MiG-27 Flogger

Type: Ground attack aircraft

Powerplant: MiG-27 — One 78.5kN (17,637lb) dry and 112.8kN (25,353lb) Tumansky (now Soyuz) R-29B-300 turbojet.

Performance: MiG-27 — Max speed at 26,200ft 1885km/h (1017kt), max speed at sea level 1350km/h (728kt). Max initial rate of climb 39,370ft/min. Service ceiling 45,930ff. Combat radius with two Kh-29 ASMs and three drop tanks 10-10-10 540km (290nm), radius with two Kh-29s and no external fuel 225km (120nm).

Weights: MiG-27 — Empty equipped 11,910kg (26,252lb), max takeoff 20,300kg (44,753lb).

Dimensions: MiG-27 — Span wings spread 1 3.97m (45ff 1 0in), span wings swept 7.78m (25ft 6in), length 17.08m (56ft 0in), height 5.00m (16ft 5in). Wing area wings spread 37.4m2 (402.1 sq in), wings swept 34.2m2 (367.7sq in).

Accommodation: Pilot only.

Armament: One GSh-6-30 30mm cannon. Max external weapons load of over 4000kg (8820lb). Options include laser, TV and electro optically guided ASMs and PGMs, conventional bombs, rockets, gun and cannon pods and tactical nuclear bombs.

Operators: India, Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine.

History: The MiG-27 family are the strike and ground attack optimized variants of the MiG-23, and as such forms an important part of Russia’s offensive inventory. The MiG-27 designation originally applied to a range of Mikoyan design studies aimed to meet a requirement for a modern day Shturmovik that was eventually met by the Sukhoi Su-25. Instead the MiG-27 is the definitive strike/ground attack member of the ‘Flogger’ MiG-23/27 family.

The ground attack MiG-23s, as described in the previous entry, were regarded as interim ground attack aircraft pending the arrival of the optimized MiG-27. Compared with the MiG-23, the MiG-27 features simplified air intakes (as opposed to the F-4 style variable intake ramps of the MiG-23 optimized for high end performance) and simplified two stage afterburner nozzles. An extra external hardpoint and strengthened main undercarriage permit the carriage of over 4000kg (8820lb) of armament. Perhaps its most distinctive feature is the duckbill nose (which it shares with ground attack MiG-23s) which features a laser rangefinder and other sensors. The MiG-27 features advanced nav attack systems allowing all weather operations, and can be used in the tactical reconnaissance role carrying various recce pods.

The MiG-27 first flew in prototype form in 1972. The initial production MiG-27 was soon followed by the MiG-27K (‘Flogger-D’). NATO’s ‘Flogger-J’ designation covers the improved MiG-27D, MiG-27M and MiG-27K (‘Flogger-J2’) with a TV/laser designator.

Outside the CIS India is the only MiG-27 export customer, where it has been built under license. India calls its aircraft MiG-27M Bahadur, although Mikoyan refers to them as MiG-27Ls."

(source: Text and/or technical data from The International Directory of Military Aircraft, 1996/97, by Gerard Frawley and Jim Thorn. Published by Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd.)