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 the different combat systems, with a limited number of losses and victories confirmed by both parties.
Soviet and Warsaw Pact 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 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 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 the MiG-23MLD that Soviet pilots began to use the MiG-23 as a true air-superiority fighter. 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 was the MiG-23P air-defense variant: it was retired on 1 May 1998. The last kill claim for the MiG-23 in the service of any Warsaw Pact Nation would come in April 1992, when a MiG-23MLD of the Russian Airforce (Still the V-PVO then) allegedly destroyed a
Georgian Airforce Su-25 using an R-24 missile. 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 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 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 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 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 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 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. Air-to-air encounters, however, were not particularly frequent, with close air support accounting for most missions flown in Afghanistan while combat air patrol and air-to-air escort missions comprised 15% of the total. Sorties with dumb bombs and cluster munitions were flown against a wide range of targets, while more sophisticated weaponry was not often employed because of the difficult terrain and threat of MANPADs and AA. Attacks were made in pairs, with both MiGs diving at a 45-degree angle before releasing their bombs. After heavy losses in 1984–5, tactics were re-evaluated and a minimum altitude of 3,500 m (11,480 ft) was introduced. This was later increased to 4,500 m (14,760 ft). The accuracy of attacks was lowered and it became impossible to use unguided rockets at all. However, this was effective at reducing losses; there were none during 1986. The two-seater MiG-23UB also saw service in Afghanistan, used for strike, reconnaissance and target designation. It was also used to familiarise MiG-27 pilots with flying in the hot and high conditions of Afghanistan when they were deployed there in 1988. Additionally, MiG-23UBs sometimes acted as a makeshift '
AWACS' aircraft, with an officer in the back seat observing and issuing commands to a strike group below him. The concept was dubbed "I am my own AWACS" by the Soviet pilots involved.
Naval aviation MiG-23s of the Soviet Air Force were transferred to the
Soviet Navy on two occasions. In 1984 a full regiment of MiG-23s was deployed to Vietnam to escort naval patrols by
Tupolev Tu-95 aircraft. This later became the 169th Guards Composite Air Regiment. They flew over 400 sorties from Cam Ranh airbase, staying there until 1989, when the aircraft were withdrawn and returned to the air force. The second instance of MiG-23s serving with the Soviet Navy occurred from 1990 to 1994, when nine MiG-23UB trainers were attached to the
88th Separate Fighter Bomber Regiment of the Northern Fleet's aviation component to train pilots for their MiG-27s. The first MiG-23s to see combat were export variants with many limitations. Compared to the MiG-21, the aircraft was mechanically complex and expensive and also less agile. The first interceptor variant to be exported, the MiG-23MS, was equipped with the same weapons system as the older MiG-21S, and its radar was particularly vulnerable to
electronic countermeasures (ECM), at which the Israelis were especially proficient. On 13 April 1974, after almost 100 days of artillery exchanges and skirmishes along the Golan Heights, Syrian helicopters delivered commandos to attack the Israeli observation post at Jebel Sheikh. This provoked heavy clashes in the
air and on the ground for almost a week. On 19 April 1974, Captain al-Masry, flying a MiG-23MS on a weapons test mission, spotted a group of
IAF F-4Es and shot two of them down after firing three missiles. He was about to attack another F-4 with cannon fire, but was shot down by
friendly fire from a SAM battery. Due to this success, an additional 24 MiG-23MS interceptors, as well as a similar number of MiG-23BN strike variants, were delivered to Syria during the following year. In 1977, Syria bought between 28 and 30 MiG-23MFs, and the deliveries started in 1978. The MiG-23MF, MiG-23MS and MiG-23BN were used in combat by Syria over Lebanon between 1981 and 1985. On 26 April 1981, Syria claimed that two Israeli
A-4 Skyhawks attacking a camp in Sidon were shot down by two MiG-23MSs.
Syrian Civil War A former Syrian Air Force MiG-23MS became iconic of the
Siege of Abu al-Duhur Airbase: on 7 March 2012, Syrian rebels used a
9K115-2 Metis-M anti-tank guided missile to hit the derelict MiG. Later, in March 2013 they entered in the base, showing the worn out and damaged MiG. Finally, in May 2013, the Syrian Air Force bombed it to completely destroy the wreck. Syrian MiG-23BNs bombed the city of Aleppo on 24 July 2012, becoming the first use of fixed-wing aircraft for bombing in the
Syrian civil war. On 13 August 2012, a Syrian MiG-23BN was reportedly shot down by the rebels of the Free Syrian Army near Deir ez-Zor, although the government claimed that it went down due to technical difficulties. Since then, Syrian Air Force MiG-23s together with different Syrian Air Force fighter jets have regularly been spotted performing attack runs on Syrian insurgents, who have claimed different MiGs being shot down or destroyed on the ground on different occasions. On 23 March 2014, one Syrian MiG-23 was shot down after being hit by an
AIM-9 Sidewinder fired by a Turkish
F-16 in the vicinity of the Syrian town of Kessab. The pilot ejected safely and was recovered by friendly forces. Turkish sources said the fighter violated Turkish airspace and it was downed after several radio warnings while approaching the border. Another Syrian MiG-23 returned to Syria after trespassing into Turkish airspace. On 15 June 2017, one Jordanian
Selex ES Falco UAV was shot down by a Syrian MiG-23MLD in the vicinity of the Syrian town of Derra. On 16 June, another Selex ES Falco was shot down by MiG-23ML both using
R-24R missiles. On 9 September 2020, a Syrian MiG-23 crashed in
Deir ez-Zor Governorate without information on the fate of its pilot. During the
2024 Syrian opposition offensive, the insurgents managed to capture a number of derelict MiG-23 and
Aero L-39 Albatros jets after the
capture of Aleppo.
Egypt Egypt became one of the first export customers when it bought in 1974 eight MiG-23MS interceptors, eight MiG-23BN strikers and four MIG-23UB trainers, concentrating them into a single squadron based at
Mersa Matruh. By 1975 all Egyptian MiG-23s had been withdrawn from active duty and placed in storage due to the Egyptian foreign policy shifting towards the West and thus losing USSR support. Starting in 1978 China purchased from Egypt two MiG-23MS interceptors, two MiG-23BNs, two MiG-23UBs, ten MiG-21MFs, and ten
KSR-2 (AS-5 Kelt) air-to-surface missiles in exchange for
Shenyang J-6 jets, spare parts and technical support for the Egyptian fleet of Soviet-supplied MiG-17 and MiG-21s. The Chinese used the aircraft as the basis for their
J-9 project, which never ventured beyond the research phase. Some time later the remaining six MiG-23MS examples and six MiG-23BNs, as well as 16 MiG-21MFs, two Sukhoi Su-20 Fitters, two MiG-21Us, two Mil Mi-8 Hips and ten KSR-2s were purchased for the Foreign Technology Division, a special department of the USAF, responsible for evaluating adversary technologies. These were exchanged for weapons and spares support, including AIM-9J/P Sidewinder missiles, which were installed on remaining Egyptian MiG-21s.
Iraq Iraq bought its first MiG-23s in 1973, in order to replace its
Hawker Hunters and
MiG-17Fs. Deliveries lasted from 1974 to 1978, and consisted of 18 MiG-23MS interceptors, between 36 and 40 MiG-23BN strike aircraft, and several MiG-23UB trainers. The introduction of these new aircraft proved particularly difficult for the
Iraqi Air Force. Training in the Soviet Union included little flight time, and since the Soviets didn't provide any technical documentation or flight manuals, the Iraqis had to run flight testing on their own. Moreover, the handling qualities and the avionics outfit of the MiG-23 were heavily criticised, and the airframes' manufacturing quality was poor. Unsurprisingly, by 1978 at least 12 MiG-23s had been written off in accidents. An additional batch of MiG-23MS was bought in the late 1970s to compensate for the losses.
Iran-Iraq War (1980–1988) The MiG-23 took part in the
Iran–Iraq War and was used in both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles. On the first day of the war (22 September), both the MiG-23MS and the MiG-23BNs participated in attacks against Iranian airbases. The next day, an Iraqi MiG-23MS shot down an Iranian
Northrop F-5E. However, this day also marked the first MiG-23 losses of the war: three MiG-23BNs were shot down by Iranian interceptors and air defences. Several more MiG-23s were shot down in the following months, mostly MiG-23BNs. The high losses were compounded by the embargo placed on Iraq by the Soviet Union in reaction to the war. By the end of 1980, Iraqi MiG-23MS pilots had claimed a total of three F-5Es shot down, all of them over the Iraqi airspace. Despite the embargo, five MiG-23MFs that had been delivered prior to the outbreak of the war were rushed into service in the latter half of 1981. Attempting to replicate the success of the
Mirage F1s that shot down two
F-14 Tomcats on 15 November 1981, the pilots of Iraqi MiG-23 interceptor units started trying to sneak upon the Iranian Tomcats in a similar way a few days later. However, following these two losses, the Iranian pilots had adapted their tactics. While the F-14s flew
combat air patrols at high altitude, pairs of F-5Es or
F-4 Phantoms were positioned at low altitude in order to prevent Iraqi fighters from approaching the Tomcats unobserved. These new tactics worked out when two MiG-23MFs were shot down by the F-14s after having been visually detected by the F-5s, on 25 November. Several more Iraqi fighters were lost in similar circumstances during this period. MiG-23BN units continued suffering losses too, especially to F-14s and
MIM-23B I-HAWK surface-to-air missiles. The Iraqi MiG-23BNs delivered in the 1970s only had a subpar
radar warning receiver and no
electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment, despite the
Iraqi Air Force having paid for it. In 1982, the Soviets lifted their embargo, and aircraft deliveries restarted: 18 additional MiG-23MFs were delivered, together with 18 MiG-23BNs equipped with the ECM system requested since the 1970s. In 1983–1984, the MiG-23MFs were used to intercept Iranian
RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft flying over Iraq. Even though these aircraft were unarmed, they proved very hard to catch, and each of their flights was protected by a pair of F-14s; on 1 January 1984, Tomcats shot down a MiG-23MF while escorting an RF-4E. Later that month, an RF-4E was shot down by a MiG-23MF. Another RF-4E was shot down yet again by an MiG-23MF in June. That year also marked the arrival of the first MiG-23MLs; in total, at least 64 were ordered by Iraq. On 11 August, one of the new MiG-23MLs shot down the F-14 flown by
IRIAF Colonel Hashem All-e-Agha with an
R-60MK missile over the
Persian Gulf. Iraqi MiG-23MLs downed another Tomcat on 2 September 1986, when Iranian Air Force Captain Ahmad Moradi Talebi was shot down while attempting to defect with his F-14A. On 20 February 1986, Colonel Abdolbaghi Darvish was shot down by an Iraqi MiG-23ML while flying his Iranian Fokker F27 Friendship (F27-600). All 51 crew and passengers were killed. The aircraft was carrying a delegation of military and government officials on a mission. From 1984 onwards, due to the exhaustion of both its personnel and its aircraft, the Iranian air force stopped operating its fighters over the frontlines. Hence, the Iraqis started using their aircraft to attack targets further into Iran. MiG-23BNs participated in these attacks, as part of bigger
strike packages including other bombers, a fighter escort (often including MiG-23MF/MLs), and
SEAD aircraft. They also flew
close air support missions. Thanks to the decreased presence of IRIAF interceptors and to the much-improved protection offered by escort, SEAD and
electronic countermeasures aircraft, losses were much lower than during the first months of the war. According to official post-war Iraqi Air Force documents, Iraq lost a total of 38 MiG-23BNs, three MiG-23MS, one MiG-23MF and one MiG-23ML. However, the stated losses for interceptor variants are much lower than the actual number of aircraft lost. For example, the number of pilots known to have been killed while flying MiG-23MS/MFs is twice as high as the official figure for all MiG-23 interceptor variants. In return, Iraqi MiG-23 pilots have claimed around 20 aerial victories, of which seven have been confirmed after cross-examination with data from Iranian sources. Iraqi MiG-23s damaged two
EF-111A Ravens with
R-60 missiles during the
Gulf War. Iraqi documents captured after the
invasion of Iraq revealed that they possessed 127 MiG-23s, including 38 MiG-23BNs and 21 MiG-23 trainers, at the start of
Operation Desert Storm. During the Gulf War, the
United States Air Force reported downing eight Iraqi MiG-23s with F-15s. Iraqi documents confirm the total destruction of 43 MiG-23s from all causes, with another 10 damaged and 12 others fleeing to Iran. This left Iraq with just 63 MiG-23s after the war, including 18 MiG-23BNs and 12 trainers. Also, no Tornado loss is attributed to enemy aircraft as per the Royal Air Force and the Italian Air Force.
No Fly Zone and invasion of Iraq (1991–2003) On 17 January 1993, a USAF F-16C destroyed an Iraqi MiG-23 with an
AMRAAM missile. On 9 September 1999, a lone MiG-23 crossed the no-fly zone heading towards a flight of F-14s. One F-14 fired an
AIM-54 Phoenix at the MiG but missed and the MiG headed back north. However, the aircraft then crashed while its pilot was attempting to land. These aircraft entered service with the 1040th, 1050th, 1060th and 1070th Squadrons. One Libyan MiG-23MS was shot down by an Egyptian
MiG-21 fighter during and immediately after the
Libyan–Egyptian War in 1977 while supporting a strike on the airfield at
Mersa Matruh, forcing the remaining MiG to abort the mission. In one skirmish in 1979, two
LARAF MiG-23MS engaged two EAF MiG-21MF which had been upgraded to carry Western air-to-air missiles such as the AIM-9P3 Sidewinder. The Libyan pilots made the mistake of trying to outmaneuver the more nimble Egyptian MiG-21s, and one MiG-23MS was shot down by Maj. Sal Mohammad with an
AIM-9P3 Sidewinder missile, while the other used its superior speed to escape. On 18 July 1980, the wreckage of an LARAF MiG-23MS was found on the northern side of the
Sila massif, in the middle of the Italian region of Calabria. The deceased pilot, Captain Ezzedin Fadhel Khalil, was found still strapped to his ejection seat. In August 1981, Libyan MiG-23MS fighters were involved in the standoff with the
US Navy which led to the
first Gulf of Sidra incident, although they were not involved in any actual combats on this occasion. In the mid-1980s, newer versions of the MiG-23 entered service with the Libyan Air Force. Around 20 MiG-23MFs were received in 1984 to re-equip the 1060th Squadron. 48 MiG-23MLDs were also ordered in the same period. Two Squadrons, the 1023rd and 1024th, were created to operate these aircraft. Libyan MiG-23s were employed during the
Chadian–Libyan conflict performing different roles, starting in 1981. Later in the war, some
combat air patrols were flown too, with the more advanced MiG-23MF and MiG-23MLD variants being used as well. On 5 January 1987, a Libyan MiG-23 was shot down and few months later, on 5 September 1987, Chadian forces performed
a land raid against Maaten al-Sarra Air Base in Libya, destroying several Libyan aircraft on the ground, among them, three MiG-23s. On 8 October 1987, a MiG-23BN was shot down by ground fire, with its pilot being recovered by a helicopter. Two Libyan MiG-23MF fighters were shot down by U.S. Navy F-14As in the Second
Gulf of Sidra incident in 1989. ;Libyan Civil War In the
2011 Libyan civil war,
Libyan Air Force MiG-23s were used to bomb rebel positions. On 15 March 2011, a rebel website reported that opposition forces started using a captured MiG-23 and a helicopter to sink 2 loyalist ships and bomb some tank positions. On 19 March 2011, a MiG-23BN of the
Free Libyan Air Force was shot down over Benghazi by its own air defenses, which mistook it for a loyalist aircraft. The pilot was killed after he ejected too late. On 26 March 2011, five MiG-23s together with two Mi-35 helicopters were destroyed by the
French Air Force while parked at Misrata airport, early reports misidentified the fixed wing aircraft as
G-2 Galebs. On 9 April, a rebel MiG-23 was intercepted over Benghazi by NATO aircraft and escorted back to its base for violating the UN no-fly zone. A limited number of MiG-23's which survived the
2011 Libyan civil war and NATO bombings were involved in air strikes between the opposing Libyan
House of Representatives and the rival
General National Congress during the
Second Libyan Civil War with both parties controlling a limited number of aircraft. On 23 March 2015, a New General National Congress operated MiG-23UB was shot down while bombing Al Watiya airbase, controlled by the Libyan House of Representative probably with an
Igla-S MANPADS. Both pilots were killed. At the beginning of 2016, Libyan
House of Representatives forces controlled three airworthy MiG-23s among other aircraft, two MiG-23MLA and one MiG-23UB. They were all lost on three occasions with a first MiG-23MLA, serial 6472, lost near Benina airbase on 4 January, after an airstrike, the second MiG-23MLA, serial 6132, lost on 8 February while conducting air strikes against Islamic State near Derna and the MiG-23UB, serial 7834, lost on 12 February 2016 while operating west of Benghazi, claimed shot down by the Islamic State with the official government attributing the loss to anti aircraft artillery. In all the occasions the aircrews ejected while the cause of the first two crashes remained debated between hostile fire and mechanical causes. On 28 February 2016, a MiG-23MLA serial 6453 was restored to flying status after several years, becoming the only MiG-23 in service with the Libyan Air Force as of March 2016, performing missions against enemy positions and vehicles since March 2016. In the following weeks, both the Libyan National Army Air Force and the opposing Libyan Dawn Air Force, restored a number of MiG-23BN, MiG-23ML and MiG-23UB to flying status and they were recorded while flying over Libyan skies and striking enemy positions. On 6 December 2019, a
Libyan National Army (LNA) MiG-23MLD was shot down by forces loyal to the
Government of National Accord (GNA). In the ongoing
Libyan Civil War both parties are pushing back to service stored airframes after repairs with foreign assistance. The jet, serial 26144, was restored using the wings of two different airframes and became flyable again in August 2019, after around 20 years of storage. The jet was hit over the Yarmouk frontline in southern
Tripoli and crashed in
Al Zawiya city and the pilot, Amer Jagem was detained after ejecting. A video emerged showing the aircraft diving for attack with soldiers on the ground firing a
Strela-2M MANPADS in response. The LNA reported they lost a MiG-23 due to technical fault, denying it crashed due to enemy fire.
Sudan Sudan received extensive military aid, including 12 MiG-23MS and one MiG-23UB from its former enemy Libya starting in 1987. They quickly entered service fighting against the
South Sudan People's Defence Forces (SPLA) in 1988 during the
Second Sudanese Civil War. A number of these jets were lost either to ground fire or crashed. By 1990 Libya withdrew its military advisors from Sudan and the remaining four MiG-23 jets were placed in storage. Starting from 2010, Sudan started to refurbish its MiG-23 jets locally with the help of Russia, Byelorussian and Ethiopian technicians with pictures of freshly painted and refurbished jets circling online. One crash-landed and caught fire during flight testing in 2016.
Cuba ;Cuba in Angola Cuban MiG-23MLs and South African
Mirage F1 pilots had several encounters during the
Cuban intervention in Angola, one of which resulted in severe damage to a Mirage F1. On 27 September 1987, during
Operation Moduler, two MiG-23 pilots surprised a pair of Mirages and fired missiles: Alberto Ley Rivas engaged a Mirage flown by Captain Arthur Douglas Piercy with a pair of
R-23Rs (some sources say a
R-60), while the other Cuban pilot fired a single R-60 at a Mirage flown by Captain
Carlo Gagiano. Although the missiles homed on the Mirages, only one R-23R exploded close enough to cause damage to the landing
hydraulics of Captain Piercy's Mirage (and, according to some accounts, the aircraft's
drag chute). The damage likely contributed to the Mirage veering off the runway on landing, after which the nose gear collapsed. The nose hit the ground so hard that Piercy's ejection seat fired. As a result of this ground level ejection, Piercy was paralyzed. The aircraft was written off, but a large portion of the airframe and components were used to repair another accident-damaged Mirage F1 and return it to service. In total, the Cubans claimed 6 air victories with the MiG-23 (1 destroyed, 1 damaged and 4 were unconfirmed). Angolan MiG-23s outclassed
SAAF Mirage F1CZ and F1AZ fighters in terms of power/acceleration, radar/avionics capabilities, and air-to-air weapons. The MiG-23's R-23 and R-60 missiles gave
FAPA/DAA pilots the ability to engage SAAF aircraft from most aspects. The SAAF, hobbled by an international arms embargo, was forced to carry an obsolescent version of the French
Matra R.550 Magic missile or early-generation V-3 Kukri missiles, which had limited range and performance relative to the
R-60 and
R-23. Despite these limitations, SAAF pilots were able to vector within the firing envelope and fire air-to-air missiles at MiG-23s (gun camera shots evidence this). The missiles either missed or exploded ineffectually behind in the tail plume rather than homing on the hot airframe. UNITA rebels, opposing Cuban/MPLA forces, shot down a number of MiG-23s with American-supplied
FIM-92 Stinger MANPADS missiles. South African ground forces shot down a MiG-23, which was prosecuting a raid on the
Calueque Dam, by using the
Ystervark (porcupine) 20 mm AA gun.
Ethiopia MiG-23s supplied by the Soviet Union to
Mengistu Haile Mariam's
Derg were heavily used by the
Ethiopian Air Force against the array of rebel guerillas fighting the government during the
Ethiopian Civil War. According to a 1990
Human Rights Watch report, the attacks, often using
napalm or
phosphorus and cluster munitions, were not only aimed at the rebels, but against civilian populations (in both Eritrea and Ethiopia) and humanitarian convoys in a deliberate fashion. Ethiopian MiG-23s were used in ground attack and strike missions during the
border war with Eritrea from May 1998 to June 2000, even striking targets at the airport in the Eritrean capital city, Asmara on several occasions. Three Ethiopian MiG-23BNs were shot down by Eritrean
MiG-29s. On 29 November 2020, an Ethiopian Air Force MiG-23 reportedly crashed during the
Tigray conflict near
Abiy Addi, 50 kilometers west of
Mekelle. Unreliable images of the pilot were circulating after being captured by the
Tigray People's Liberation Front who claimed they shot it down, showing the pilot with his Zsh-7 flying helmet (originally intended for Su-27 and MiG-29), a flight suit, a MiG-23 English manual and the crash site with charred metal parts.
India India first acquired MiG-23s in 1980, with the
Indian Air Force inducting 46 MiG-23MFs and 95 MiG-23BNs. MiG-23MFs were acquired from the Soviet Union as part of a larger modernization drive in the 1980s to keep up with increasing regional threats. They were commissioned into service on 24 January 1981 with the role of being Tactical Air Strike Aircraft first and local Air defence second. 40 were acquired in 1980 - 1982 and equipped two squadrons to counteract the
Pakistani acquisition of
F-16s, prior to being succeeded and replaced in both roles by the arrival of more modern
Mirage 2000s and
MiG-29s by the end of the decade. IAF pilots trained at
Lugovoya airfield in the USSR. The MiG-23s were reportedly purchased as a stopgap aircraft, primarily for their advanced technologies such as the
Sapir radar,
Lazur-M datalinks and
TPS-23 IRST along with their superior nightfighting capabilities, relieving IAF
MiG-21s for Air defence. The MiG-23BNs were bought preceding the Indian Deal to manufacture
MiG-27Ms locally in the late 1980s. IAF MiG-23s were first used to provide top cover to transport helicopters during the
1984 Siachen conflict, where they were deployed to high altitude airfields in
Kashmir and
Leh. Later flights would also see MiG-23s rom the
No. 224 squadron frequent the
Thoise Advanced landing ground in
Ladakh. On 26 May 1999, the Indian forces started air strikes during the
Kargil War. Ground attack aircraft including
MiG-21, MiG-23,
MiG-27, and
Mirage 2000 were used to bombard Pakistani positions in
Kargil and
Drass during
Operation Safed Sagar. IAF MiG-23's flew over 155 missions and flew at the
Battle of Tiger Hill utilising their heavy cannons,57 mm rockets and 500 Kg bombs to neutralise enemy targets. 12 aircraft from the No.9 and No.221 squadrons were deployed during this conflict. The MiG-23BNs and MiG-27s made vital contributions towards softening high-value targets in the areas of Muntho Dhalo, Batalik, Drass, Kargil and Mashkoh. They were retired from active service in 2019 . Despite being retired, around 40 IAF MiG-23s have been stored at the IAF's
maintenance command as reserve aircraft and have been sighted occasionally conducting
Target towing duties. ==Variants==