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[EARLY ACCESS] When the Soviets Mounted a Big Gun on Small Aircraft

🕑 Added 2021-12-17 03:22:30 +0000 UTC

Comments

Dmytro Babenkov

Thank you for the suggestion. I'm going to find that interview for sure. The 27K was indeed advanced aircraft and true - very expensive. That is why the Soviet Air Force asked for a "cheaper" version of Kaira and MiG-27M appeared.

Dmytro Babenkov

Yes, he was. And then the Mig-29.

Firefly

Another excellent video. The Flogger-K is an often misunderstood aircraft, so seeing someone of your calibre take on the subject makes me really happy. As a side note, the MiG-27K had incredible avionics for its time - the Kaira targeting and tracking system paired with the TV display in the cockpit made it an incredibly potent ground attacker (if a bit expensive for Soviet tastes). If I remember correctly (I'm paraphrasing here, bear with me please), Yefim Gordon described the name as being particularly apt. Like the bird it was named for, the targeting system could look behind the aircraft to guide munitions like LGBs even if the Flogger was flying very low and very fast to dodge incoming fire. This system was later installed in the Su-24M, another one of my favourites. I'd love to sit down with your dad for a cup of tea and ask him about the MiG-23. By the way, there's an excellent interview on YouTube with a Czechoslovakian Flogger pilot. It came out a few months ago, you should check it out.