Mig-23 BM fuselage question.

[aerofan]

I'd like to know if the fuselage is bulged like the Mig-27 where the main gear are. Also, does it have the same variable intake ramps as the Mig-23 or the fixed one like the Mig-27. The ramps are found inside the intake sides. TIA

[Marv]

It's the main gear door that are bulged, not the fuselage. Don't know about the ramps, but suspect they are the same.

[Bonehammer73]

I was never a big fan of the mutt but from what I recall the -BN had:

- 'fighter' cannon

- 'fighter' main undercarriage

- 'fighter' intake ramps with variable geometry

The engine exhaust is the short type without the 'petals' and the nose undercarriage has MiG-27-like wheels.

Marv, undoubtedly the bulge on the -27 was only needed to accomodate the larger wheels, but my pictures show that the fuselage aft of the u/c bay is bulged as well, probably for aerodynamic reasons.

Edited September 30, 2009 by Bonehammer73

[172flogger]

BN or BM ? Widely exported version was MiG-23BN

I think MiG-23BM is only another name for MIG-27:

http://wp.scn.ru/mig_okb/planes-mig23-23bm

But sometimes i read BM was preproduction MiG-23BN with different Lyuka AL-21 engine (not Tumansky R-29) . Here refered as MiG-23B:

http://wp.scn.ru/mig_okb/planes-mig23-32_24

[Raymond]

mig-23BM is essentially a original mig-27 - was just renamed

[aerofan]

I was never a big fan of the mutt but from what I recall the -BN had:

- 'fighter' cannon

- 'fighter' main undercarriage

- 'fighter' intake ramps with variable geometry

The engine exhaust is the short type without the 'petals' and the nose undercarriage has MiG-27-like wheels.

Marv, undoubtedly the bulge on the -27 was only needed to accomodate the larger wheels, but my pictures show that the fuselage aft of the u/c bay is bulged as well, probably for aerodynamic reasons.

So it does use the narrow tires like the Mig-23S and has the same fuselage profile where that main gears are - no bulge. However, it uses the same nose gear tires as the Mig-27.

[Marv]

Bone:

You are correct...the fuselage aft of the main gear well is bulged. This was done to accommodate low-pressure main gear tires for rough field use. The front gear doors were also bulged on the MiG-27 for the same reason. I'm sure Soviet Frontal Aviation units would have had to operate from some unimproved fields from time-to-time.

[vrsa]

If you are refering to MiG-23 BN then the tyres are standard narow ones, because MiG-23 Bn was a standard MiG-23 M body with a different nose section for ground attack

MiG-27 was developt later & it incorporates the airframe changes including bigger tyres.

[172flogger]

I found video of real MIG-23BM (MiG-27 prototype)

landing gear:

Does anyone have pictures of this machine 16 Blue ?

[Raymond]

Hiya

sweet vid

tho this issnt a Mig-23BM (izdeliye 32-25) which it seems we are referring to..even the mig-23B prototypes had bulged landing gear wheel wells, as u can see in this pic of of the roll out of the first mig-23B prototype

from this vid this airframe has:

early type tail planes and rudder

type 3 wings

no mudguards on nosegear

no rear bombracks

nose looks odd

IIRC blue denotes a training airframe

yet it has sps-141 recievers - put on line mig-23B!

since everything rear of the nose is pure mig-23M given a 23B nose i get the feeling this is a hack for ground crew training

Edited October 4, 2009 by Raymond