Mig 23 was a Fighter with a very powerfull engine, very high top speed and a very good radar. It was inferior in dogfight against 4th gen fighters, so in order to be on pair with them it needed his VBR missiles, but in WVR was in a clear disadvantage against F-16, F-14 and F-15. It is fair to say that both F4 Phantom and the entire Mirage III/F1 family was also in clear disadvantage against 4th gen fighters... "Flogger" was in that spectrum of 3rd gen fighters, which were produced from early 70s up until mid 80s. 2nd gen fighters (like Mig 21, Mirage III/V and others) were able to be upgraded to "kind-of" 3rd gen status, but no 3rd gen Fighter (F4 Phantom II, Mirage F1, Mig 23) were able to be upgraded to a competitive standpoint against 4th gen fighters. The Fly-by-wire and massive maneuverability introduced with the new gen was just too much for the previous fighters and that's why all those fighters had such a short production lifespam (despite the numbers)
Or at a very least that the idea is looked into again with modern technology. The problem was always the strength of the system and the ability to easily (read:laughing like a lunatic) maintain. With modern computer testing there can be major changes that could bring the costs and maintenance down.
Like always you make great points like in all your videos. I love your channel, even I am more a car addict, your channel opened my heart for the history behind every military vehicle. Good luck for your future. You make an excellent job.
Truly an eye-opening video, it is arguable that the MIG-23 was among the elite of fighter aircraft of its time and on par with anything the West had to throw against it, again the institutional disdain and lack of knowledge from the general public about realities in the USSR created serious misconceptions way too often for such a long time, they still do... and nice choice for an icon picture of the video, that dark silhouette of the Flogger trimmed against the fading sunlight summarises so well the legends (with many shades yet) this plane has always raised.
@@doneddydimsum888 personally i think the mig-29 9.12 was a 3+ gen fighter, mig-23M [the most numerous variant ] is like F-104S or F-4B , it could overwhelm the F-4E with numerical superiority but its not a true equivalent
@@zulfiqarhashim1376 the MIG-29 was a full-fledged 4th generation fighter and the MIG-23 could have more than countered F-104 and F-4 fighters since it had a potent radar, effective BVR missiles and its speed was excellent.
i very much agree, like the famous quote "History is writen by the victor" and in the end the data trusted was NATO without even attempting to proof the Warsaw pack. Hopefully in the modern era people will start to hear out from the other side so historians can see what truly happened from both side of the story
The Design might be Good Aerodynamically, the problem is the Tumansky Engine. The Soviets had the Version planned with AL-21 Engine, but was never exported.
With AL31 engine it is very potent but it is very mechanical and analog but never the less very fast should have been used as an interception role only but mig 21 bis was easy to operate and the entry of Mig 29 and blended outlay wing planes marked the end of f 14 and mig 23 both at the virtually the same time
I don’t know Tran. We have friends from Egypt and he flew for years. The 23 was the only MiG he didn’t like. But it would take a beating. I think the 19 is still my favorite.
As no f 15s have ever been shot down in air to air combat, Soviet and Syrian assertions are false. I remember the fighting in the bekaa valley, and the Israeli air force decimated the Syrian airforce. Syrian and Russian claims were proven false simply by counting the number of Israeli f-16s and f-15s that were intact and comparing that number to the numbers delivered. The mig 23 was a disaster, the fact that many nations retired them before the mig 21 tells the real story. A few unconfirmed claims of aerial victories doesn't change anything.
mig23 requires a lot more maintenance and expensive to operate plus smaller airforces had little or no use for interceptor floggers , the mig-21bis was a much better fighter for their needs.
@Beverly Mandahl The f-35 did not have to be written off. It had damage to the canopy and where the canopy meets the fuselage. Bird strikes that cause severe damage is very common and airliners have been brought out of the sky by bird strikes. You've been tricked by misinformation, like when Syria claimed to have shot down dozens of cruise missiles, but damage assessments of the targets showed most missiles hit their targets.
@@pacus123 Way to project. "Don't believe the lies." No F-15s have been shot down. That's the stats. No country that has claimed to have shot down F-15s has ever produced any evidence of wreckage. And all serial numbers are accounted for. But of course you wouldn't know that, because you choose to believe what you hear, based on your biases, and you don't research it. I do research what I hear, you know, because that's what us "idiots" do. Video games and propaganda are not real. Numbers are real. Have a great day.
Syria lost 81 MiG-21 and MiG-23 aircraft in one day of air confrontation over the skies of Lebanon in 1981 with the Israeli Air Force, which was using F-16 and F-15 aircraft.Two U.S F-14 also shot down 2 Libyan MiG-23 aircraft in an air confrontation in the sky of the Sirte Gulf, overall the report is inaccurate because Soviet documents show that the plane was unsuccessful and not reliable.
plus arab airforces lost HUGE numbers of mig-21 to Israelis too in 1967/1973 and 1982 so that is no argument.Mig-23 was not a great fighter compared to western fighters in a 1 vs 1 comparison esp not 4th gen fighters but that does not mean it was totally useless either, most of the bad rep it got is fighting IDAF and USN with the best pilots , training C3, AWACS support.In the Iran Iraq war it claimed kills against F-4/F-5 and even a couple of F-14s.The main point is soviet fighters fail miserably when used in an environment which they are not designed for, they are inflexible and not great when used by 3rd world nations but at the same time they are perfectly adapted to soviet conditions and all indicators are would have performed well in their designed defensive role within their IADS.Strong point of mig-23M was its affordability which enabled a huge number of them to be fielded and even with average weapons and avionics they posed a huge threat to NATO until 1987 , by that time the Mig-29/su-27 was being fielded in large numbers.To give an example soviets operated 1800 mig-23M/ML by 1985 [some estimates 2100] , this gives them a force equivalent to 700-800 F-4E.By contrast the french had 150 mirageF1/ luftwaffe 170 F-4F /RAF had 150 F-4 and other assorted NATO states had like 150 or so F-4/mirage equivalent fighters.This does not count the 1000+ strike floggers fielded by VVS , which were a significant threat in itself.
Finally a video about the MiG-23 by an educated defence analyst
thanks Sir Dung Tran
Sadly, he wasnt paying attention because some of the aircraft he put in this video are Mig 27s not Mig 23.
It's the man, not the machine. I have always liked this fighter. Good to know it has fangs.
It makes sense that the MiG-23 and F-14 were retired over operating costs, but that variable geometry was also effective in both cases. Nice video.
What a fascinating story about the mig-23 I had no idea about the story.
Thank you for good video and sharing this!!
Unbiased and constructive review of the MIG-23 Flogger fighter with many statistical information presented 👍
Very good video! The footage of the two f15 escorting the mig 23 are real from the history that you tell? Very impressive, you win a subscriber
Mig 23 was a Fighter with a very powerfull engine, very high top speed and a very good radar. It was inferior in dogfight against 4th gen fighters, so in order to be on pair with them it needed his VBR missiles, but in WVR was in a clear disadvantage against F-16, F-14 and F-15.
It is fair to say that both F4 Phantom and the entire Mirage III/F1 family was also in clear disadvantage against 4th gen fighters... "Flogger" was in that spectrum of 3rd gen fighters, which were produced from early 70s up until mid 80s.
2nd gen fighters (like Mig 21, Mirage III/V and others) were able to be upgraded to "kind-of" 3rd gen status, but no 3rd gen Fighter (F4 Phantom II, Mirage F1, Mig 23) were able to be upgraded to a competitive standpoint against 4th gen fighters. The Fly-by-wire and massive maneuverability introduced with the new gen was just too much for the previous fighters and that's why all those fighters had such a short production lifespam (despite the numbers)
Why do yo imagine it had a good radar?
Well, I think you're right, the difference is made by tactics and pilot skill...
India retired MiG 27 recently. I hope swing wing aircrafts make a comeback.
Or at a very least that the idea is looked into again with modern technology. The problem was always the strength of the system and the ability to easily (read:laughing like a lunatic) maintain. With modern computer testing there can be major changes that could bring the costs and maintenance down.
Russia still has MIG 23 MLD in its reserve inventory...!!!
Like always you make great points like in all your videos. I love your channel, even I am more a car addict, your channel opened my heart for the history behind every military vehicle. Good luck for your future. You make an excellent job.
Welcome my brother. 🥰
Good and interesting presentation.
Well done. Great summary.
Very thoughtful and complete unbiased appraisal. Well done!
I prefer hearing your voice. Well done Sir. A strong video with some good content.
Thank you brothers
Nice job Dung.Heading to my Mig-23 tomorrow in Florida.Let me know if I may be off any assistance.
You mean *OUR* mig 23
Truly an eye-opening video, it is arguable that the MIG-23 was among the elite of fighter aircraft of its time and on par with anything the West had to throw against it, again the institutional disdain and lack of knowledge from the general public about realities in the USSR created serious misconceptions way too often for such a long time, they still do... and nice choice for an icon picture of the video, that dark silhouette of the Flogger trimmed against the fading sunlight summarises so well the legends (with many shades yet) this plane has always raised.
Not really mig23M is like F4B , mig23ML is like mirage F1
At least I think the MIG-23 can be safely declared a 3.5 generation fighter...
@@doneddydimsum888 personally i think the mig-29 9.12 was a 3+ gen fighter, mig-23M [the most numerous variant ] is like F-104S or F-4B , it could overwhelm the F-4E with numerical superiority but its not a true equivalent
@@zulfiqarhashim1376 the MIG-29 was a full-fledged 4th generation fighter and the MIG-23 could have more than countered F-104 and F-4 fighters since it had a potent radar, effective BVR missiles and its speed was excellent.
So nice of you.
Very good video. Great to get a more balanced report rather than the distorted crap usually put out by the USA.
Apparently it's a good ground attack aircraft in the MiG27m configuration
Excellent information!!👍🏻
i very much agree, like the famous quote "History is writen by the victor" and in the end the data trusted was NATO without even attempting to proof the Warsaw pack. Hopefully in the modern era people will start to hear out from the other side so historians can see what truly happened from both side of the story
Your own voice, nice ❤❤❤❤
The Design might be Good Aerodynamically, the problem is the Tumansky Engine.
The Soviets had the Version planned with AL-21 Engine, but was never exported.
There is a say: " it is the knight, not the horse" .. the will of resistance.
Good Facts
With AL31 engine it is very potent but it is very mechanical and analog but never the less very fast should have been used as an interception role only but mig 21 bis was easy to operate and the entry of Mig 29 and blended outlay wing planes marked the end of f 14 and mig 23 both at the virtually the same time
Mig 23 the only Soviet jet to have ghost pilot feature
I don’t know Tran. We have friends from Egypt and he flew for years. The 23 was the only MiG he didn’t like. But it would take a beating.
I think the 19 is still my favorite.
Egypt got the shitty MIG23MS only 250 of those made
all swing a ling aeroplanes got idea from british scientist he also invented the bouncin bomb and geodetick structure on welledley and wellington .
wellesley i do diddly declare !.
Soon™ in DCS . My wallet is ready but not happy.
Super Mig 23 Supeeerrrrr!
👍😎🍺🍩✈✈
Anh có chơi War Thunder ko?
Mình không bạn ạ 😊
So, as it turns out, it takes a whole lot more to reverse engineer the F-14 Tomcat than just taking pictures.
Especially if you making it 10 years before f14 was created.
Mig23 shot down SAF Mirage F1
5:15 looks like Syria 🇸🇾 got too many Abhinandan
barns wallace .
1st comment
As no f 15s have ever been shot down in air to air combat, Soviet and Syrian assertions are false.
I remember the fighting in the bekaa valley, and the Israeli air force decimated the Syrian airforce. Syrian and Russian claims were proven false simply by counting the number of Israeli f-16s and f-15s that were intact and comparing that number to the numbers delivered.
The mig 23 was a disaster, the fact that many nations retired them before the mig 21 tells the real story.
A few unconfirmed claims of aerial victories doesn't change anything.
mig23 requires a lot more maintenance and expensive to operate plus smaller airforces had little or no use for interceptor floggers , the mig-21bis was a much better fighter for their needs.
@Beverly Mandahl
The f-35 did not have to be written off. It had damage to the canopy and where the canopy meets the fuselage. Bird strikes that cause severe damage is very common and airliners have been brought out of the sky by bird strikes.
You've been tricked by misinformation, like when Syria claimed to have shot down dozens of cruise missiles, but damage assessments of the targets showed most missiles hit their targets.
BULLSHIT! F15s have been shot down in a2a combat. Both the US and the Israelis never admit it. C'mon, don't be an idiot and believe the lies
@@pacus123
Way to project.
"Don't believe the lies."
No F-15s have been shot down. That's the stats. No country that has claimed to have shot down F-15s has ever produced any evidence of wreckage. And all serial numbers are accounted for.
But of course you wouldn't know that, because you choose to believe what you hear, based on your biases, and you don't research it.
I do research what I hear, you know, because that's what us "idiots" do.
Video games and propaganda are not real. Numbers are real.
Have a great day.
Syria lost 81 MiG-21 and MiG-23 aircraft in one day of air confrontation over the skies of Lebanon in 1981 with the Israeli Air Force, which was using F-16 and F-15 aircraft.Two U.S F-14 also shot down 2 Libyan MiG-23 aircraft in an air confrontation in the sky of the Sirte Gulf, overall the report is inaccurate because Soviet documents show that the plane was unsuccessful and not reliable.
So ? Reflects poorly on arab air forces , indians and vietnamese had better results with migs
plus arab airforces lost HUGE numbers of mig-21 to Israelis too in 1967/1973 and 1982 so that is no argument.Mig-23 was not a great fighter compared to western fighters in a 1 vs 1 comparison esp not 4th gen fighters but that does not mean it was totally useless either, most of the bad rep it got is fighting IDAF and USN with the best pilots , training C3, AWACS support.In the Iran Iraq war it claimed kills against F-4/F-5 and even a couple of F-14s.The main point is soviet fighters fail miserably when used in an environment which they are not designed for, they are inflexible and not great when used by 3rd world nations but at the same time they are perfectly adapted to soviet conditions and all indicators are would have performed well in their designed defensive role within their IADS.Strong point of mig-23M was its affordability which enabled a huge number of them to be fielded and even with average weapons and avionics they posed a huge threat to NATO until 1987 , by that time the Mig-29/su-27 was being fielded in large numbers.To give an example soviets operated 1800 mig-23M/ML by 1985 [some estimates 2100] , this gives them a force equivalent to 700-800 F-4E.By contrast the french had 150 mirageF1/ luftwaffe 170 F-4F /RAF had 150 F-4 and other assorted NATO states had like 150 or so F-4/mirage equivalent fighters.This does not count the 1000+ strike floggers fielded by VVS , which were a significant threat in itself.
MIG 23 is a 3rd generation plane, that was shot down by planes a full generation ahead of it.
That is total BULLSHIT! Keep believing those lies.