Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series
HA5314MIG-23-98 White 36, Russian Air Force (with 4 x R-77 missiles)
General Background
In the 1960’s the Soviet military required a replacement for the MiG-21 that could compete with the USAF F-14 Tomcat. It had to be very fast, rapid acceleration, carry a larger payload, capable of a high service ceiling, long range and beyond visual range intercept capabilities. The project was given to the Mikoyan- Gurevich Design Bureau that produced the Model 23-11 that first flew on June 10, 1967. Production began in 1969 and eventually completed over 5,000 swing-wing MiG-23s. A ground-attack variant was also produced, the MiG-27.
The Aircraft
The first MiG-23 was the Soviet Union’s first “third generation” fighter aircraft and entered service in 1970. The upgrade to a Mig-23-98 was intended to extend the life of the MiG-23 until 2010. It would include new radar; new avionics, its air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities were improved by making the aircraft capable of firing R- 27 and R-77 missiles. The MiG-23-98 used systems from the MiG-29SMT aircraft. The MiG-23 was the primary multirole fighter used by the Warsaw Pact countries.
