Mikoyan MiG-23

. TITLE:
MIKOYAN MiG-23 'Flogger B'

NATO reporting names: 'Flogger-A, B, C, E, F, G, H and K'

TYPE:

Single-seat variable-geometry air combat fighter and

two-seat operational trainer.

PROGRAMME: Development began 1964; 23-11/1 prototype first flew 10 June 1967 and was displayed during Aviation
Day flypast, Domodyedovo Airport, Moscow, 9 July 1967; pre-series aircraft delivered to Soviet air forces 1970; initial
series production interceptors delivered 1973; with MiG-27, superseded MiG-21 as primary equipment Soviet tactical air
forces and aviatsiya PVO home defence interceptor force; production in USSR ended mid-1980s, but continues in India;
replacement of early variants with MiG-29s and Su-27s continues.

DESIGN FEATURES:

Shoulder-wing variable-geometry configuration; sweep variable manually in flight or on ground to 16o, 45o or 72o (values
given in manuals and on pilot's panel; true values 18o 40', 47o 40' and 74o 40' respectively); two hydraulic wing sweep
motors driven separately by main and control booster systems.

LANDING GEAR:

Hydraulically retractable tricycle type; single wheel on each main unit and steerable twin-wheel nose unit.

POWER PLANT:

One Soyuz/Khachaturov R-35-300 turbojet, rated at up to 127.5 kN (28660 lb st) with max afterburning. Water injection
system, capacity 28 litres (7.4 US gallons; 6.15 Imp gallons). Three fuel tanks in fuselage, aft of cockpit, and six in wings;
internal fuel capacity 4250 litres (1122 US gallons; 935 Imp gallons). Variable geometry air intakes and variable nozzle.

ACCOMMODATION:

Pilot only, on KM-1 or KM-1M (zero height/70-675 knots; 130-1250 km/h; 80-775 mph) ejection seat in air-conditioned and
pressurised cockpit, under small hydraulically actuated rearward hinged canopy. Bulletproof windscreen.

AVIONICS:

Modernised SAU-23AM automatic flight control system, coupled to Polyot short-range navigation and flight system. Sapfir-
23ML J-band multi-mode radar (NATO 'High Lark 2': search range 38 nm; 70 km; 43 miles, tracking range 29 nm; 55 km;
34 miles) behind dielectric nosecone; no radar scope; instead, picture is projected onto head-up display. RSBN-6S short-
range radio nav system.

ARMAMENT:

One 23 mm GSh-23L twin-barrel gun in fuselage belly pack; large flash eliminator around muzzles; 200 rds. Two pylons in
tandem under centre-fuselage, one under each engine air intake duct, and one under each fixed inboard wing panel, for
radar guided R-23R (K-23R; NATO AA-7 'Apex'), infra-red R-23T (K-23T; AA-7 'Apex') and/or infra-red R-60T (AA-8
'Aphid') air-to-air missiles, B-8 packs of twenty 80 mm S-8 air-to-surface rockets, UB-32-57 packs of thirty-two 57 mm S-5
rockets, S-24 240 mm rockets, bombs, container weapons, UPK-23-250 pods containing a GSh-23L gun, various sensor
and equipment pods or other external stores. Use of twin launchers under air intake ducts permits carriage of four R-60
missiles, plus two R-23 on underwing pylons.

DIMENSIONS:

EXTERNAL

Wing span fully spread: 13.965 m (45 ft 10 in)

fully swept 7.779 m (25 ft 6{1/4} in)

Length overall incl nose probe 16.71 m (54 ft 10 in)

Height overall 4.82 m (15 ft 9{3/4} in)

AREAS

Wings, gross spread 37.35 m{2} (402.0 sq ft)

swept 34.16 m{2} (367.7 sq ft)

WEIGHTS AND LOADINGS

Weight empty 10200 kg (22485 lb)

Max external weapon load 3000 kg (6615 lb)

T-O weight 14700-17800 kg (32405-39250 lb)

PERFORMANCE

Max level speed at height, 72o sweep

Mach 2.35 (1350 knots; 2500 km/h; 1553 mph)

Landing speed 140-151 knots

(260-280 km/h; 162-174 mph)

Max rate of climb at S/L 14400 m (47250 ft)/min

Service ceiling 18500 m (60700 ft)

g limit below Mach 0.85 +8.5

above Mach 0.85 +7.5

LENGTH (m) 16.71

HEIGHT (m) 4.82

WING SPAN (m) 13.96

MAX T-O WEIGHT (kg) 17800

MAX WING LOAD (kg/m{2}) 476.60

MAX LEVEL SPEED (knots) 728

MAX RANGE (nm) 1520

T-O RUN (m) 500

LANDING RUN (m) 750

MAX RATE CLIMB (m/min) 14400

SERVICE CEILING (m) 18500

(source: Jane's)

"Type: Multirole fighter

Powerplant: MiG-23ML — One 83.8kN (1 8,850lb) dry and 1 27.5kN (28,660lb) with afterburning
Tumansky (now Soyuz) R-35-300 turbojet.

Performance: MiG-23ML — Max speed with weapons Mach 2.35 or 2500km/h (1 349kt). Max
initial rate of climb 47,250ft/min. Service ceiling 59,055ft. Combat radius with six AAMs 1150km
(620nm), combat radius with 2000kg (441 0lb) of bombs 700km (378nm).

Weights: MiG-23ML — Empty 10,200kg (22,485lb), max takeoff 17,800kg (39,250lb).

Dimensions: MiG-23ML — Span wings spread 13.97m (45ft 10in), span wings swept 7.78m (25ft 6in), length overall exc
probe 1S.88m (52ff 1 in), height 4.82m (15ft 10in). Wing area wings spread 37.3m2 (401.5 sq in), wing area wings swept
34.2m2 (368.lsq ft).

Accommodation: Pilot only, or two in tandem MiG-23UM and UB.

Armament: One twin barrel 23mm GSh-23 cannon. Five external hardpoints (one centreline, two underfuselage and two
underwing) can carry a max external load of 2000kg (441 0lb) on MiG-23ML. Typical air-to-air configuration of two R-60
(AA-8 Aphid’) and two R-23 (AA-7 ‘Apex’) AAMs.

Operators: Afghanistan, Algeria, Byelorussia, Bulgaria, Cuba, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Hungary, India, Iraq, Libya, North
Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, USA, Vietnam, Yemen.

History: From the mid 1970s and into the 1980s the MiG-23 (NATO reporting name ‘Flogger’) was the Soviet Unions’ most
capable tactical fighter.

The MiG-23 was developed to replace the MiG-21, with improvements in overall performance and in particular short field
performance. Two Mikoyan designed prototypes were built, the swept wing 23-01 ‘Faithless’ and the swing wing 23-11.
The 23-11 first flew on April 10 1967 and was ordered into production as the MiG-23S, fitted with the MiG-21 5’ RP-22
radar. Fifty were built for evaluation.

The MiG-23M (‘Flogger-B’) was the first model to introduce the specially designed Sapfir-23 pulse doppler radar in a larger
nose radome and also featured a more powerful engine and IRST and R-23 missile compatibility. The down spec export
MiG-23MS (‘Flogger-E’) was similar, while the export and further down spec MiG-23MF (‘Flogger-B’) features the RP-22
radar and smaller nose.

Subsequent fighter MiG-23s were the lightened MiG-23ML (‘Flogger-G’) with less fuel and no dorsal fin extension, the MiG-
23P interceptor that could be automatically guided to its target by ground controllers and the MiG-23MLD (‘Flogger-K’) with
aerodynamic changes. The MiG-23UB (‘Flogger-C’) meanwhile is the two seat conversion trainer.

Various MiG-23 models were also built specifically for ground attack. The first to appear was the MiG-23B with a pointy,
radar-less nose and a Lyulka AL-21 turbojet. The improved MiG-23BN returned to the Tumansky turbojet. NATO called
both the MiG-23B and MiG-23BN the ‘Flogger-F’. Further improved MiG-23 attack variants were the MiG-23BK and MiG-
23BM, both of which borrowed nay attack systems from the MiG-27. "

(source: Text and/or technical data from The International Directory of Military Aircraft, 1996/97, by Gerard Frawley and
Jim Thorn. Published by Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd.)

Length 15.6m

Wingspan 13.96m - 7.78 (spread - swept)

Height 4.82m

Weight
10 200kg
Empty

Max T/O 17 800kg

Max Speed Mach 2.35

Range 1950km

Ceiling 18 500m

Powerplant one Soyuz/Khachaturov R-35-300 turbojet

Thrust 127.5kN

Algeria 66, Angola 80+, Bulgaria 40+, CIS 2,250+, Cuba 40+, Czech and Slovak Republics 80+, East
Customers Germany 110+, Egypt 45+, Ethiopia 45, Hungary 25+, India 125, Iraq 150+, Libya 200+, North Korea 60+,
Poland 100+, South Yemen 25, Syria 175+

MiG-23ML Tech. Specs.

Crew: 1
Length, m: 15,65
Height, m: 5,77
Wing span, m: 13,96
Wing area, mІ: 37,35
Weight empty, kg: 12400
Weight normal, kg: 14700
Weight max, kg: 17800
Max fuel, kg: 3800
Service ceiling, m: 18500
Take-off speed, km/h: 219
Landing speed, km/h: 234
Max mach at sea level: 1,1
Max mach at height: 2,35
G limit: 8,0
Max wing loading, kg/mІ: 476,6
Max power loading, kg/kN: 139,6
Max rate of climb at sea level, m/s: 240
Range with max internal fuel, km: 1950
Armament: GSh-23 gun, 3000 kg on 5 external pylons