OVERVIEW: The MiG-23ML Flogger G is a single engine, variable-geometry, supersonic 3rd generation fighter aircraft. It had a secondary mission of ground attack.

DETAILS:  The Flogger was intended to replace the MiG-21, and featured improved  landing and take off performance, range and weapons capability over its predecessor.    
The Flogger G was designed to be more reliable, maneuverable and lighter than earlier Mig-23s.  It achieved these goals by removing a fuel tank and improving aerodynamics, modernizing the avionics and flight control and up-rating the power plant. The Flogger G was equipped with the J-band (10-15 Ghz) Sapfir-23ML aka HIGH LARK 2 radar giving it a "look-down shoot-down" capability and maximum detection range of 65km against a fighter-sized target at high altitude, reduced to 25km in look-down mode.  The Flogger G was also one of the first aircraft armed with beyond-visual-range missiles.

The aircraft was powered by an R-35F-300 turbojet engine, producing 28,600 lb of thrust, and a theoretical thrust to weight ratio of 0.83.

The MiG-23ML could maneuver up to 8.5 g below Mach 0.85, and 7.5 g at above Mach 0.85.  However, control issues at high AOA reduced the theoretical maneuverability of the MiG-23.  According to one test pilot, the MiG-23ML was superior in the vertical to early F-16 variants, just slightly inferior to the F-16A in the horizontal, and has superior BVR capability.

NOTES: IOC 1975 (approx.)


SOURCE: "MiG-23M." Airwar.Ru. Accessed September 20, 2021. https://www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/mig23m.html. ; Mladenov, Alexander. Soviet Cold War Fighters. Fonthill Media, 2017. ; Newdick, Thomas. "This Myth-Busting Walk-Around Of The Soviet MiG-23 Flogger Fighter Is A Must-Watch." The Drive. Last modified March 18, 2021. https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/39824/this-myth-busting-walk-around-of-the-soviet-mig-23-flogger-fighter-is-a-must-watch. ;  "MiG-23ML." Airwar.Ru.Accessed September 20, 2021. https://www.airwar.ru/enc/fighter/mig23ml.html. ; "Mikoyan MIG-23." Weapons and Warfare. Last modified November 14, 2020. https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2020/11/25/mikoyan-mig-23/.