Mikoyan MiG-27
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The Mikoyan MiG-27 (Russian: ) (NATO reporting name Flogger D) is a ground attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan design bureau in the Soviet Union and later licence-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as the Bahadur ("Valiant"). It is based on the MiG-23 fighter aircraft, but optimized for the air-to-ground role.
Description
The MiG-27 shares the basic airframe of the MiG-23, but with the revised nose (referred to as "Utkonos," platypus, in Russian service) introduced on the MiG-23B that deletes radar in favor of a downward-sloping profile that improves pilot visibility and contains a laser rangefinder and marked-target seeker. Additional cockpit armor is installed, along with a totally new nav-attack system. Because the MiG-27 is intended to fly most of its missions at low altitude, the fighter's variable intake ramps and exhaust nozzles were deleted in favor of a simpler, fixed configuration, reducing weight and maintenance requirement. The aircraft also has larger, heavy-duty landing gear to facilitate operation from poorer airfields.The initial MiG-27 was known as 'Flogger-D' to NATO. It was subsequently replaced by the upgraded MiG-27D ('Flogger-J'). A later MiG-27M model shared the 'Flogger-D' code, being based on the earlier MiG-23BK, but was actually an upgrade, incorporating a new 30 mm GSh-6-30 six-barrel cannon with 260 rounds of ammunition in a fuselage gondola, much improved ECM systems, and a new PrNK-23K nav/attack system providing automatic flight control, gun firing, and weapons release. However this modification was not very successful, because the new cannon had a very big recoil and bursts longer than two or three seconds often led to permanent damage on the plane.
Test pilot - V.N.Kondaurov described the first shooting from GSh-6-30А so: " As I, imposed the central mark on the air target and pressed the trigger to shoot, I heard such noise, that I have involuntarily drawn my hand aside . From shooting the whole plane begun to vibrate and has almost stopped from strong recoil of the gun. The pilotless target which was just making a turn ahead of me , was literally disintegrating into pieces. I have hardly come to the senses from unexpectedness and admiration: " This is a calibre! Such a beast! If you hit something – it will be not little.
The final Soviet version was the MiG-27K, which added a laser designator and compatibility with TV-guided electro-optical weapons. It was designated 'Flogger-J2' by NATO.
Operators
Specifications (MiG-27K)
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