MiG-23 Flogger in the Middle East

MiG-23 Flogger in the Middle East PDF

Author: Tom Cooper

Publisher: Middle East@War

Published: 2018-05

Total Pages: 88

ISBN-13: 9781912390328

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This is a detailed history of the operational service of this Soviet-manufactured interceptor and its fighter-bomber variants in service with Algerian, Egyptian, Iraqi, Libyan, and Syrian air forces, since 1974.

MIG-23/27 Flogger

MIG-23/27 Flogger PDF

Author: E. Gordon

Publisher: Aerofax

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781857802115

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The latest title in the renouned Aerofax series is a detailed history of the development and operation of the Soviet interceptor, the MiG23/27, code named in the west, Flogger. In the era of the Cold War, the military planners on both sides of the Iron Curtain were very aware of the threat to their security both from bombers which could carry nuclear weapons and from spyplanes. Thus it was deemed essential to have fast fighter aircraft which could intercept and destroy such incoming threats. The MiG-23 was developed to succeed the MiG-21 as the standard Soviet interceptor. It was a major advance on the earlier aircraft. Its swing-wing configuration was a generation on from its predecessor. Deliveries began in 1972 and in excess of 3,000 aircraft were built before production ended in 1986. As was the case with many Soviet types, the MiG-23 was widely exported to satellite or friendly countries. The MiG-23 saw service with air forces in the Middle East, the Far East, Cuba and Eastern Europe and a licenced version was built in India. The book also covers the history and operation of the MiG-27, a development of the MiG-23.This was a latical strike aircraft with a completely redesigned forward fuselage which was produced in significant quantities from the late 1970s on wards. Both of these important types will be covered in the usual and well regarded Aerofax style which combines a thoroughly researched narrative with many photographs. This volume in the series will complete the Aerofax coverage of MiG design bureau's major modern types.

F-15C Eagle vs MiG-23/25

F-15C Eagle vs MiG-23/25 PDF

Author: Douglas C. Dildy

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-04-21

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 1472812719

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Designed following the relatively poor performance of America's multi-role fighters during the Vietnam War, the F-15 Eagle was conceived as a dedicated air superiority fighter. But, having trained for 15 years in the Eagle it wasn't Eastern Bloc operated MiGs that the F-15 eventually came up against, but pilots of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi airforce. This book analyses the combat between the American and Soviet 'Cold War fighters' in a balanced manner, examining how the technical abilities of the aircraft combined with the different levels of training available to opposing pilots and groundcrews allowed the F-15s to destroy the Iraqi offensive abilities within weeks of the First Gulf War starting. Packed with artwork, illustrations and photographs, this book places the reader in the cockpit during one of the last major dogfighting air wars in modern history.

Israeli Air Force Operations in the 1948 War

Israeli Air Force Operations in the 1948 War PDF

Author: Shlomo Aloni

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2015-11-19

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 1913118169

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Operation HOREV – the Israeli winter offensive from December 1948 until January 1949 – practically ended Israel’s War for Independence (also known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War), with an Israeli victory that forced Egypt to seek ceasefire and to negotiate a settlement with the fledgling nation. From HOREV Day 1 on 23 December 1948 until HOREV Day 16 on 7 January 1949, this title presents Israeli Air Force missions during Operation HOREV in heretofore unseen depth and detail. This title chronicles Israeli Air Force sorties during Operation HOREV; from Austers and Pipers to C-46s and C-47s; from Messerschmitts, Spitfires and P-51s to Beaufighters and B-17s; Israel Air Force operations are detailed spanning the timeline of the conflict down to every unearthed sortie in depth, and shown in a way that Israeli Air Force operations during Operation HOREV had never been presented before. This level of detail has been made possible by extensive use of contemporary documentation. The detailed text is supported by numerous photographs and color profiles. Middle East@War - following on from our highly successful Africa@War series, Middle East@War replicates the same format - concise, incisive text, rare images and high quality color artwork providing fresh accounts of both well-known and more esoteric aspects of conflict in this part of the world since 1945.

Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat

Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat PDF

Author: Tom Cooper

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2012-11-20

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1782007091

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So formidable an opponent did the Iraqi airforce consider the F-14 that during the Iran-Iraq war, they ordered their pilots not to engage F-14s and the presence of one in an area was usually enough to empty it of Iraqi aircraft. Officially losses where tiny; only one F-14 was lost in aerial combat (to a MiG-21), one to a control problem and one downed by a ground-to-air missile. This book looks at the F-14's Iranian combat history and includes first hand accounts from the pilots themselves. It will consider key engagements and the central figures involved, illustrating the realities, successes and failures of the Iranian air campaign.

MiGs in the Middle East Volume 1

MiGs in the Middle East Volume 1 PDF

Author: Davis Nicolle

Publisher: Middle East@War

Published: 2021-02-19

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781913336363

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Egypt and Czechoslovakia signed the so-called 'Czechoslovak Arms Deal', thus initiating a unique era of close cooperation between major Arab military powers, the former Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and its allies. During the first decade of this period, the air force of Egypt, followed by those of (in chronological order) Syria, Iraq, Morocco and Algeria, were all equipped with dozens and then hundreds of Soviet-made fighters designed by the Mikoyan I Gurevich Design Bureau - the same swept-wing jets that took the Western powers by surprise during the Korean War. While the first generation of MiG jet fighter - the MiG-15 - saw only a relatively brief service in Egypt, its more efficient and uprated successor, the MiG-17F, entered service in bigger numbers, and then formed the backbone of additional air forces around the Middle East. The MiG-17PF became the first radar-equipped combat aircraft while the MiG-19 became the first supersonic fighter flown by the air forces of Egypt and Iraq, in the period 1958-1963. In Morocco and Algeria, the MiG-17 was the first and the only jet fighter in service during the first half of the 1960s.Unsurprisingly, MiG-15s, MiG-17s and MiG-19s thus served with many different units and - especially in Egypt and Algeria, and also in Syria - wore a wide range of very different, and often very colourful unit insignia and other markings. They were also flown by many pilots who subsequently played crucial roles in the future of their nations. Based on original documentation and extensive interviews with veterans, and richly illustrated, MiGs in the Middle East, Volume 1 is a unique source of reference on the operational history of MiG-15, MiG-17, and MiG-19 fighter jets in Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Morocco, and Syria from 1955 until 1956. This is the first volume in a mini-series.

F-15C Eagle vs MiG-23/25

F-15C Eagle vs MiG-23/25 PDF

Author: Douglas C. Dildy

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2016-04-21

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1472812727

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Designed following the relatively poor performance of America's multi-role fighters during the Vietnam War, the F-15 Eagle was conceived as a dedicated air superiority fighter. But, having trained for 15 years in the Eagle it wasn't Eastern Bloc operated MiGs that the F-15 eventually came up against, but pilots of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi airforce. This book analyses the combat between the American and Soviet 'Cold War fighters' in a balanced manner, examining how the technical abilities of the aircraft combined with the different levels of training available to opposing pilots and groundcrews allowed the F-15s to destroy the Iraqi offensive abilities within weeks of the First Gulf War starting. Packed with artwork, illustrations and photographs, this book places the reader in the cockpit during one of the last major dogfighting air wars in modern history.

In the Claws of the Tomcat

In the Claws of the Tomcat PDF

Author: Tom Cooper

Publisher:

Published: 2020-04-19

Total Pages:

ISBN-13: 9781913118754

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Equipped with well-balanced air wings, huge aircraft carriers have formed the backbone of the United States Navy's doctrine and strategy since the Second World War. Packing an enormous punch, their purpose is to exercise control over enormous portions of airspace - in the offence or defence.From the mid-1970s until the mid-2000s, the spear tip of the USN air wings was the famous Grumman F-14 Tomcat - widely considered one of the finest air superiority systems in the world. Originally designed as a fast, manoeuvrable and well-armed fighter, the Tomcat entered service as the ultimate long-range fleet defender and became the biggest, most complex and most expensive naval aircraft of its time. Including a unique and exceptional combination of flight characteristics, detection systems and weapons, it earned itself the status of a legend by the mid-1980s.The F-14 Tomcats of the US Navy achieved their first aerial victories during freedom of navigation exercises off Libya in 1981. However, the period during which they saw most combat followed several years later, during Operations Earnest Will and then Desert Storm, from 1987 until 1991.To date, very little has been published about the operations in question. Indeed, the widespread belief is that USN F-14s saw next to no air combat against Iran, and even less so during Operation Desert Storm in 1991. As so often, the reality is entirely different: Tomcats engaged dozens of opponents, often on the verge of the engagement envelope of their powerful AWG-9 radars and AIM-54 Phoenix long-range air-to-air missiles, and sometimes at such close ranges that their pilots selected 'guns'. Weather- and communications-related problems, but also the incredible discipline of their crews prevented them from scoring up to a dozen aerial victories: however, it is perfectly possible that they scored at least one, perhaps more previously entirely unknown aerial victories - and also lost one of their own to an enemy fighter.Richly illustrated by over 100 photographs and authentic colour profiles, 'Tomcats of the Storm' is an exclusive source of reference about some of least-well known air combats fought by US Navy's fighter crews in recent history.

The Military Balance in the Middle East

The Military Balance in the Middle East PDF

Author: Anthony H. Cordesman

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2004-09-30

Total Pages: 586

ISBN-13: 0313026769

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Noted Middle East military expert Anthony H. Cordesman details the complex trends that come into play in determining the military balance in a region that has become so critical to world peace. This ready resource provides a wealth of information on military expenditures and major arms systems, as well as qualitative trends, by country and by zone. However, as Cordesman stresses, because the greater Middle East is more a matter of rhetoric than military reality, mere data summarizing trends in 23 different countries is no substitute for a substantive explanation. Using tables, graphs, and charts, this study explores every aspect of the regional military balance with attention to sub-regional balances, internal civil conflicts, and low level border tensions. The Middle East is certainly one of the most militarized areas in the world, and changes in technology, access to weapons of mass destruction, and political instability contribute to a situation that has long been in constant flux. Some of the regional flashpoints covered in this study include the Maghreb (North Africa); the Arab-Israeli conflict (dominated by Israel versus Syria); and the Gulf (divided into those states that view Iran as the primary threat and those who lived in fear of Iraq). Internal conflicts, such as those in Mauritania, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Yemen, increasingly dominate regional tensions. In addition, border conflicts within the region and with neighboring countries could further aggravate the delicate balance.

Mikoyan MiG-23 and MiG-27: Famous Russian AIrcraft

Mikoyan MiG-23 and MiG-27: Famous Russian AIrcraft PDF

Author: Yefim Gordon

Publisher:

Published: 2019-09

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781910809310

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Originally conceived as a replacement for the famous MiG-21, changing priorities turned the MiG-23 into a STOL fighter with variable-geometry wings that first flew in June 1967. After two years of testing, the aircraft, codename Flogger, entered service in 1969. From then on development of the Flogger proceeded along two parallel lines originally as a fighter/interceptor with a two-seat trainer variant and later as a fighter/bomber which evolved into the MiG-27 used by the Soviet Air Force. This, in turn, was progressively improved as the MiG-27D/MiG-27M and the MiG-27K. The MiG-23 family was widely exported. New aircraft were supplied to the Soviet Union's Warsaw Pact allies and selected nations in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Later, second-hand machines were sold from CIS stocks to various parts of the world, which allowed the MiG-23 to remain active abroad longer than in Russia where single-engined combat jets had been phased out in 1997. The Flogger saw a good deal of action. Soviet MiG-23MLDs were actively used in the Afghan War; elsewhere, the fighter variants saw action in Syria (both in against Israel in the 1970s and in the Syrian Civil War), Libya, Iraq, Angola and Sudan. The fighter-bombers also fought in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Sri Lanka. This comprehensive book describes the development and service history of all variants of these aircraft, featuring fleet lists and numerous rare photos and color profiles.