I don't think the JAY BIRD equipped FLOGGERs were ever capable of using the R-23 or R-24. At least one source says they couldn't even fire the R-60.
 
Does anyone have the Aide-Memoire for the MiG-23MLD Pilot on Air Combat vs F-15A, F-I6A, F-4E and Kfir C.2 manual? I have seen it being referenced several time but I can't find the original manual
 
I saw a mention of a proposed Recon MiG-23R variant. Does anyone have more details about this?

I seem to recall reading somewhere it was intended for both Photo- and ELINT battlefield reconnaissance.
 
I saw a mention of a proposed Recon MiG-23R variant. Does anyone have more details about this?

I seem to recall reading somewhere it was intended for both Photo- and ELINT battlefield reconnaissance.

There is a brief mention in Yefim Gordon's and Dmitriy Komissarov's "Mikoyan MiG-23 & MiG-27" book (see below) which stated that in 1971/72 the Mikoyan OKB contemplated a dedicated reconnaissance variant of the MiG-23B designated the MiG-23R. It was to feature both cameras in the nose and SIGINT and IRINT and TV equipment on interchangeable pallets in a special bay aft of the cockpit. The MiG-23R did not progress beyond the preliminary design stage but work on a reconnaissance version resumed in the mid 1970s with the MiG-23BM (MiG

The second attempt was the MiG-27R. It was basically the same as the MiG-23R project with cameras in the nose and SIGINT and IRINT and TV equipment on interchangeable pallets in a rear equipment bay. It was also to carry a SLAR in a ventral pod. It too did not proceed beyond the project stage.

Source:

9781910809310.jpg
 
Another interesting conversion was the Iraqi conversion to allow the MiG-23 to carry the french Exocet missile:

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The Twitter thread with this picture has some follow-up on that. Turns out the metal bashing to make a suitable pylon was easy enough, but the MiG-23 did not have enough room for some specialized equipment that Exocet needed, so this idea was a bust in the end.
 
The electronic components can fit inside the micro nose of an Etendard IV!?!
 
The Etendard IV ? Don't think it ever carried Exocet. the Super Etendard yes.
 
Does anyone have more information about the MiG-23MP "Flogger-E" ? Or photos ?
What can be found on wikipedia :
"Virtually identical to the MiG-23MS, the only difference was that the MiG-23MP added a dielectric head above the pylon, a feature associated with ground-attack versions. A possible developmental prototype, very few were produced and none were exported"
 
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Does anyone have more information about the MiG-23MP "Flogger-E" ? Or photos ?
What can be found on wikipedia :
"Virtually identical to the MiG-23MS, the only difference was that the MiG-23MP added a dielectric head above the pylon, a feature associated with ground-attack versions. A possible developmental prototype, very few were produced and none were exported"
I don't believe this designation exists. I've never seen it before and the source cited on Wikipedia proves nothing.

MiG-23P was an interceptor version of the MiG-23ML. There are a few pages calling it MiG-23MP (in Russian) but that's the only reference I've seen and its definitely referring to the interceptor.

A test MiG-23MS airframe might have had the "Delta" command guidance pod fitted for test purposes but it wouldn't have received an official designation like this.
 
The MiG-23MLD lost its leading-edge slats and 33-degree wing sweep setting later in service due to safety concerns.

Got this info from user Fighter1991 from RAZBAM Discord. He knows from an MLD pilot he knows personally that this feature had been removed for safety reasons. The left slat would often go down before the right result, which in unexpected rolling behavior. This was removed around late 1980s-early 1990s.
 
The original story was posted on 1 April on Russian social media. Its been reposted by a number of websites and took a few days to cross from Russian to English sites who seem to have missed the joke.

It would make some sense if there were large stocks of MiG-23/27 in storage ready for refurbishment, but there aren't.

Nobody would ever choose to build a new MiG-23 based fighter/bomber.
 

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