The Soviet MiG-23 “Flogger”

You can learn a lot about a military by looking at the aircraft it builds. The MiG-23 was built because the MiG-21 had reached the end of what you could reasonably get out of that design. The MiG-21 was fast, simple, cheap, and produced in absurd numbers. But the MiG-21 was also a very small aircraft with limited fuel, limited radar volume, and limited ability to carry the new generation of medium-range missiles the Soviets wanted. The MiG-23 was intended to replace the MiG-21 with a fighter that had more speed, more radar, beyond-visual-range missile capability, and the ability to operate from short or damaged runways. More than 5,000 MiG-23s of all types were built. This is not just a story about a Soviet jet. It is a story about how the evolution of how the Soviets expected to fight in Western Europe.. and it is a story about what happens when you ask one airplane to do too many jobs. This article is for paid subscribers. Not a paid subscriber? It’s only $5 a month.

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The Soviet MiG-23 “Flogger”