Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23MLD Flogger-K – Blue 03, Soviet Air Force, Bagram AB, Afghanistan, 1987

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA5312: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23MLD Flogger-K Blue 03 of the Soviet Air Force, Bagram AB, Afghanistan, July 1987. Production run of 800 models.

Length 9.25 inches Wingspan 7.75 inches

At Bagram AB, Afghanistan MiG-23MLD Blue 03 was one of the very few aircraft to receive desert camouflage. Late in the 1980s the MiG-23MLD Blue 03 was assigned to the 2nd AE, Center of Flight crew training (Aggressor). The unit had 2 squadrons, with the 1st flying Mig-29s and the 2nd MiG-23s.

Designed as a heavier, more powerful improvement on the MiG-21 Fishbed, the MiG 23 first flew on June 10, 1967. This fighter/bomber had variable-sweep wings and could achieve speeds greater than Mach 2. It was the first Soviet aircraft capable of firing “beyond-visual-range” missiles, and the first to have look-down/shoot-down radar. As one of the most successful military aircraft built during the Cold War, MiG-23s were produced in large numbers, with more than 5,000 coming off of the production lines. Although retired from service in the former Soviet Union, many MiG-23s are still in service with various export customers.