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MiG-23MLD | ||||
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Mikojan-Gurevics MiG-23 | MiG repülőgépek - Mikoyan and Gurevich (MiG) aircraft - Liste der Flugzeugtypen des Herstellers Mikojan-Gurewitsch - Самолёты марки «МиГ» |
This MiG-23MLD was one of about 40 of the 168th Fighter Aviation Regiment: a unit that saw lengthy involvement in the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. Initially, the 168th was home-based at Sovetabad Air Base, in the Uzbek SSR as of 1983–1984: in 1986–1987, it was also forward deployed at Bagram and Shindand air bases. The MiG-23MLD was foremost an interceptor, and the task for the regiment was both quick reaction alert and flying escort for fighter-bombers operating close to the border with Pakistan. However, the regiment also flew hundreds of air strikes, deploying a miscellany of unguided bombs. This jet is shown decorated with a total of 27 small red stars, applied on the left forward fuselage marking over 270 combat sorties flown. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)