kpwithafterburner.Thisledtoaconsiderableimprovementin
maneuverabilityandthrusttoweightratio.Theavionicssetwasconsiderablyimprovedaswell.TheS
23MLstandardincludedSapfir23MLradarandTP23MLIRST.Thenewradarwasmorereliableanda
hadmaximumdetectionrangeofabout65kmagainstafightersizedtarget(25kminlookdownmode).
Thenavigationsuitereceivedanew,muchimprovedautopilot.Newradioanddatalinksystemswerealso
installed.Theprototypeofthisvariantfirstflewin1976andproductionbegan1978.
MiG23MLA
("FloggerG")Thelaterproductionvariantofthe"ML"wasredesignatedthe"MLA".Externally,the
"MLA"wasidenticalto"ML".Internally,the'MLA'hadanimprovedradarwithbetterECMresistance,
whichmadecooperativegroupsearchoperationspossibleastheradarswouldnownotjameachother.It
alsohadanewASP17MLHUD/gunsight,andthecapabilitytofireimprovedVympelR24R/Tmissiles.

Between1978and1982,around1,100"ML/MLA"swerebuilt
forboththeSovietAirForceandexportcustomers.Aswiththe
MiG23MF,thereweretwodifferentMiG23MLsubvariantsfor
export:thefirstversionwassoldtoWarsawPactcountriesand
wasverysimilartoSovietaircraft.Thesecondvarianthad
downgradedradaranditwassoldtoThirdWorldallies.
MiG23MLD
("FloggerK")TheMiG23MLDwastheultimatefightervariant
SovietMiG23MLA"FloggerG"
oftheMiG23.Themainfocusoftheupgradewastoimprove
manoeuvrability,especiallyduringhighanglesofattack(AoA).
Thepitotboomwasequippedwithvortexgenerators,andthe
wing'snotchedleadingedgerootswere'sawtoothed'toactas
vortexgeneratorsaswell.Theflightcontrolsystemwasmodified
toimprovehandlingandsafetyinhighAoAmaneuvers.
Significantimprovementsweremadeinavionicsand
survivability:theSapfir23MLAIIfeaturedimprovedmodesfor
lookdown/shootdownandcloseinfighting.AnewSPO15L
radarwarningreceiverwasinstalled,alongwithchaff/flare
dispensers.ThenewandveryeffectiveVympelR73(NATO:
AA11"Archer")shortrangeairtoairmissilewasaddedto
inventory.Nonewbuild"MLD"aircraftweredeliveredtothe
SovietMiG23MLD"FloggerK"
VVS,asthemoreadvancedMiG29wasabouttoenter
production.Instead,allSoviet"MLD"{'}swereformer
"ML/MLA"aircraftmodifiedto"MLD"standard.Some560aircraftwereupgradedbetween1982and
1985.AswithearlierMiG23versions,twodistinctexportvariantswereoffered.UnlikeSoviet
examples,thesewerenewbuildaircraft,thoughtheylackedtheaerodynamicrefinementsofSoviet
"MLD"s16examplesweredeliveredtoBulgaria,and50toSyria.ThesewerethelastsingleseatMiG
23fightersmade,andthelastexamplerolledofftheproductionlineinDecember1984.

Groundattackvariants
MiG23B
("FloggerF")Therequirementforanewfighterbomberhadbecomeobviousinthelate1960s,andthe
MiG23appearedtobesuitabletypeforsuchconversion.Thefirstprototypeoftheproject,"3234",
flewforthefirsttimeon20August1970.TheMiG23Bhadaredesignedforwardfuselage,butwas
otherwisesimilartotheMiG23S.Thepilotseatwasraisedtoimprovevisibility,andthewindscreenwas
armoured.Thenosewasflatbottomedandtapereddown.TherewasnoradarinsteadithadaPrNK
Sokol23groundattacksightsystem,whichincludedananaloguecomputer,alaserrangefinderandthe
PBK3bombsight.Thenavigationsuiteandautopilotwerealsoimprovedtoprovidemoreaccurate
bombing.ItretainedtheGSh23Lgun,anditsmaximumwarloadwasincreasedto3000kgby
strengtheningthepylons.Survivabilitywasimprovedbyanelectronicwarfare(EW)suiteandinertgas
systeminthefueltankstopreventfire.ThefirstprototypehadaMiG23Stypewing,butsubsequent
exampleshadthelarger"type2"wing.Mostimportantly,insteadofanR29variant,aircraftwas
poweredbytheLyulkaAL21turbojetwithamaximumthrustof11,500kp.Theproductionofthis
variantwaslimited,however,asthesupplyofAL21engineswasneededfortheSukhoiSu17andSu
24productionlines.Inaddition,thisenginewasnotclearedforexport.OnlythreeMiG23Bprototypes
and24productionaircraftwereproducedin197172.
MiG23BK
("FloggerH")ThesewereexportedtoWarsawPactcountriesbutnottoThirdWorldcustomersand
thushadthePrNK23navigationandattacksystem.Additionalradarwarningreceiverswerealso
mountedontheintakes.
MiG23BN
("FloggerH")Producedsince1973,theMiG23BNwasbasedonMiG23B,buthadthesameR29300
engineascontemporaryfightervariants.Theywerealsofittedwith"type3"wings.Therewereother
minorchangesinelectronicsandequipment,andsomechangesweremadeduringitslongproduction
run.Serialproductionlasteduntil1985,with624built.Mostofthemwereexported,astheSoviets

alwaysvieweditasaninterimtypeandonlyasmallnumberservedinFrontalAviationregiments.As
usual,adowngradedversionwassoldtoThirdWorldcustomers.Thisvariantprovedtobefairlypopular
andeffective.ThemostdistinctiveidentifyingfeaturebetweentheMiG23BandMiG23BNwasthatthe
formerhadthedielectricheadjustabovethepylon,whichwasremovedfromtheMiG23BN.InIndia,
thelastMiG23BNswereflownby221Squadron(Valiants)ofIndianAirForceandwere
decommissionedon6March2009.WingCommanderTapasRanjanSahu,wasthelastpilottolandthe
MiG23BNonthatday.
MiG23BM
("FloggerD")ThiswasaMiG23BKupgrade,withthePrNK23MreplacingtheoriginalPrNK23,and
adigitalcomputerreplacingtheoriginalanalogcomputer.IntroducedintoserviceasMiG27.
MiG23BMexperimentalaircraft
("FloggerD")TheMiG23groundattackversionshadtoomuch"fighterheritage"foranattackaircraft,
andanewdesignwithmoreradicalchangeswasdeveloped(latertoberedesignatedastheMiG27).
TheMiG23BMexperimentalaircraftservedasapredecessortotheMiG27anditdiffersfromthe
standardMiG23BMandotherMiG23modelsinthatitsdielectricheadsweredirectlyonthewing
roots,insteadofonthepylons.
MiG27
(NATO:"FloggerD")Introducedin1975,simplifiedgroundattackversionwithsimplepitotairintakes,
noradarandasimplifiedenginewithtwopositionafterburnernozzle.

Proposedvariantsandupgrades
MiG23R
wasaproposedreconnaissancevarianttheprojectwasneverfinished.
MiG23MLGD
"MLG"and"MLS"werefurtherfighterupgradeswithnewradarandEWequipment,partlythesameas
inMiG29thesevariantswerealsofittedwithhelmetmountedsightsandwerebasicallyMiG23MLD
subvariants.TheywereabandonedinfavorofthethenongoingMiG29program.
MiG23K
wasacarrierbornefightervariantbasedontheMiG23ML.
MiG23A
wasamultirolevariantbasedonthe"K".However,cancellationandsubsequentredesignoftheSoviet
aircraftcarrierprojectalsocausedcancellationoftheMiG23AandMiG23Kvariantsandsubvariants.
ItwasplannedtodeveloptheMiG23Aintothreedifferentsubvariants:
MiG23AI
TheMiG23AIwastobeadedicatedfighter.
MiG23AB
TheMiG23ABwastobeanattackdedicatedvariant.
MiG23AR
MiG23ARadedicatedreconnaissancevariant.
MiG23MLK
PlannedtobepoweredbyeithertwonewR33enginesoroneR100.
MiG23MD
WasbasicallyaMiG23MfittedwithaSaphir23MLA2.
MiG23ML1
Wasavariantwithseveralpossiblepowerplantandenginechoicesitssingleengineoptionswereeither
oneR100oroneR69Fengine,whileitstwinenginearrangementwastwoR33engines.Itwasplanned
tobearmedwithanewairtoairmissile,theR146.
MiG2398
Inthelate1990s,Mikoyan,followingtheirsuccessfulMiG21upgradeprojects,offeredanupgrade
whichfeaturednewradar,newselfdefensesuite,newavionics,improvedcockpitergonomics,helmet
mountedsight,andthecapabilitytofireVympelR27(NATO:AA10"Alamo")andVympelR77
(NATO:AA12"Adder")missiles.TheprojectedcostwasaroundUS$1millionperaircraft.Smaller
upgradeswerealsooffered,whichconsistedofonlyimprovingtheexistingSapfir23withnewermissiles
andupgradesofotheravionics.Airframelifeextensionwasofferedaswell.
MiG23982

Anexportupgradeincludingthe"Saphir"radarfittedtotheirMiG23MLsthisradarupgradeallowsthe
AngolanMiG23stofirenewtypesofairtoairandairtogroundweapons.Thisradarupgradeseemsto
bethesameofferedaspartoftheradarupgrade.
MiG23LL
(flyinglaboratory)MiG23sandMiG25swereusedasthefirstjetfighterplatformstotestanewin
cockpitwarningsystemwithaprerecordedfemalevoicetoinformpilotsaboutvariousflightparameters.
Afemalevoicewaschosenspecificallytoprovideaclearandintuitivedistinctionbetween
communicationsfromthegroundandthemessagesfrominternalsystems,sincegroundcommunications
virtuallyalwayscameinmalevoiceinSovietservice.Theideaprovedsuccessfulformanyreasons
besidestheoriginalone.

Operators
Currentoperators
Angola
NationalAirForceofAngola22
MiG23ML/UB/MLDinservice
Cuba
CubanAirForce24MiG
23ML/MF/BN/UBinservice
DemocraticRepublicoftheCongo
DRCongoAirForce2MiG23s,
Onesingleseatandonetwinseat
Ethiopia
EthiopianAirForce10MiG
MiG23operators(formeroperatorsinred)
23BN/UBsinserviceforground
attackrole.Theinterceptorvariant,
MIG23ML,waswithdrawnfromservice.
Kazakhstan
MilitaryofKazakhstan.Atotalof3MiG23M/UBwereinservice.
Libya
LibyanAirForceinitiallyatleastfiveMiG23ML/UBinservice,splitamongdifferentfactions.Four
lost.OnlyoneinservicewiththeNewGeneralNationalCongress,[83]whileothers(e.g.serial453)may
havebeenmadeairworthybybothfactions.[84]
NorthKorea
NorthKoreanAirForce56MiG23ML/UBsinservice
SriLanka
SriLankaAirForceoneMiG23UBtrainerusedonlyfortrainingpurposesfortheirMiG27fleet
Sudan
SudaneseAirForce3MiG23BN/UBsinservice.
Syria
SyrianAirForce90MiG23MS/MF/ML/MLD/BN/UBinservice
Zimbabwe
AirForceofZimbabwe

Formeroperators
Afghanistan
AfghanAirForce.MiG23BN/UBsmayhaveservedwiththeAfghanAirForcefrom1984.Itisunclear
whethertheseweremerelySovietaircraftwearingAfghancolors.
Algeria
AlgerianAirForce.First40arrivedin1979.[85]
Belarus
BelarusAirForce.
Bulgaria

BulgarianAirForce.Atotalof90MiG23sservedtheBulgarianAirForcefrom1976totheir
withdrawalfromservicein2004.Theexactcountis:33MiG23BN,12MiG23MF,1MiG23ML,8
MiG23MLA,21MiG23MLDand15MiG23UB.
Coted'Ivoire
Coted'IvoireAirForce:[86]
CzechRepublic
CzechAirForce.TheMiGswereretiredin1994(BN,MF
version)and1998(ML,UBvariant).
Czechoslovakia
CzechoslovakianAirForce.MiG23sweretransferredtothe
CzechRepublic.
EastGermany
MikoyanGurevichMiG23UB.
EastGermanAirForcetransferredto(West)GermanAirForce.
TheGermanAirForcegavetwoMiG23stoUSAFandonetoa
museuminFlorida,theothersweregivenawaytoothersstatesorscrapped.
Egypt
EgyptianAirForce.SixMiG23BN/MS/UsweresenttoChinainexchangeformilitaryhardwareChina
usedthemtoreverseengineertheMiG23astheQ6butsincetheChinesecouldnotreverseengineerthe
R29andbuildareliableturbofan,theonlyMiG23elementsthatwereusedendedintheJ8II.Atleast
eightweretransferredtoUSAforevaluation.
Germany
GermanAirForceIn1990theWestGermanAirForceinherited18MiG23BNs,9MiG23MFs,28
MiG23MLs,8MiG23UBsfromEastGermany.
Hungary
HungarianAirForce16MiG23sservedandwerewithdrawnin
1997theexactcountis:12MiG23MFsandfourMiG23UBs
(oneofthemwaspurchasedin1990fromtheSovietAirForce).
India
IndianAirforce.TheMiG23BNgroundattackaircraftwas
phasedouton6March2009andtheMiG23MFairdefence
interceptorphasedoutin2007.Atotalof40MiG23MF,95MiG
23BNandhadbeenobtained,only15MiG23UBin
storage.[87][88]
Iran
NineflownoverfromIraqin1991instorage.
Iraq
IraqiAirForce

HungarianAirForceMikoyan
GurevichMiG23MF.

LibyanArabJamahiriya
LibyanAirForcehad130MiG23MS/ML/BN/UBsinservice
(mostinstorage)priortothe2011Libyancivilwar.What
remainshasbeenpassedontothesuccessorgovernment.
Poland
AnIndianMiG23MFondisplayata
PolishAirForce.Atotalof36MiG23MFsingleseatersandsix
MiG23UBtrainersweredeliveredtothePolishAirForce
crossroadsinGandhinagar.
between1979and1982.Thelastofthemwerewithdrawnin
September1999.Duringtheperiodfourplaneswerelostin
accidents.
Namibia
NamibianAirForcehadtwoMiG23aircraftinservice.[89]
Romania
RomanianAirForce.Atotalof46MiG23servedfrom1979until2001andwerewithdrawnin2003the
exactcountis:36MiG23MFand10MiG23UB.

Russia
RussianAirForce.Approximately500,allinreserve.
Somalia
SomaliAirForce
Turkmenistan
MilitaryofTurkmenistan.
SovietUnion
Passedontosuccessorstates.
SovietAirForce
SovietAntiAirDefence
Uganda
UgandaPeople'sDefenceForce
Ukraine
UkrainianAirForce
Uzbekistan
MilitaryofUzbekistan
Zambia
MilitaryofZambia.

KyrgyzstanMiG23ondisplayin
Tokmok.

PolishAirForceMiG23

Evaluationonlyusers
China
MiG23swereobtainedfromEgypt,andanattemptwasmadeto
reverseengineerthemastheQ6.Theprogramdidnotgoahead
andtheQ6wasnotbuilt,andsomefeaturesfromtheMiG23
featureswereincorporatedintotheJ8II.Chinacurrentlydisplays
theMiG23inseveralairmuseums.
Israel
OneexSyrianMiG23flownbyadefectingpilottoIsrael.[90]

UkrainianMiG23ondisplayatthe
MuseumoftheGreatPatrioticWar,
Kiev

UnitedStates
SamplesobtainedfromEgyptandweremostlystationedinNellis
AirForceBase.TheU.S.AirForceoperatedasmallnumberof
MiG23s,officiallydesignatedYF113,asbothtestand
evaluationaircraftandinanaggressorroleforfighterpilot
training,from1977through1988inaprogramcodenamed
"ConstantPeg".[91]
TheColdWarAirMuseum(CWAM(http://www.CWAM.org))is
returningaMiG23UBtoflyingconditionfromitsMuseumat
LancasterAirport(Texas)justsouthofDallas,Texas.[92]
Yugoslavia

MiG23ondisplayattheMinsk
WorldthemeparkinShenzhen,PRC.

SomeexIraqiMiG23shavebeenusedbyFlightTestCenter(VOC)intheearly1990s.

Civilianoperators
UnitedStates
AccordingtotheFAAthereare11privatelyownedMiG23sintheU.S.[92]

TwoexCzechaircraft,N51734andN5106E,areregisteredforcivilianuseintheUnitedStatesandare
basedatNewCastleAirportinWilmington,Delaware.[93]
AnexBulgarianVVSaircraft,N923UB,isoperationalandondisplayattheColdWarAirMuseumnear
Dallas,Texas.[94]

Incidentsandaccidents
On18July1980,21daysaftertheAerolineeItaviaFlight870incident,thewreckageofaLibyanMiG
23wasfoundontheSilaMountainsinCastelsilano,Calabria,southernItaly,accordingtoofficial
reports.[95]
On26April1984,U.S.AirForceLieutenantGeneralRobertM.BondwaskilledwhentheMiG23he
waspilotingcrashedattheNevadaTestSite.[96]Atthetimeofthemishap,LtGenBondwasservingas
ViceCommanderofAirForceSystemsCommandatAndrewsAirForceBase,Maryland.
4July1989:A"runaway"SovietMiG23crashedintoahouseinBelgium,killingan18yearoldman.
22December1992:LibyanArabAirlinesFlight1103collideswithaLibyanAirForceMiG23causing
bothtocrash.

Aircraftondisplay
AnumberofMiG23sareondisplayattheCentralArmedForcesMuseuminMoscow,Russia
MiG23ondisplayatCentralAirForceMuseumMoninoAirfieldinMoscow,Russia
MiG23ondisplayatMuseumoftheGreatPatrioticWar,KievKiev,Ukraine(withanopencockpitto
sitinforasmallfee)
MiG23MLKSerialNumber:23709.OndisplayatPimaAirandSpaceMuseumTucson,AZ
MiG23MLDondisplayatNationalMuseumoftheUnitedStatesAirForceDayton,OH[97]
MiG23ondisplayatMarchFieldAirMuseum,Perris,CA[98]
MiG23ondisplayatAirDefenceMuseumofCanadianForcesBaseBagotville,Bagotville,QC[99]
MiG23ondisplayatEvergreenAviation&SpaceMuseum,McMinnville,OR
MiG23ondisplayatGoodfellowAirForceBase,SanAngelo,TX
MiG23onDisplayatHindustanuniversity,ChennaiIndia
MiG23onDisplayatUniversityofPetroleum&EnergyStudies,Dehradun[100]
MiG23onDisplayatSainikSchool,Satara,Maharashtra,India
MiG23onDisplayatAirforceQuarters,Kalina,Mumbai,India.
MiG23onDisplayatAligarhMuslimUniversity,Aligarh,India.

Specifications(MiG23MLDFloggerK)
Generalcharacteristics
Crew:One
Length:16.70m(56ft9.5)
Wingspan:Spread,13.97m(45ft10
in)
Height:4.82m(15ft9.75in)
Wingarea:37.35mspread,34.16m
swept(402.05ft/367.71ft)
Emptyweight:9,595kg(21,153lb)
Loadedweight:15,700kg(34,612lb)
Max.takeoffweight:18,030kg
(39,749lb)
Powerplant:1KhatchaturovR35
300afterburningturbojet,83.6kNdry,
127kNafterburning(18,850lbf/
28,700lbf)

Performance

Performance
Maximumspeed:Mach2.32,2,445km/hataltitudeMach1.14,1,350km/hatsealevel(1,553mph/
840mph)
Range:1,150kmwithsixAAMscombat,2,820kmferry(570mi/1,750mi)
Serviceceiling:18,500m(60,695ft)
Rateofclimb:240m/s(47,245ft/min)
Wingloading:420kg/m(78.6lb/ft)
Thrust/weight:0.88

Armament
1GryazevShipunovGSh23L23mmcannonwith200rounds
Twofuselage,twowingglove,andtwowingpylonsforupto3,000kg(6,610lb)ofstores,including:
R23/24(AA7"Apex")
R60(AA8"Aphid")
also,upgradedaircraftmaycarry:
R27(AA10"Alamo")
R73(AA11"Archer")
R77(AA12"Adder")
AccordingtotheMiG23MLmanual,theMiG23MLhasamaximumsustainedturnrateof14.1deg/secanda
maximuminstantaneousturnrateof16.7deg/sec.TheMiG23MLacceleratesfrom600km/h(373mph)to
900km/h(559mph)in12secondsatthealtitudeof1000meters.TheMiG23acceleratesatthealtitudeof
1kmfrom630km/h(391mph)to1300km/h(808mph)in30secondsandatthealtitudeof1012kmwill
acceleratefromMach1toMach2in160seconds.
1.REDIRECT[1](https://hindustanuniv.ac.in/assets/img/slider/5.jp
g)

Seealso
1989BelgianMiG23crash
Relateddevelopment
MikoyanMiG27
Aircraftofcomparablerole,configurationandera
SukhoiSu24Fencer
DassaultMirageF1
McDonnellDouglasF4PhantomII
ShenyangJ8
Relatedlists
IranianaerialvictoriesduringtheIranIraqwar
IraqiaerialvictoriesduringtheIranIraqwar
ListofmilitaryaircraftoftheSovietUnionandtheCIS
Listoffighteraircraft

References

MiG23monument

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Externallinks
MiG23FloggerTechnicalDataSheetSpecificationsPictures
(http://www.airrecognition.com/index.php?option=com_content&
task=view&id=506)
MiG23onFAS.org(https://fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/airdef/mig
23.htm)

WikimediaCommonshas
mediarelatedtoMikoyan
GurevichMiG23.

MiG23FLOGGERatGlobalSecurity.org(http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/mig23.h
tm)
MiG23FloggeratGlobalAircraft(http://www.globalaircraft.org/planes/mig23_flogger.pl)
AngolaawardslifeextensioncontractforMiG23MLfleet05/04...(http://www.flightglobal.com/Article
s/2005/04/05/Navigation/177/196139/Angola+awards+lifeextension+contract+for+MiG23ML+fleet.ht
ml)
23F15F16(http://www.airwar.ru/history/locwar/bv/migs/mig23.html)
23(http://www.airwar.ru/history/locwar/bv/mig23/mig23.html)
"(http://www.airwar.ru/history/locwar/xussr/agressor/agressor.html)
(http://www.testpilot.ru/review/runway/volga/volga_xvi.ht
m)
.(http://www.airwar.ru/history/locwar/afgan/awar/awar.html)
ChronologicalListingofIranianAirForceGrummanF14TomcatLosses&Ejections(http://www.ejecti
onhistory.org.uk/CountryByCountry/Iran_F14_.htm)
23(http://www.waronline.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p
=436159&sid=b6271ec1cfd4c79b67be6c3045a9d2a5)
(http://www.waronline.org/IDF/Articles/lebanonlosses.htm)
Retrievedfrom"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MikoyanGurevich_MiG23&oldid=736719756"
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