An air-to-air right side view of a Soviet Air Force MiG-23MLD aircraft.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-23) is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is a third-generation jet fighter, alongside similar Soviet aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-17. It was the first Soviet fighter to field a look-down/shoot-down RDF, the RP-23 Sapfir, and one of the first to be armed with beyond-visual-range missiles. Production started in 1969 and reached large numbers. 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.
Users[]
Afghanistan
Algeria
Angola
- Arabia
- Belarus
- Iraq
- Ivory Coast
- Libya
- Manchuria
- Mongolia
- Shinjang
- Soviet Union
- Syria
