The MiG-23: Russia's Worst Fighter Jet Ever?

The National Interest ^ | August 7, 2017 | Michael Peck

[pfflier]

You are absolutely right about the Russians in the North Vietnamese AF. Add to that Russians and warsaw pact troops running the SAM 2 batteries and radars.

[rlmorel]

Prowler was a great aircraft...those things could move, too. Had my helmet turned sideways on my head by one of them, first time I ever went down in the catwalk next to the waist cat, fat dumb and happy, when they launched a Prowler, everyone ducked but me. the exhaust on those apparently goes out “just a little” laterally and my chin strap nearly strangled me...those things you learn!

[major_gaff]

Agreed...but I am a bit biased as I served with VMAQ-02...got knocked down one time on
the flight line at Cherry Point when one of our Prowlers turned and I wasn't paying
attention. I was I-level maintenance so I avoided going up on the flight deck as much as
possible...Flight deck crew is one of the most dangerous jobs in the naval service IMHO...

[rlmorel]

I have always loved Prowlers. There was something about them that seemed really badass, even if they didn’t carry any bombs!

[major_gaff]

The Jammers are the badassed part...they could shut down everything electronic in front of
them. When we hit Libya in '86, that was how they knew we were coming...their radar was
blanked out. And the EA-6B could be fitted with HARM missiles.

[SaveFerris]

Nice

[SaveFerris]

That’s why I suspect many of the boys the Israelis faced in 1967 and 1973 were basically the same type of guys.

[SaveFerris]

[got knocked down one time on the flight line at Cherry Point when one of our Prowlers turned and I wasn’t paying attention]

Then there’s the guy sucked into one of the engines - and lived. Thanks to his helmet and the narrowing of the intake, I guess.

[Oztrich Boy]

Has to be the Vought F-7 Cutlass.

2d The Supermarine Swift (althought Brits everntually found a use for it

There's a "physics package" on top of that tower)

[major_gaff]

yes...I heard about that...good thing it wasn’t an A7

[rlmorel]

I always loved it when the Prowlers would do fly-bys during the little airshows they would occasionally put on for the crew.

For some reason, they always looked like they were going faster than they were capable of!

And loud-their engines seemed much louder than any other...maybe more high frequency sounds or something.

And the gold-tinted canopy gave it a look like a futuristic sports car...yeah...I liked those planes!

[CrazyIvan]

Do the Ruskies use cropdusters? I’d think a wire cutter would be instantly recognized by anyone who was familiar with them.
There used to be a cropduster at my airport with scars from two wire incidents. One day a couple of us made up phone pole “kill” emblems with electrical tape on the side of cockpit. The pilot didn’t think it was funny.

[major_gaff]

Yeah...we used to say that they were so ugly that they were beautiful. The Corps still flies
them. The gold was to protect the pilots and ECMO's from the RF of the jammers.