113-555: [REDACTED] Look up flogger in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Flogger may refer to: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 "Flogger", a Russian fighter aircraft Mikoyan MiG-27 "Flogger-D/J", a Russian ground-attack aircraft Flogger (fashion) , a teenage fashion originated in Argentina Someone who administers a flogging , or the device used for that purpose In
226-525: A Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 L autocannon . In the ground-attack role, the MiG-23S could carry two Kh-23 (AS-7 "Kerry") radio guidance air-to-surface missiles , two to four UB-16 rocket pods with S-5 rockets , S-24 rockets or up to 2,000 kg (4,400 lb) of various bomb types. The MiG-23 Edition 1971, equipped with the Sapfir-23L radar and TP-23 infrared search and track (IRST), could fire
339-608: A Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 ). Six more flight prototypes and two static-test prototypes were prepared for further flight and system testing. All featured the Tumansky R-27-300 turbojet engine with a thrust of 77 kN (17,300 lbf ). The order to start series production of the MiG-23 was given in December 1967. The first production " MiG-23S " (NATO reporting name 'Flogger-A') took to the air on 21 May 1969, with Fedotov at
452-507: A "knuckle rapper" which would strike the pilot's knuckles as the limit was approached. Cockpit visibility was also somewhat poor in the MiG-23, although the view straight ahead was superior compared to the MiG-21. In particular, visibility was poor looking to the rear, partially due to the ejection seat which wrapped around the pilot's head, requiring the pilot to lean forward to look to the side or behind. To assist with looking directly behind
565-408: A 3-parachute system. Engaging the ejection seat could take a long time, as the pilots had to place their feet in the stirrups, let go of the control column, grab the two trigger handles, squeeze and lift them. The first parachute, the size of a large handkerchief, was deployed out of a telescoping rod which would pop out of the top back of the seat as it started to clear the windscreen windbreak area. It
678-432: A MiG-23 could easily perform a loop 6.4 kilometres (4 mi) high that other planes would struggle to follow, at the bottom of which it would cut back inside them and proceed to fly off until outside their visual range so it could come back in again. The only other BFM the MiG-23 could perform, according to Col (ret.) John "Sax" Saxman, was the "no circle fight": as the two aircraft approached and passed close by each other
791-618: A general postwar military reorganisation, the collegium was reconstituted as the "Workers' and Peasants' Red Air Fleet" ( Glavvozduhflot ), established on 24 May 1918 and given the top-level departmental status of "Main Directorate". It became the Directorate of the USSR Air Forces on 28 March 1924, and then the Directorate of the Workers-Peasants Red Army Air Forces on 1 January 1925. After
904-568: A pair of R-60 (AA-8 "Aphid") missiles. Starting with aircraft number 3201, the APU-60-2 double-rail launcher was introduced, allowing the MiG-23M to carry four R-60 missiles. The MiG-23 could carry up to 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) in bombs and rockets, and from aircraft number 3701 onward it could fire the Kh-23 and Kh-23M air-to-surface missiles. Lastly, all VVS MiG-23Ms had the ability to mount
1017-422: A pair of short-range R-3/K-13 (AA-2 "Atoll") air-to-air missiles ). Work began on a replacement for the MiG-21 in the early 1960s. The new aircraft was required to have better performance and range than the MiG-21, while carrying more capable avionics and weapons including beyond-visual-range (BVR) missiles. A major design consideration was take-off and landing performance. The Soviet Air Force ( VVS ) demanded
1130-521: A secret training program known as project Constant Peg to familiarize American pilots with Soviet aircraft. Additionally, a Cuban pilot flew a MiG-23BN to the U.S. in 1991, and a Libyan MiG-23 pilot also defected to Greece in 1981. In both cases, the aircraft were later repatriated. Initially, American intelligence on the MiG-23 assumed that the fighter could turn well and had reasonable acceleration capability, but testing during HAVE PAD proved this assumption to be incorrect. While its turning capability
1243-583: A serious threat in air combat. Test pilots who flew the MiG-23 as part of Constant Peg came to similar conclusions about the MiG-23 being an effective interceptor rather than a dogfighter, but were more critical of the planes they flew. Among their complaints was that the MiG-23's airframe was too easily overstressed; that it was unstable in yaw as it passed the sound barrier and again when approaching Mach 2; that its narrow landing gear, although designed to be used on unprepared surfaces, tended to slip and slide in adverse weather conditions; and because it sat low to
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#17327810342701356-480: A shark mouth painted on the nose just aft of the radome, and many were piloted by Soviet–Afghan War veterans. In the late 1980s, these aggressor MiG-23s were replaced by MiG-29s, also featuring shark mouths. Soviet–Afghan War Soviet MiG-23s were used over Afghanistan, often being used to escort missions close to the borders of Pakistan and Iran, as the MiG-21 lacked the necessary range to do so. Some of them were claimed to have been shot down . The earliest use of
1469-561: A similar incident a decade earlier , on 21 June 1978, a PVO MiG-23M flown by Pilot Captain V. Shkinder shot down two Iranian Boeing CH-47 Chinook helicopters that had trespassed into Soviet airspace, one helicopter being dispatched by two R-60 missiles and the other by cannon fire. Soviet Air Force The Soviet Air Forces (Russian: Военно-Воздушные Силы Союза Советских Социалистических Республик , romanized : Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily Soyuza Sovetskih Sotsialisticheskih Respublik , VVS SSSR ; literally " Military Air Forces of
1582-421: A single nuclear bomb via a special adapter under the fuselage, either the 10- kiloton RN-24 or the 30-kiloton RN-40 . In the second-generation MiG-23ML, a new SUV-2ML weapons system allowed the aircraft to carry both types of R-23 missiles simultaneously. The typical loadout was an R-23R on the starboard wing pylon and an R-23T on the port wing pylon. Besides other ordnance (including a single nuclear bomb),
1695-416: A team led by A.A Andreyev, with MiG directed to build a variable-geometry prototype, the " 23-11 " in 1965. The 23-11 featured variable-geometry wings which could be set to angles of 16, 45 and 72 degrees, and it was clearly more promising. The maiden flight of 23–11 took place on 10 June 1967, flown by the famous MiG test pilot Aleksandr Vasilyevich Fedotov (who set the absolute altitude record in 1977 in
1808-526: A turning engagement with the MiG-21, the MiG-23 gave the VVS capabilities which the MiG-21 simply lacked, particularly as a high-energy fighter with BVR missiles. However, throughout the 1970s and early 1980s Soviet pilots continued to train and operate the MiG-23 in the same inflexible manner as the MiG-21: a high-speed point defense interceptor closely guided by GCI . It was not until the widespread introduction of
1921-482: A very limited asset. The pilots of Constant Peg sought to teach these and other aspects of the MiG-23 to the frontline Tactical Air Command squadrons (nicknamed Blue Air) against whom they trained: We taught the guys that if you were defensive with a Flogger right behind you, then you were automatically offensive, because even the worst pilot in the world would be able to deny him the shot. You would turn, he would try and turn with you, but he would never be able to turn
2034-563: Is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 ( Russian : Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-23 ; NATO reporting name : Flogger ) 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
2147-492: Is not a very large indicator for a fighter of this class. In the MiG-23M, due to a much more powerful engine, the rate of climb increased to 222 m/s (43,700 ft/min), almost 50 m/s (10,000 ft/min) more. This figure is already consistent with the "status" of a powerful fighter aircraft. On the MiG-23ML, mainly due to weight reduction, the climb rate reached 242 m/s (47,600 ft/min), which corresponds to
2260-586: The 588th Night Bomber Aviation Regiment (a.k.a. the Night Witches .) Women flew aircraft so heavy that sometimes two of them were required to haul back on the joystick on takeoff. The latter two air force units were honored by being renamed Guards units. Beyond the three official regiments, individual Soviet women sometimes served alongside airmen in otherwise all-male groups. Women pilots, navigators, gunners, mechanics, armament specialists and other female ground personnel made up more than 3,000 members of
2373-614: The Bulgarian Air Force ; and 11.3 losses per 100,000 flying hours in the Polish Air Force . By 1990, over 1,500 MiG-23s of different models were in service with the VVS and the V-PVO . With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the new Russian Air Force began to cut back its fighter force, and it was decided that the single-engine MiG-23s and MiG-27s were to be retired to operational storage. The last model to serve
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#17327810342702486-853: The E-3 Sentry . The early MiG-23M series was also used to test the American Northrop F-5s captured by the North Vietnamese and sent to the former USSR for evaluation. The Soviets acknowledged the F-5 was a very agile aircraft, and at some speeds and altitudes better than the MiG-23M, one of the main reasons the MiG-23MLD and MiG-29 developments were started. These tests allowed the Russians to make modifications to several of their fourth-generation aircraft. The MiG-23, however,
2599-510: The F-4 Phantom 's J-79 engine, the R-29 would generate smoke when operating without the afterburner. The engine outer cases ran very hot, which sometimes triggered false fire alarms. Moreover, the engine was good for only a couple of hundred sorties at most before requiring replacement. This was partly because Russian engines were designed to last about 150 hours before being replaced. It
2712-639: The Ilyushin Il-2 Shturmovik armored ground attack monoplane and the series of AS Yakovlev OKB -115 designed single-engined fighters, beginning with the Yak-1 and its successors. The Il-2 became (at 36,183 built) the most produced military aircraft of all time, with the four main versions of Yak fighters (the Yak-1, −3, −7 and −9) being slightly more numerous, at a total of 36,716 among them. These two main types together accounted for about half
2825-801: The La-5 ), the Petlyakov Pe-2 twin engined attack-bombers, and a basic but functional and versatile medium bomber, the Ilyushin Il-4 . The 31st Bomber Aviation Regiment, equipped with Pe-2s, was one of the first Guards bomber units in the Air Forces – the 4th Guards Bomber Aviation Regiment . The title was conferred on the regiment for its actions on the Leningrad Front in November–December 1941 during defensive operations and
2938-606: The North Pole and continuing on to Southern California [ ru ] , creating a new record for the longest nonstop flight. The public reaction to the transpolar flights was euphoric. The media called the pilots " Bolshevik knights of culture and progress." Soviet citizens celebrated Aviation Day on 18 August with as much zeal as they celebrated the October Revolution anniversary. Literature including poems, short stories, and novels emerged celebrating
3051-604: The Soviet–Afghan War from 1987. Two MiG-23 were claimed shot down by Pakistani F-16s when crossing the border (they both were not confirmed ) while one F-16 was shot down on 29 April 1987. Western sources consider it a friendly fire incident but the Soviet-backed Afghan government of the time and Pakistan claimed that Soviet aircraft downed the Pakistani F-16 – a claim that The New York Times and
3164-622: The State Defence Committee 's Main Directorate of the Air Force of the Red Army. By mid-1943 Frontal Aviation absorbed Army and Force Aviation. One of the main reasons for the large aircraft losses in the initial period of war with Germany was not the lack of modern tactics, but the lack of experienced pilots and ground support crews, the destruction of many aircraft on the runways due to command failure to disperse them, and
3277-534: The Su-17 "Fitter" . It was the first Soviet fighter to field a look-down/shoot-down radar, 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 with over 5,000 aircraft built, making it the most produced variable-sweep wing aircraft in history. The MiG-23 remains in limited service with some export customers. The basic design
3390-508: The VVS . Women pilots flew 24,000 sorties. While there were scores of Red Army divisions on the ground formed from specific Soviet republics, there appears to have been very few aviation regiments formed from nationalities, among them being the 1st Latvian Night Aviation Regiment. Chief Marshal of Aviation Alexander Novikov led the VVS from 1942 to the end of the war, and was credited with introducing several innovations and weapons systems. For
3503-804: 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. In 1988, Soviet MiG-23MLDs using R-23s (NATO: AA-7 "Apex") downed two Iranian AH-1J Cobras that had intruded into Afghan airspace. In
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3616-697: The Winter War against Finland in 1939, where scores of inexperienced Soviet bomber and fighter pilots were shot down by a relatively small number of Finnish Air Force pilots. The VVS soon learned established Soviet air defence procedures derived from the Spanish Civil War, such as forming defensive circles when attacked, did not work well against the Finns, who employed dive-and-zoom tactics to shoot down their Soviet opponents in great numbers. On 1 January 1941, six months prior to Operation Barbarossa ,
3729-802: The Winter War with Finland. 1930s Soviet aviation also had a particular impact on the USSR's military failures in the beginning of World War II. By 1938, the Soviet Union had the largest air force in the world, but Soviet aeronautical design distinctly lagged behind Western technological advances. Instead of focusing on developing tactical aircraft, the Soviets engineers developed heavy bomber planes only good for long distance—in other words, planes that would be used for record-breaking flights like those of Chkalov's. The Soviet government's focus on showy stunts and phenomenal record-breaking missions drained resources needed for Soviet defense. When Nazi Germany attacked
3842-591: The dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991 the aircraft and personnel of the Soviet VVS were divided among the newly independent states. Russia received the plurality of these forces, approximately 40% of the aircraft and 65% of the manpower, with these forming the basis for the new Russian Air Force . The Soviet Air Force's aviation assets were organised into four types of forces (sing. вид авиации ) - Long Range Aviation, Frontal Aviation, Military Transport Aviation and Army Aviation (which would transfer to
3955-401: The sound barrier , where it could out-accelerate any American fighter. The fighter's small profile gave it the advantage of being hard to spot visually as well. Overall, HAVE PAD testing determined that the MiG-23 - while a poor dogfighter - made for a good interceptor capable of performing hit-and-run attacks. Despite its limitations, in the hands of a very capable pilot the MiG-23 represented
4068-479: The " 23-01 ", also known as the MiG-23PD ( Podyomnye Dvigatyeli – lift jet), was a tailed delta of similar layout to the smaller MiG-21 but with two lift jets in the fuselage. This first flew on 3 April 1967, but it soon became apparent that this configuration was unsatisfactory, as the lift jets became useless dead weight once airborne. Work on the second strand of development was carried out in parallel by
4181-469: The Air Force. Western analysts found that Soviet non-Slavs , including Jews, Armenians, and Asians were generally barred from senior ranks and from joining elite or strategic positions in the Air Force, Strategic Rocket Forces , and the Soviet Navy because of doubts regarding the loyalty of ethnic minorities. RAND analyst S. Enders Wimbush said, "Soldiers are clearly recruited in a way that reflects
4294-641: The Air Forces of the Soviet Red Army had 363,900 serving personnel, accounting for 8.65% of all military force personnel of the Soviet Union. The first three Air Armies, designated Air Armies of Special Purpose, were created between 1936 and 1938. On 5 November 1940 these were reformed as the Long Range Bombardment Aviation of the High Command of the Red Army (until February 1942) due to lack of combat performance during
4407-629: The KM-1 was that it was not a zero-zero ejection seat – it required a minimum speed of 90 knots . Starting with the MiG-23 Edition 1971, the MiG-23 replaced the head-down radar scope with an ASP-23D gunsight/ head-up display (HUD) onto which data from the radar was displayed. This was updated in the MiG-23MLA with the ASP-17ML gunsight/HUD. Because information from the radar had to fit on
4520-632: The MiG-23 in Afghanistan occurred in April 1982, when aircraft of the 152nd IAP escorted a large air raid against Rabat-e-Jali in Nimruz province. This developed into a disaster when the MiG-23s failed to provide adequate air cover and the strike force accidentally crossed into Iran, losing several helicopters to Iranian F-4 Phantoms. Soviet and Afghan MiG-23s and Pakistani F-16s clashed a few times during
4633-669: The MiG-23 light and agile enough to dogfight with enemy fighters. The armament carried by the MiG-23 changed as new models underwent development. The initial production variant, the MiG-23S, was fitted with the S-21 fire control system borrowed from the MiG-21S/SM. Based on the RP-22SM Sapfir-21 radar with an ASP-PFD-21 lead computing gunsight, it could carry only four R-3/K-13 (AA-2 "Atoll") air-to-air missiles (typically two SARH R-3Rs and two IR R-3Ss) in addition to
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4746-515: The MiG-23's stability issues at high AoA and made take-off and landings more difficult. The definitive Edition 3 wing design, introduced with the MiG-23M, retained the dimensions of the Edition 2 but added back in the leading-edge slats. A strengthening of the wing pivot in the MiG-23MLD allowed the addition of a fourth wing sweep position of 33°, which was intended to reduce turn radius and allow for rapid deceleration during dogfights. However, with
4859-584: The MiG-23, instead of trying to turn one way or the other with the enemy aircraft (as in a one-circle or two-circle fight), would speed on ahead until it could come back into the fight from a different angle. The MiG-23's deficits and qualities were also recognized by allied air forces which received the fighter from the Soviet Union, including the East German Air Force : I spent a lot of time in Berlin watching GCI tapes to verify we were flying
4972-509: The MiG-23ML could also carry two UPK-23-250 23 mm gun pods on the underwing pylons. Starting in 1981, the MiG-23MLA could carry the improved Vympel R-24R/T missiles. The final fighter variant, the MiG-23MLD, could also carry the improved R-24R/T missiles in addition to a pair of B8M1 20-round rocket pods firing S-8 rockets, the Kh-23 /Kh-23M air-to-surface missile, or a single RN-24 or RN-40 nuclear bomb. The MiG-23MLD's maximum bomb load
5085-454: The MiG-23ML has a instantaneous turn rate of 16.7 deg/s and a sustained of 14.1 deg/s at 1 km (3,300 ft) of altitude and at a speed of 490 kn (900 km/h); and at maximum 7g load factor. It will take to the MiG-23ML around 25 seconds to complete the horizontal turn. In general, with this sweep wing angle of 45 degrees are significantly inferior to the wing 16 degrees of wing swept. Maximum sustained turn rate near
5198-474: The MiG-23ML. Early models of the MiG-23 ran into problems with the plane's No. 2 fuel tank suffering structural failures, which were especially problematic as the tanks were integral to the structure rather than contained within a fuel bladder . This meant that as the structure developed hairline fractures fuel would seep out. This eventually forced severe g-force limits until a solution could be found. Prior to quality being improved in later models, one fix
5311-641: The MiG-23MLD that Soviet pilots began to use the MiG-23 as a true air-superiority fighter. By the 1980s, the MiG-23's accident rate in the VVS averaged 12.5 losses per 100,000 flying hours. This was often worse in the air forces of the Warsaw Pact allies: 24.3 major mishaps per 100,000 flying hours in the Hungarian Air Force ; 20.4 losses per 100,000 flying hours in the East German Air Force; 18 losses per 100,000 flying hours in
5424-801: The Nationalists, one they would never relinquish. On 19 November 1939, VVS headquarters was again titled the Main Directorate of the Red Army Air Forces under the WPRA HQ. The early 1930s saw a shift in ideological focus away from collectivist propaganda and towards "positive heroism." Instead of glorifying socialist collectivism as a means of societal advancement, the Soviet Communist Party began uplifting individuals who committed heroic actions that advanced
5537-650: The PVO were transferred to the VVS, the Air Defence Forces only retaining the anti-aircraft missile units and radar units. The 6th Independent Air Defence Army was disbanded, and the 15th Air Army became the Air Forces of the Baltic Military District . The experiment was then applied countrywide in 1980. Two of the three aviation schools in the Troops of National Air Defence were transferred to
5650-814: The Red Air Force. In one strategic operation alone, the Yassy-Kishinev Strategic Offensive , the 5th and 17th Air Armys and the Black Sea Fleet Naval Aviation aircraft achieved a 3.3 to 1 superiority in aircraft over Luftflotte 4 and the Royal Romanian Air Force , allowing almost complete freedom from air harassment for the ground troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts . As with many Allied countries in World War II,
5763-775: The Soviet Air Force MiG-15s participating in the conflict to fly with the Korean People's Air Force and PLA Air Force markings, wear Chinese uniforms, and speak only Chinese phrases over radio in the air. In 1977 the VVS and the Soviet Air Defence Forces were re-organised in the Baltic states and the Leningrad Oblast , as a trial run for the larger re-organisation in 1980 covering the whole country. All fighter units in
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#17327810342705876-426: The Soviet Union in June 1941, it quickly became apparent that the Soviet Air Force was not prepared for war. Poor planning and lack of organization left planes sitting at airbases, allowing the Luftwaffe to destroy 4,000 Soviet planes within the first week. At the outbreak of World War II , the Soviet Armed Forces was not yet ready or suitable for winning a war: Joseph Stalin had said in 1931 Soviet industry
5989-467: The Soviet Union itself in 1991–92. Former Soviet Air Forces' assets were subsequently divided into several air forces of former Soviet republics , including the new Russian Air Force . The " March of the Pilots " was its marching song. The All-Russia Collegium for Direction of the Air Forces of the Old Army (translation is uncertain) was formed on 20 December 1917. This was a Bolshevik aerial headquarters initially led by Konstantin Akashev . Along with
6102-451: The Soviet Union received Western aircraft through Lend-Lease and the Anglo-Soviet Agreement , mostly Bell P-39 Airacobras , Bell P-63 Kingcobras , Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks , Douglas A-20 Havocs , Hawker Hurricanes , and North American B-25 Mitchells . Some of these aircraft arrived in the Soviet Union in time to participate in the Battle of Moscow, and in particular with the PVO or Soviet Air Defence Forces. Soviet fliers in P-39s scored
6215-410: The Soviet counterattack near Tikhvin. Alone among World War II combatants, the Soviet Air Force initiated a program to bring women with existing flying training into combat air groups. Marina Raskova , one of very few women in the VVS prior to the war, used her influence with Stalin to form three all-female air regiments: the 586th Fighter Aviation Regiment , the 587th Bomber Aviation Regiment , and
6328-534: The Soviet population. Furthermore, the narratives emphasize the aviators' selflessness and devotion to a higher socialist ideal, pointing to Soviet leaders as inspirers and role models. Soviet propagandists also exploited paternalism in aviation culture. The media presented Stalin as an example and inspiration, a father figure and role model to the most prominent Soviet pilots of the period. When recounting stories of meetings between Stalin and Chkalov, for example, Soviet newspapers spoke of Stalin's paternalism towards
6441-422: The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics "; initialism VVS , sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union . The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces . The Air Forces were formed from components of the Imperial Russian Air Service in 1917, and faced their greatest test during World War II . The groups were also involved in the Korean War , and dissolved along with
6554-399: The afterburner was used that could fall down to around 45 minutes or less. Introduced with the MiG-23M were plumbed pylons under the movable wing panels which could be fitted with 800-litre (210 US gal) drop tanks, though these could only be carried with the wings at full spread and had to be jettisoned otherwise, and a third 800-liter drop tank could be carried under the fuselage on
6667-423: The aircraft top speed of Mach 2.4. It also had a fast acceleration time, taking 3–4 seconds to go from idle to full power, and took less than a second to ignite the afterburner . The aircraft's placarded top speed was set by cockpit canopy structural strength. The engine intake had louvers which supplied the environmental control system with air to keep the avionics and pilot cool. Similar to early examples of
6780-410: The arrests. Some practical combat experience had been gained in participating in the Spanish Civil War, and against Japan in the Far Eastern border conflicts . Shortly before the start of war with Germany a Soviet Volunteer Group was sent to China to train the pilots from the Republic of China Air Force for the continuing war with the Japanese. However, these experiences proved of little use in
6893-514: The best services of the Soviet Armed Forces due to the various types of aircraft being flown and their capabilities and the strength and training of its pilots. Its air defence arm became an independent component of the armed forces in 1949, reaching full-fledged force status in 1954 as the Soviet Air Defence Force . During the Cold War , the Soviet Air Force was rearmed, strengthened and modern air doctrines were introduced. At its peak in 1980, it could deploy approximately 10,000 aircraft, making it
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#17327810342707006-441: The cause of socialism. In the case of aviation, the government began glorifying people who utilized aviation technology as opposed to glorifying the technology itself. Pilots such as Valery Chkalov , Georgy Baydukov , Alexander Belyakov , and Mikhail Gromov —as well as many others—were raised to the status of heroes for their piloting skills and achievements. In May 1937, Stalin charged pilots Chkalov, Baydukov, and Belyakov with
7119-403: The combining glass of the HUD, the amount of space that could be scanned was limited to a relatively thin slice. This required that the fighter be flown very close to the target's altitude and well ahead of it to be picked up, necessitating good ground-controlled interception (GCI) instructions. Israeli pilots who flew captured versions of the MiG-23 found it relatively easy to use. The MiG-23
7232-575: The context of BDSM , a multi-tailed scourge typically made of soft leather See also [ edit ] Flog (disambiguation) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title Flogger . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Flogger&oldid=1180337971 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description
7345-443: The controls. The General Dynamics F-111 and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II were the main Western influences on the MiG-23. The Soviets, however, wanted a much lighter, single-engined fighter to maximize agility. Both the F-111 and the MiG-23 were designed as fighters, but the heavy weight and inherent stability of the F-111 turned it into a long-range interdictor and kept it out of the fighter role. The MiG-23's designers kept
7458-479: The creation of the Soviet state many efforts were made in order to modernize and expand aircraft production, led by its charismatic and energetic commander, General Yakov Alksnis , an eventual victim of Joseph Stalin 's Great Purge . Domestic aircraft production increased significantly in the early 1930s and towards the end of the decade, the Soviet Air Force introduced Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters and Tupolev SB and Ilyushin DB-3 bombers. In March 1927,
7571-404: The different combat systems, with a limited number of losses and victories confirmed by both parties. The MiG-23 was first officially commissioned into the Soviet Air Forces (VVS) on 4 January 1974, but even before its mass introduction there had been many teething problems with the brand-new fighter. Stability issues and limited maneuverability resulted in numerous flight restrictions placed on
7684-460: The feats of the aviator-celebrities. Feature films like Victory , Tales of Heroic Aviators , and Valery Chkalov reinforced the "positive hero" imagery, celebrating the aviators' individuality within the context of a socialist government. Soviet propaganda , newspaper articles, and other forms of media sought to connect Soviet citizens to relevant themes from daily life. For aviation, Stalin's propagandists drew on Russian folklore . Following
7797-413: The fighter as efforts to rectify these concerns began in the mid-1970s. Despite numerous updates, these restrictions would only be partially lifted with the introduction of the MiG-23MLD. Still, the large number of MiG-23s deployed in Central Europe represented a sufficiently potent threat in a possible war with the West. Although many MiG-23 pilots were disappointed to discover their fighter would lose in
7910-514: The fuselage also functioned as the aircraft's carry-through wingbox and was welded together with thick plates of VNS-2 steel alloy. The MiG-23 Edition 1971 redesign allowed for a fourth tank carrying 470 litres (120 US gal) to be fitted in the rear of the fuselage. This fuel capacity gave the MiG-23 better endurance than a "clean" F-4 (carrying no drop tanks ); if traveling at the MiG-23's endurance speed of 230 knots an individual sortie could be stretched out to an hour, though if
8023-411: The ground, it could more easily suck debris into its engine intakes. In general the MiG-23 was unpopular with the American pilots because it was so dangerous to fly. Among the nicknames the Constant Peg pilots had for the MiG-23 was the "Looping Hog" because it flew like a pig and one of the few basic fighter maneuvers (BFM) it could pull off in a dogfight was a massive loop . If going fast enough,
8136-428: The ground. Starting with the Edition 1971 model, the MiG-23's wings (known as Edition 2) had their surface area increased by 20%, necessitating the positions be changed to 18°, 47° 40', and 74° 40' (though for convenience the cockpit indicators and manuals retained the original labeling). A dogtooth extension was added but the leading-edge slats were removed to simplify manufacturing. However this proved to exacerbate
8249-426: The ground: 13.35 g/s for MiG-23 model 71, 14.5 g/s for MiG-23M and 15.4 g/s for MiG-23ML. The maximum climb rate for the MiG-23 variant 1971 and the MiG-23M, especially at low altitudes shows a big difference gap. The difference between the MiG-23M and MiG-23ML is much smaller, but also noticeable. The maximum calculated climb rate on the MiG-23 sub variant 1971 is 174 m/s (34,300 ft/min), which
8362-550: The highest individual kill totals of any ever to fly a U.S. aircraft. Two air regiments were equipped with Supermarine Spitfire Mk.Vbs in early 1943 but immediately experienced unrelenting losses due to friendly fire as the British aircraft looked too much like the German Bf 109. The Soviet Union was then supplied with some 1,200 Spitfire Mk. IXs from 1943. Soviet pilots liked them but they did not suit Soviet combat tactics and
8475-450: The horizontal, and had superior BVR capability. The Soviet combat manual for MiG-23M pilots claims the MiG-23M to have a slight superiority over the F-4 and Kfir , and describes combat history involving Syrian MiG-23MFs versus Israeli F-15 and F-16s, which it labels "successful". This manual also recommends tactics to be used against these fighters. According to the MiG-23ML technical manual,
8588-487: The last year of the war German military and civilians retreating towards Berlin were hounded by the presence of "low flying aircraft" strafing and bombing them, an activity in which even the ancient Polikarpov Po-2 , a much produced flight training (uchebnyy) biplane of 1920s design, took part. However, this was but a small measure of the experience the Wehrmacht were receiving due to the sophistication and superiority of
8701-562: The latest Soviet and German aircraft designs were employed against each other in fierce air-to-air combat. At first, the I-16 proved superior to any Luftwaffe fighters, and managed to achieve local air superiority wherever they were employed. However, the Soviets refused to supply the plane in adequate numbers, and their aerial victories were soon squandered because of their limited use. Later, Messerschmitt Bf 109s delivered to Franco's Spanish Nationalist air forces secured air superiority for
8814-399: The latter case working in conjunction with wing control surfaces when the wings were not fully swept back. In addition to a large vertical stabilizer (which also stored the brake parachute for landings), the MiG-23 had a ventral fin to improve directional stability at high speeds. During take-off and landing, the fin hinged sideways when the landing gear was extended to prevent it striking
8927-474: The mission to navigate the first transpolar flight in history [ ru ] . On 20 June 1937, the aviators landed their ANT-25 in Vancouver, Washington . A month later, Stalin ordered the departure of a second crew to push the boundaries of modern aviation technology even further. In July 1937 Mikhail Gromov , along with his crew Sergei Danilin and Andrei Yumashev , completed the same journey over
9040-655: The most powerful aircraft of the 2-3rd generation, as well as some 4th generation fighters. 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
9153-464: The new BVR R-23 (AA-7 "Apex") missile, although only the R-23R SARH variant. However, the Sapfir-23L was considered unreliable and lacked look-down/shoot-down capability. The MiG-23M, the definitive first-generation variant of the fighter, was equipped with the improved Sapfir-23D look-down/shoot-down radar and could carry a pair of R-23 missiles (either the R-23R SARH or R-23T IR variants) and
9266-482: The new aircraft have a much shorter take-off run. Low-level speed and handling was also to be improved over the MiG-21. Manoeuvrability was not an urgent requirement. This led Mikoyan to consider two options: lift jets , to provide an additional lift component; and variable-geometry wings , which had been developed by TsAGI for both "clean-sheet" aircraft designs and adaptations of existing designs. The first option, for an aircraft fitted with lift jets, resulted in
9379-635: The organizational structure of the Red Army Air Force was as follows: Units with honorifics were the 7th Dzerzhinsky, 9th Voroshilov, 16th Ultimatum, 20th Frunze, 24th Ilyich, 30th Red Moscow, and 40th Lenin Aviation Squadrons, and 6th Siberian Revolutionary Committee and 24th Far Eastern Ultimatum Separate Aviation Detachments. One of the first major tests for the VVS came in 1936 with the Spanish Civil War , in which
9492-463: The pilot, the cockpit was fitted with a mirror or 'periscope' embedded in the middle rail of the canopy, similar to the one on the MiG-17 . With an infinity focus , the periscope provided a clear view of behind the plane, but did not have a wide field of view. The MiG-23's ejection seat , the KM-1, was built with extreme altitude and speed in mind: leg stirrups, shoulder harness, pelvic D-ring , and
9605-525: The rapid advance of Heer troops, forcing the Soviet pilots on the defensive during Operation Barbarossa, while being confronted with more modern German designs. In the first few days of the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Luftwaffe destroyed some 2,000 Soviet aircraft, most on the ground, at a loss of only 35 (of which 15 were non-combat-related). The principal VVS aircraft during World War II were
9718-564: The right tactics, and it became clear to me that the East Germans knew exactly what the MiG-23's limitations were. They knew that since it was unmaneuverable, they had to attack from many different directions as fast as possible. It was sophisticated, and they were going to overwhelm us if we ever went up against them. I sat down with some analysts and linguists and listened to what the pilots were saying to their GCI controllers and I actually started to respect them for what they were doing with
9831-539: The rough conditions at the forward airfields close to the front lines. Spitfires Mk. IXs were therefore assigned to air defense units, using the high altitude performance to intercept and pursue German bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. By 1944, the Spitfire IX was the main fighter used in this role and would remain so until 1947. Lend-Lease aircraft from the U.S. and UK accounted for nearly 12% of total Soviet air power. The greatest Soviet fighter ace of World War II
9944-472: The same corner as you. One of the MiG-23s would retreat while the other guy would come in behind you. In the training environment the Blue Air pilots would do their intercepts at 350 to 400 knots , so when they all of a sudden get this Flogger coming at Mach 1.5, it really changes the geometry of things. It blows your mind because you are not used to seeing that kind of speed. The MiG-23's speed in particular
10057-499: The spoilers, the wings were fitted with trailing edge flaps and leading edge slats to try to give the fighter a short take-off and landing performance. Although there was a gauge in the cockpit showing the position of the wings, when they were in motion, and the Mach limit for each position, there was none to indicate what was the optimum wing position for the prevailing flight condition. Two tailerons controlled pitch and roll, in
10170-536: The strength of the VVS for most of the war. The Yak-1 was a modern 1940 design and had room for development, unlike the mature 1935-origin Messerschmitt Bf 109 . The Yak-9 brought the VVS to parity with the Luftwaffe and eventually allowed it to gain the upper hand, until in 1944, many Luftwaffe pilots deliberately avoided combat with the last and best variant, the out-of-sequence numbered Yak-3 . The other main VVS types were Lavochkin fighters (mainly
10283-736: The successes of the transpolar flights by Chkalov and Gromov in 1937, examples increased dramatically. Aviators were referred to symbolically as sokoly (falcons), orly (eagles), or bogatyr (warriors). Newspapers told traditional Russian narratives ( skazki ) of fliers conquering time and space ( prostranstvo ), overcoming barriers and completing their missions in triumph. Even the story of each aviator suggests roots in old Russian storytelling and narratives—virtuous heroes striving to reach an end goal, encountering and conquering any obstacles in their path. By using folklore rhetoric, Stalin and Soviet propagandists connected aviation achievements to Russian heritage, making aviation seem more accessible to
10396-541: The turbine causing turbine blades to break off, destroying the engine. Introduction of the R-29B-300 addressed this design deficiency. The prototype version of the MiG-23 carried three fuel tanks in the fuselage, with capacities of 1,920, 820 and 710 litres (510, 220 and 190 US gal) respectively. Additionally, each wing carried three integral fuel tanks of 62.5, 137.5 and 200 litres (16.5, 36.3 and 52.8 US gal). The No. 2 fuel tank in
10509-411: The wings at mid-spread of 45° was used for basic fighter maneuvering, as well as cruising at high speeds or making low-altitude intercepts. Moving the wings to fully swept at 72° was reserved for making high-altitude intercepts or high-speed dashes at low altitudes. The wings were not fitted with ailerons but used spoilers to control rolling when the wings were at 16° and 45° angles. In addition to
10622-401: The wings at the 33° position, the MiG-23MLD was much more difficult to handle and suffered from poor acceleration. Moving the wings to this position was primarily reserved for experienced MiG-23 pilots, while combat manuals continued to emphasize the 45° position. The MiG-23's original engine was a 122 kN (12,500 kgf; 27,500 lbf) thrust Tumansky R-29 -300 with thrust to spare at
10735-466: The world's largest air force of the time. The Soviet Air Force covertly participated in the Korean War . Twelve fighter divisions of 26,000 pilots participated in air-to-air combat with the U.S. and other Allied air forces, inflicting significant casualties. The 64th Fighter Aviation Corps supervised the Soviet interceptor forces. In order to keep their involvement a secret, Joseph Stalin ordered
10848-878: The worries of society. The average Russian citizen and Soviet decision maker have questions about the allegiance of the non-Slav, especially the Central Asian." Odom, writing eight years after the collapse of the USSR, noted that 97% of the officer corps was Russian, Ukrainian or Belarusian. During the Cold War the VVS was divided into three main branches: Long Range Aviation (DA), with long-range bombers ; Frontal Aviation ( Frontovaya Aviatsiya – FA), focused on battlefield air defence, close air support , and interdiction ; and Military Transport Aviation ( Voenno-Transportnaya Aviatsiya – VTA), which controlled all transport aircraft. The Soviet Air Defence Force , which operated interceptor aircraft and surface to air missiles,
10961-561: The worst days of the Great Purge. The transpolar flights in summer 1937 occurred following the arrest and execution of a large body of the Red Army officer corps. Fifteen of sixteen total army commanders were executed; more than three-fourths of the VVS senior officers were arrested, executed, or relieved of duty. News coverage of the arrests was relatively little compared to treatment of aviation exploits, deflecting attention away from
11074-653: The young pilot. The paternal metaphor was completed with the addition of a maternal figure—Russia, the motherland, who had produced "father" Stalin's heroic sons such as Chkalov. The use of familial metaphors not only evoked traditional hereditary pride and historic Russian patriotism, they boosted Stalin's image as a benevolent leader. Most importantly, paternalism served to promote the message of individual subordination to authority. Through his paternal relationships with Soviet pilots, Stalin developed an "ethos of deference and obedience" for Soviet society to emulate. The successful achievements in Soviet aviation also came during
11187-637: Was Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub , who scored 62 victories from 6 July 1943 to 16 April 1945, the top score for any Allied fighter pilot of World War II. In 1945–46, the WPKA Army Air Forces became the Soviet Air Forces once again. Its capabilities increased, helped by Western transfer of technology: the downed Boeing B-29 Superfortresses in the Far East, and British transfer of Rolls-Royce Nene jet engines. The force became one of
11300-611: Was "50 to 100 years behind" the Western powers. By the end of the war, Soviet annual aircraft production had risen sharply, reaching 40,241 in 1944. Some 157,261 machines were produced during the war, 125,655 being of combat types. On the outbreak of war the Red Army Air Force consisted of the Long-Range Bomber Aviation (Дальнебомбардировочная авиация); Frontal Aviation, serving the various land forces fronts; Army Aviation; and Force Aviation, all subordinate to
11413-457: Was 2,000 kg (4,400 lb), with a standard loadout comprising four FAB-500 500 kg (1,100 lb) general-purpose bombs (GP) or ZAB-500 napalm bombs. Other configurations included sixteen FAB-100 100 kg (220 lb) GP bombs carried on four ejector racks, four FAB-250 250 kg (550 lb) GP bombs, or two RBK-500 cluster bombs . The MiG-23 cockpit was considered an improvement over previous Soviet fighters as it
11526-437: Was also a way to generate income from export customers by selling them new engines in exchange for hard currency . Changing an engine was difficult because the aircraft had to be separated in the middle. The engine was also a weak point on early models of the MiG-23 as it was not stressed for high yaw manoeuvre loads. If the fighter entered a spin , the engine shaft could bend. Compressor blades would rub sending debris into
11639-613: 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 , 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
11752-407: Was among the first Soviet aircraft to feature variable-geometry wings . These were hydraulically controlled by means of a small lever set beneath the throttle in the cockpit. There were three main sweep angles that were set by the pilot for different levels of flying. The first, with the wings fully spread at 16°, was used when cruising at or below Mach 0.7 or when taking off and landing. Putting
11865-505: Was comparable to an original F-4E Phantom , newer American fighters like the F-15 Eagle or F-4E upgraded with slats could easily out-turn the MiG-23 in a dogfight. In fact, whenever the MiG-23 approached high angle of attack it became very unstable and liable to depart controlled flight . Conversely, the MiG-23's acceleration capability was tremendous, particularly at low altitudes (below 10,000 ft or 3,000 m) and crossing
11978-422: Was more ergonomic in its layout. However the pilot still had a high workload, having to manipulate switches and monitor gauges, compared to more modern aircraft with HOTAS controls. The instrument panel featured a white stripe to serve as a visual aid for centering the control column during an out-of-control situation. To prevent the pilot from exceeding a 17° angle of attack , the control column incorporated
12091-511: Was not designed to combat F-5s, a weakness reflected by early MiG-23 variants. Dutch pilot Leon van Maurer, who had more than 1,200 hours flying F-16s, flew against MiG-23MLs from air bases in Germany and the U.S. as part of NATO's aerial mock combat training with Soviet equipment. He concluded the MiG-23ML was superior in the vertical to early F-16 variants, just slightly inferior to the F-16A in
12204-452: Was supposed to help rotate the seat into the windblast and stabilize into a flight path that would take it above and behind the vertical stabilizer . As the first chute and rod separated from the seat, a larger drogue parachute deployed to slow down the seat, allowing the deployment of the main parachute. If engaged at low altitudes, the seat included a barometric element that allowed the drogue chute to separate more quickly. One deficiency of
12317-769: Was the MiG-23P air-defense variant: it was retired on 1 May 1998. When East and West Germany unified, no MiG-23s were transferred to the German Air Force , but twelve former East German MiG-23s were supplied to the United States. When Czechoslovakia split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the Czechs received all the MiG-23s, which were retired in 1998. Hungary retired its MiG-23s in 1996, Poland in 1999, Romania in 2000, and Bulgaria in 2004. The MiG-23
12430-595: Was the Soviet Air Force's " Top Gun "-equivalent aggressor aircraft from the late 1970s to the late 1980s. It proved a difficult opponent for early MiG-29 variants flown by inexperienced pilots. Exercises showed when well-flown, a MiG-23MLD could achieve favorable kill ratios against the MiG-29 in mock combat by using hit-and-run tactics and not engaging the MiG-29s in dogfights. Usually the aggressor MiG-23MLDs had
12543-740: Was then a separate and distinct service within the Soviet military organisation. Yet another independent service was the Soviet Navy's air arm, the Soviet Naval Aviation under the Navy Headquarters. The official day of VVS was the Soviet Air Fleet Day , that often featured notable air shows meant to display Soviet air power advancements through the years, held in Moscow's Tushino airfield . Following
12656-551: Was to weld a plate on the inside surface and a stiffener on the outer skin. Most potential enemies of the USSR and its client states have had opportunities to evaluate the MiG-23's performance. In the summer of 1977, after a political realignment by its government, Egypt provided a number of MiG-23MSs and MiG-23BNs to the United States; these were evaluated under a pair of exploitation programs codenamed HAVE PAD and HAVE BOXER respectively. These and other MiGs, including additional MiG-23s acquired from other sources, were used as part of
12769-586: Was used as a teaching aid for a couple of situations during a potential war with the Soviet Union. The first was at low altitudes to demonstrate its ability to run down any NATO or American strike aircraft (barring the late-model F-111F Aardvark ), which would be attempting to go low and fast to penetrate Soviet territory. The second was to simulate the MiG-25 Foxbat , a high, fast flyer which would be going after high-value targets such as aerial refueling or airborne early warning and control aircraft like
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