Summary and Key Points: The Soviet MiG-23 Flogger was Moscow’s first swing-wing fighter, built in the late 1960s to rival the American F-4 Phantom.
-Despite Mach 2-plus speed and over 5,000 built, it proved hard to fly, costly to maintain, and a poor dogfighter.
-Its combat record was disastrous: Syrian MiG-23s fell to Israeli F-15s and F-16s, Iraqi MiG-23s to Iranian F-14s, Libyan MiG-23s to U.S. Navy Tomcats — so bad the Soviets retired it before the MiG-21 it was built to replace.