With its variable sweep wing, the MiG 23 (NATO code name “Flogger”) was fast and furious. Being exported from Russia to different countries including Libya, the Flogger was made in large numbers, and I mean large. 5,000 of these aircraft were built! With its 27,500lb Thrust Tumansky R-29-300, the Flogger could go 1,553mph. That’s faster than the F-14 Tomcat! It’s not just the engine that makes this aircraft dangerous. It’s the fact that it had ground-breaking missiles for its time. They were called beyond-visual-range missiles (sometimes shortened to BVRAAMs, or just BVRs). The BVRs were missiles that could detect enemy aircraft that were 20 nautical miles away. That was a large tactic of the Flogger. It was fast, able to destroy enemy planes, and it was maneuverable. Its type of wing made it able to go fast, and made it very agile. The type of wing it had was a variable geometry, or variable sweep wing, like the Panavia Tornado and F-14 Tomcat. (See my posts on all of these planes!) with agility, weapons, and speed, the Flogger was one of the best of its time. It was made as a point-defense aircraft, because of its cutting-edge radar, and weapons. Now, the time has come. Dimensions! Its wingspan was 46ft, and its length was 55ft. The MiG 23 Flogger was a truly amazing aircraft, even though it was retired from service in 1998. RIP, MiG 23. (Hey, that rhymes!)
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