Well you are awarding that title based on one incident!!!The Flogger had a less than impressive combat record,but it did down a few aircraft over Angola & Afghanistan,if im not mistaken.I think you need to consider the Mig-25 for that title-even a C-130 could outturn those!!
A C-130 could out-turn a MiG-25?!? That is pathetic!
But I guess the Foxbat's speed does make up a little bit for that.
Well, the MiG-25 was not designed as an air superiority fighter as most lay folks commonly believe. It was developed as a short-range high-speed interceptor designed solely for one mission: intercept and shootdown American Mach 3+ aircraft such as the B-70 Valkyrie and the SR-71 Blackbird. It was pretty much designed to fly in a straight line under full ground radar control, find its target, launch, and then return home. Its operational range was only 300 miles, and when fully loaded with fuel, it's maximum turning capability was only 2 Gs (anything higher and its wings would sheer off). The Soviets knew and accepted its limitations. Unfortunately, the MiG-25 got a bad reputation when Third World export countries, like Syria and Libya, tried to use it as a fighter against Israeli and American F-15s, with predictable results.
Now, as far as the MiG-23 is concerned, it was supposed to be a successor to the excellent MiG-21 Fishbed, but the Soviets tried to use the same swing-wing technology that the U.S. was incorporating into the F-111 and F-14 in the late 1960s. It didn't work so well for them, and as a result, the MiG-23 is a mediocre fighter at best. Personally, if I had to go into aerial combat against American aircraft, I'd much rather be flying a MiG-21, or one of the newer aircraft such as the MiG-29 or SU-27.