Yugoslav Floggers

[Viggen]

Dusting off the cobwebs to remember how to ini edit using @dtmdragon's TW MiG-23 upgrade mod as a starting point for some what-if Yugoslav MiG-23s. Also using this post to mark my progress on remembering how to do this stuff. Think I'll do some other Yugoslav what-ifs as well.

Backstory: In the late 1980s, Iraq sent a number of MiG-21s and ten MiG-23MLAs to Yugoslavia for upgrade and overhaul. Only one of the Floggers was completed and it carried Yugoslav national markings during test flights. One of the MiG-23s was put on display at the air museum in Belgrade and the others put in storage sometime in the 1990s or 2000s.
What if: Following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the Iraqi MiGs were absorbed into Yugoslav service? The aircraft were overhauled and entered service as the L-23 with the first group of pilots receiving training on the type in Romania. Initially only armed with R-3 and R-60 missiles, R-23s, spare parts and two MiG-23UBs (NL-23) would come from the newly independent Ukraine. The Floggers would only serve a limited role in the breakup of Yugoslavia, mostly being held in reserve for air defense around Belgrade. Unsure of what was done in the overhaul, these were referred to as "MiG-23MLY" by western media throughout their career,

Pictured: The second Yugoslav Flogger on its acceptance flight with the Iraqi number still on the nose in a glaring oversight.

 

 

To do:
-Extend fin flash to the rudder (possible?) 
-Figure out how to do the Yugoslav tail numbers
-FRY era

(Yes my Balkan install is still a bit vanilla and I need to add a cloud mod)

Edited July 25, 2021 by Viggen

[+strahi]

For the first time, I hear that they were operational at all. As far as I know, they never flew in any role in the skies of Yugoslavia. This is a link from a domestic forum, there are also photos of Iraqi MiG-21s.

https://www.mycity-military.com/Avioni/Iracki-Mig-23-i-21-u-ex-YU.html

[Viggen]

That's the beauty of what-if. Now they can be operational. As far as I know the sole aircraft that was completed did a couple of flights in Iraqi and Yugoslav colors and then was flown from Croatia to Serbia before the chaos began. For the most part my inspiration has been these pictures.

[+Gepard]

Nice pictures. I like it.

I doubt, that the Yugoslav Air Force had had pilots who could fly a MiG-23 in combat. It was not as easy as in MiG-21. Without proper training the MiG-23 could be a dangerous beast for his own pilot.

[Stratos]

I like the idea, Bulgaria, Hungary, all used the 23, so maybe they could have provided training.