MiG-23 (NATO codename 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.
External links
- MiG-23 FLOGGER (http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/russia/airdef/mig-23.htm)