War Thunder Wiki - User contributions [en]

MiG-23BN (Germany)

2023-10-02T19:16:28Z

U124041160: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = MiG-23 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=mig_23bn
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (NATO: Flogger-H) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]].

MiG-23BN was based on its previous model MiG-23B which a dedicated attacker, where MiG-23B was based on the airframe of 1st generation MiG-23S interceptor. While it looks exactly like previous MiG-23s in-game, all the bombs, AGMs, and rocket pods will certainly tell another story to the targets on the ground while excelling at fast speed to leave the combat area. Alternatively, it can take down aircraft with its gunpods and a similar mobility to the MiG-23 interceptor variants.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

At first glance, aside from having the LSK's emblem (East German Air Force), the MiG-23BN looks exactly like any other Flogger. A closer inspection on its nose gives its identity away: as an attacker, MiG revised the nose with a flat bottom for the B variants; but the BN removed the optical equipment for this exact job. Since it was based on the first-generation MiG-23 but with a R-29B-300 engine, the overall flight performance is very similar to the [[MiG-23M]] in the Soviet tech tree but without AAMs. Experienced players might take the use of its iconic variable swept wing for dogfights, but do keep in mind that a major problem of these 1st generation Floggers were exactly the wings, it might be sufficient to take down heavier jets like Phantoms if utilized the wings well, but having only guns for air-to-air operations makes it a huge target for other jets. Any extra ordnance ranging from bombs up to AGMs affects the flight model severely, so utilize its speed in missions and avoid dogfights unless in dire situation.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max speed (km/h at 13,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,182 || 2,172 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 36.6 || 37.0 || 132.5 || 125.5 || rowspan="2" | 750
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,220 || 2,200 || 35.4 || 36.0 || 179.3 || 155.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="60%"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Limits
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
! Min sweep
| 1,154 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 508 || 473 || ~__ || ~__
|-
! Max sweep
| 1,417 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ~__ || ~__
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 665 || < 650 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Tumansky R-29B-300 || 1
| colspan="2" | 11,305 kg || colspan="3" | ___ kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Max Gross Weight|Mass of the fully equipped aircraft with heaviest weapons load}}
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 39m fuel
|-
| 1,780 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 12,666 kg || 13,612 kg || 14,765 kg || 15,835 kg || 18,905 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 39m fuel || MGW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 7,950 kgf || 10,208 kgf
| 0.81 || 0.75 || 0.69 || 0.64 || 0.54
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 8,282 kgf (1,417 km/h) || 12,633 kgf (1,400 km/h)
| 1.00 || 0.93 || 0.86 || 0.80 || 0.67
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The MiG-23BN has only a pair of 16 mm steel plates on the side of the cockpit as extra protection against other targets. If it has to commit to a head-on fight or even a dogfight, it might not have sufficient survivability to leave the combat in one piece.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|GSh-23L (23 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannon, belly-mounted (200 rpg)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}


The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! !! width="6%" | 1 !! width="6%" | 2 !! width="6%" | 3 !! width="6%" | 4 !! width="6%" | 5 !! width="6%" | 6 !! width="6%" | 7
| rowspan="12" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_MiG-27M.png]]</div>
|-
! [[GSh-23L (23 mm)|23 mm GSh-23L]] cannons (250 rpg)
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
! [[OFAB-100 (100 kg)|100 kg OFAB-100]] bombs
| 4 || 1 || 4 || || 4 || 1 || 4
|-
! [[FAB-250M-62 (250 kg)|250 kg FAB-250M-62]] bombs
| 1, 2 || 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1 || 1, 2
|-
! [[FAB-500M-62 (500 kg)|500 kg FAB-500M-62]] bombs
| 1, 2 || 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1 || 1, 2
|-
! [[ZB-500 incendiary]] bombs
| 1 || || 1 || || 1 || || 1
|-
! [[S-5K]] rockets
| 16, 32 || || 16, 32 || || 16, 32 || || 16, 32
|-
! [[S-8KO]] rockets
| 20 || || 20 || || 20 || || 20
|-
! [[S-24B]] rockets
| 1 || || 1 || || 1 || || 1
|-
! [[Kh-23M]] missiles
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
! 800 l drop tanks
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
| colspan="8" | Maximum permissible loadout weight: 3,050 kg Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 750 kg
|-
|}

{{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}

* 1 x 800 l drop tank
* 2 x Kh-23M missiles
* 64 x S-5K rockets
* 128 x S-5K rockets
* 80 x S-8KO rockets
* 4 x S-24B rockets
* 8 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (800 kg total)
* 18 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,800 kg total)
* 4 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,000 kg total)
* 6 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,000 kg total)
* 6 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (3,000 kg total)
* 4 x ZB-500 incendiary bombs
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg = 500 total)
{{Navigation-End}}

== Usage in battles ==

For players who jumped from the subsonic [[G.91 R/3 (Germany)|G.91 R/3]] into the MiG-23BN, not only it is supersonic and goes up to mach 2.0, it also carries as much ordnance as its TT predecessor [[IL-28 (Germany)|IL-28]]. For players of MiG-27 or MiG-23 variants, the flight performance is very similar as they were built under similar airframe but with some revision differences per blocks (batches). Some players might want to take it for a dogfight for its manoeuvrability as well as the variable swept-wing; but as an attacker, it doesn't have any AAM at disposal, the only viable option is the 23 mm gun for gunning down enemy jets with its fast rate of fire and sufficient damage. Additional 23 mm cannons can be mounted as wing-mount gunpods. The MiG-23BN doesn't have countermeasures either, the airframe is also rather unprotected other than 2 steel plates on the sides of the cockpit, so avoid enemies at all cost and only fight enemies when there's only one of them- any more than this number means the MiG-23BN will become an easy prey for the enemies due to its enormous size.

=== High-altitude bombing ===

For the reasons mentioned above, dogfights should be completely avoided in Air RB and Combined Battles. Instead, in a contested airspace such as Air RB, the MiG-23BN excels as a high-altitude bomber. The two loadouts recommended for this are either 6 x 500 kg bombs (roughly 1.5 bases' worth) or 16 x 100 kg and 2 x 500 kg bombs (1.33 bases' worth, but gives higher rewards). With the latter, the optimal drop order is either 2 drops first for a third of a base, then the rest for a full hp one, or 12 "drops" first (which coincides with a preset bomb series) for a whole base, and the rest for a third of one.

After takeoff, maintaining a 10-15° climb allows the jet to reach a 9,000 m altitude before encountering the enemy. Pilots should watch for condensation trails from the enemy's direction, as that means that an enemy fighter is also climbing to a high altitude. If no support is available, avoid the area until the hostile engages someone else. After reaching 9-10,000 m, fully extending the wings allows the plane to maintain the altitude without afterburner when in a 3-5° climb. Disengaging the afterburner greatly reduces the range enemy missiles can achieve a lock-on. It is recommended to wait until the bases have respawned at least once, as the bombs can take more than 40 seconds to hit the target, and are easily wasted if a teammate takes out the base.

Once the teammates are returning to base, the CCRP target selector can be used to align the plane with a base, then, holding the bomb series key (with the series set to 4 or 12) and maintaining level flight, allows the bombs to accurately hit the target (With Weapon Maintenance maxed out, the bombs should have near 100% accuracy). Alternatively, a dive can be used to align the bomb indicator and drop manually.

It is not recommended to return to base in a dive, as the plane can destroy itself due to its excessive speed. Keeping the altitude change positive completely avoids this and allows for a greater speed to be maintained.

=== Combined battles ===

Relative to its BR, it is a very fast attacker in-game (only slower than its [[Su-22UM3K (Germany)|Sukhoi counterpart]]) and the payload is sufficient to deal devastating damage to enemies. It might not be as much as USAF's [[F-4C Phantom II|F-4C]] or British's [[Buccaneer S.2|Buccaneer]], but the variety of bombs or AGMs will fit the player's playstyle one way or another. For players who demand a fireworks show on the ground and create as many craters as possible, conventional and incendiary bombs are at your disposal. The Kh-23M missiles are arguably the least useful weapon in its loadout. With a ballistic computer, its unguided rockets are actually significantly easier to use than the MCLOS missile and are much more forgiving thanks to the large number it can carry. One unconventional and highly situational use for the AGMs is to launch them at enemy fighters with maximum horizontal guidance. The smoke trail and the movement gives the appearance of a radar-guided missile and can deter inexperienced players. Attempting to actually hit a jet fighter with a manually-guided missile yields very little results.

If the enemy SPAAGs, interceptors or in some occasion, helicopters with AAMs (namely, [[TY-90|TY-90s]] found on PLAGF helicopters) are in business, the excellent speed of the MiG-23BN will certainly help you to get away from trouble since there are few jets that can catch up with your mach 2.0 top speed (but in high-altitude). Speed is what makes MiG-23BN unique among jet attackers of its era and BR; any prolonged fight in the combat area hugely increase its risk of meeting its end.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great top speed
* has counter messures but not in thegame for some reason
* Great acceleration
* Great energy retention
* Sufficient payload for ground-attack
* Variable swept-wing makes it manoeuvrable
* Equipped with RWR

'''Cons:'''

* Relatively small ammo pool for the fixed 23 mm cannon
* Rather large size makes it easier to hit
* RWR only shows radar pings and locks from 4 sides
* Due to swept wing design it is hard to aim at high speeds
* The plane can only reach up to mach 1 below 5000 meters
* At high altitudes the engine's performance drops significantly

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=mig_23bn Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|HqDtRttvNBk|'''The Shooting Range #331''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:26 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer MiG}}
{{Germany jet aircraft}}

MiG-23BN (Germany)

2023-08-10T18:38:41Z

U124041160: /* Pros and cons */

{{About
| about = strike aircraft '''{{PAGENAME}}'''
| usage = other versions
| link = MiG-23 (Family)
}}
{{Specs-Card
|code=mig_23bn
|images={{Specs-Card-Image|GarageImage_{{PAGENAME}}.jpg}}
}}

== Description ==

The '''{{Specs|name}}''' (NATO: Flogger-H) is a rank {{Specs|rank}} German strike aircraft {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Drone Age"]].

MiG-23BN was based on its previous model MiG-23B which a dedicated attacker, where MiG-23B was based on the airframe of 1st generation MiG-23S interceptor. While it looks exactly like previous MiG-23s in-game, all the bombs, AGMs, and rocket pods will certainly tell another story to the targets on the ground while excelling at fast speed to leave the combat area. Alternatively, it can take down aircraft with its gunpods and a similar mobility to the MiG-23 interceptor variants.

== General info ==
=== Flight performance ===
{{Specs-Avia-Flight}}

At first glance, aside from having the LSK's emblem (East German Air Force), the MiG-23BN looks exactly like any other Flogger. A closer inspection on its nose gives its identity away: as an attacker, MiG revised the nose with a flat bottom for the B variants; but the BN removed the optical equipment for this exact job. Since it was based on the first-generation MiG-23 but with a R-29B-300 engine, the overall flight performance is very similar to the [[MiG-23M]] in the Soviet tech tree but without AAMs. Experienced players might take the use of its iconic variable swept wing for dogfights, but do keep in mind that a major problem of these 1st generation Floggers were exactly the wings, it might be sufficient to take down heavier jets like Phantoms if utilized the wings well, but having only guns for air-to-air operations makes it a huge target for other jets. Any extra ordnance ranging from bombs up to AGMs affects the flight model severely, so utilize its speed in missions and avoid dogfights unless in dire situation.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="70%"
! rowspan="2" | Characteristics
! colspan="2" | Max speed (km/h at 13,000 m)
! rowspan="2" | Max altitude (metres)
! colspan="2" | Turn time (seconds)
! colspan="2" | Rate of climb (metres/second)
! rowspan="2" | Take-off run (metres)
|-
! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB !! AB !! RB
|-
! Stock
| 2,182 || 2,172 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|ceiling}} || 36.6 || 37.0 || 132.5 || 125.5 || rowspan="2" | 750
|-
! Upgraded
| 2,220 || 2,200 || 35.4 || 36.0 || 179.3 || 155.0
|-
|}

==== Details ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="50%"
|-
! colspan="6" | Features
|-
! Combat flaps !! Take-off flaps !! Landing flaps !! Air brakes !! Arrestor gear !! Drogue chute
|-
| X || ✓ || ✓ || ✓ || X || ✓ 
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="60%"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Limits
! rowspan="2" | Wings (km/h)
! rowspan="2" | Gear (km/h)
! colspan="3" | Flaps (km/h)
! colspan="2" | Max Static G
|-
! Combat !! Take-off !! Landing !! + !! -
|-
! Min sweep
| 1,154 || rowspan="2" | {{Specs|destruction|gear}} || N/A || 508 || 473 || ~__ || ~__
|-
! Max sweep
| 1,417 || N/A || N/A || N/A || ~__ || ~__
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | Optimal velocities (km/h)
|-
! Ailerons !! Rudder !! Elevators !! Radiator
|-
| < 665 || < 650 || < 700 || N/A
|-
|}

==== Engine performance ====
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine
! colspan="5" | Aircraft mass
|-
! colspan="2" | Engine name || Number
! colspan="2" | {{Annotation|Basic mass|Mass of the aircraft with pilot and engine oil, but no fuel or weapons load}} || colspan="3" | Wing loading (full fuel)
|-
| colspan="2" | Tumansky R-29B-300 || 1
| colspan="2" | 11,305 kg || colspan="3" | ___ kg/m2
|-
! colspan="3" | Engine characteristics
! colspan="4" | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) || rowspan="2" | {{Annotation|Max Gross Weight|Mass of the fully equipped aircraft with heaviest weapons load}}
|-
! Weight (each) || colspan="2" | Type
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 39m fuel
|-
| 1,780 kg || colspan="2" | Afterburning axial-flow turbojet
| 12,666 kg || 13,612 kg || 14,765 kg || 15,835 kg || 18,905 kg
|-
! colspan="3" | {{Annotation|Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB)|The maximum thrust produced by each engine, while mounted in the aircraft. NOTE: Thrust varies significantly depending on speed & altitude.}}
! colspan="5" | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
|-
! Condition || 100% || WEP
! 11m fuel || 20m fuel || 30m fuel || 39m fuel || MGW
|-
| ''Stationary'' || 7,950 kgf || 10,208 kgf
| 0.81 || 0.75 || 0.69 || 0.64 || 0.54
|-
| ''Optimal'' || 8,282 kgf (1,417 km/h) || 12,633 kgf (1,400 km/h)
| 1.00 || 0.93 || 0.86 || 0.80 || 0.67
|-
|}

=== Survivability and armour ===
{{Specs-Avia-Armour}}

The MiG-23BN has only a pair of 16 mm steel plates on the side of the cockpit as extra protection against other targets. If it has to commit to a head-on fight or even a dogfight, it might not have sufficient survivability to leave the combat in one piece.

=== Modifications and economy ===
{{Specs-Economy}}

== Armaments ==
{{Specs-Avia-Armaments}}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! colspan="4" | [[Ballistic Computer]]
|-
! CCIP (Guns) !! CCIP (Rockets) !! CCIP (Bombs) !! CCRP (Bombs)
|-
| {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}} || {{Tick}}
|-
|}
=== Offensive armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Offensive}}

{{main|GSh-23L (23 mm)}}

The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:

* 1 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannon, belly-mounted (200 rpg)

=== Suspended armament ===
{{Specs-Avia-Suspended}}


The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" width="100%"
|-
! !! width="6%" | 1 !! width="6%" | 2 !! width="6%" | 3 !! width="6%" | 4 !! width="6%" | 5 !! width="6%" | 6 !! width="6%" | 7
| rowspan="12" width="30%" | <div class="ttx-image">[[File:Hardpoints_MiG-27M.png]]</div>
|-
! [[GSh-23L (23 mm)|23 mm GSh-23L]] cannons (250 rpg)
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
! [[OFAB-100 (100 kg)|100 kg OFAB-100]] bombs
| 4 || 1 || 4 || || 4 || 1 || 4
|-
! [[FAB-250M-62 (250 kg)|250 kg FAB-250M-62]] bombs
| 1, 2 || 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1 || 1, 2
|-
! [[FAB-500M-62 (500 kg)|500 kg FAB-500M-62]] bombs
| 1, 2 || 1 || 1 || || 1 || 1 || 1, 2
|-
! [[ZB-500 incendiary]] bombs
| 1 || || 1 || || 1 || || 1
|-
! [[S-5K]] rockets
| 16, 32 || || 16, 32 || || 16, 32 || || 16, 32
|-
! [[S-8KO]] rockets
| 20 || || 20 || || 20 || || 20
|-
! [[S-24B]] rockets
| 1 || || 1 || || 1 || || 1
|-
! [[Kh-23M]] missiles
| 1 || || || || || || 1
|-
! 800 l drop tanks
| || || || 1 || || ||
|-
| colspan="8" | Maximum permissible loadout weight: 3,050 kg Maximum permissible weight imbalance: 750 kg
|-
|}

{{Navigation-Start|Default weapon presets}}
{{Navigation-First-Simple-Line}}

* 1 x 800 l drop tank
* 2 x Kh-23M missiles
* 64 x S-5K rockets
* 128 x S-5K rockets
* 80 x S-8KO rockets
* 4 x S-24B rockets
* 8 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (800 kg total)
* 18 x 100 kg OFAB-100 bombs (1,800 kg total)
* 4 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,000 kg total)
* 6 x 250 kg FAB-250M-62 bombs (1,500 kg total)
* 4 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (2,000 kg total)
* 6 x 500 kg FAB-500M-62 bombs (3,000 kg total)
* 4 x ZB-500 incendiary bombs
* 2 x 23 mm GSh-23L cannons (250 rpg = 500 total)
{{Navigation-End}}

== Usage in battles ==

For players who jumped from the subsonic [[G.91 R/3 (Germany)|G.91 R/3]] into the MiG-23BN, not only it is supersonic and goes up to mach 2.0, it also carries as much ordnance as its TT predecessor [[IL-28 (Germany)|IL-28]]. For players of MiG-27 or MiG-23 variants, the flight performance is very similar as they were built under similar airframe but with some revision differences per blocks (batches). Some players might want to take it for a dogfight for its manoeuvrability as well as the variable swept-wing; but as an attacker, it doesn't have any AAM at disposal, the only viable option is the 23 mm gun for gunning down enemy jets with its fast rate of fire and sufficient damage. Additional 23 mm cannons can be mounted as wing-mount gunpods. The MiG-23BN doesn't have countermeasures either, the airframe is also rather unprotected other than 2 steel plates on the sides of the cockpit, so avoid enemies at all cost and only fight enemies when there's only one of them- any more than this number means the MiG-23BN will become an easy prey for the enemies due to its enormous size.

=== High-altitude bombing ===

For the reasons mentioned above, dogfights should be completely avoided in Air RB and Combined Battles. Instead, in a contested airspace such as Air RB, the MiG-23BN excels as a high-altitude bomber. The two loadouts recommended for this are either 6 x 500 kg bombs (roughly 1.5 bases' worth) or 16 x 100 kg and 2 x 500 kg bombs (1.33 bases' worth, but gives higher rewards). With the latter, the optimal drop order is either 2 drops first for a third of a base, then the rest for a full hp one, or 12 "drops" first (which coincides with a preset bomb series) for a whole base, and the rest for a third of one.

After takeoff, maintaining a 10-15° climb allows the jet to reach a 9,000 m altitude before encountering the enemy. Pilots should watch for condensation trails from the enemy's direction, as that means that an enemy fighter is also climbing to a high altitude. If no support is available, avoid the area until the hostile engages someone else. After reaching 9-10,000 m, fully extending the wings allows the plane to maintain the altitude without afterburner when in a 3-5° climb. Disengaging the afterburner greatly reduces the range enemy missiles can achieve a lock-on. It is recommended to wait until the bases have respawned at least once, as the bombs can take more than 40 seconds to hit the target, and are easily wasted if a teammate takes out the base.

Once the teammates are returning to base, the CCRP target selector can be used to align the plane with a base, then, holding the bomb series key (with the series set to 4 or 12) and maintaining level flight, allows the bombs to accurately hit the target (With Weapon Maintenance maxed out, the bombs should have near 100% accuracy). Alternatively, a dive can be used to align the bomb indicator and drop manually.

It is not recommended to return to base in a dive, as the plane can destroy itself due to its excessive speed. Keeping the altitude change positive completely avoids this and allows for a greater speed to be maintained.

=== Combined battles ===

Relative to its BR, it is a very fast attacker in-game (only slower than its [[Su-22UM3K (Germany)|Sukhoi counterpart]]) and the payload is sufficient to deal devastating damage to enemies. It might not be as much as USAF's [[F-4C Phantom II|F-4C]] or British's [[Buccaneer S.2|Buccaneer]], but the variety of bombs or AGMs will fit the player's playstyle one way or another. For players who demand a fireworks show on the ground and create as many craters as possible, conventional and incendiary bombs are at your disposal. The Kh-23M missiles are arguably the least useful weapon in its loadout. With a ballistic computer, its unguided rockets are actually significantly easier to use than the MCLOS missile and are much more forgiving thanks to the large number it can carry. One unconventional and highly situational use for the AGMs is to launch them at enemy fighters with maximum horizontal guidance. The smoke trail and the movement gives the appearance of a radar-guided missile and can deter inexperienced players. Attempting to actually hit a jet fighter with a manually-guided missile yields very little results.

If the enemy SPAAGs, interceptors or in some occasion, helicopters with AAMs (namely, [[TY-90|TY-90s]] found on PLAGF helicopters) are in business, the excellent speed of the MiG-23BN will certainly help you to get away from trouble since there are few jets that can catch up with your mach 2.0 top speed (but in high-altitude). Speed is what makes MiG-23BN unique among jet attackers of its era and BR; any prolonged fight in the combat area hugely increase its risk of meeting its end.

=== Pros and cons ===

'''Pros:'''

* Great top speed
* Great acceleration
* Great energy retention
* Sufficient payload for ground-attack
* Variable swept-wing makes it manoeuvrable
* Equipped with RWR

'''Cons:'''

* NO FLARES
* Lacks AAMs
* Relatively small ammo pool for the fixed 23 mm cannon
* Rather large size makes it easier to hit
* RWR only shows radar pings and locks from 4 sides
* Due to swept wing design it is hard to aim at high speeds
* The plane can only reach up to mach 1 below 5000 meters
* At high altitudes the engine's performance drops significantly

== History ==

''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).''

== Media ==


;Skins

* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=mig_23bn Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]

;Videos
{{Youtube-gallery|HqDtRttvNBk|'''The Shooting Range #331''' - ''Metal Beasts'' section at 00:26 discusses the {{PAGENAME}}.}}

== See also ==

''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:''

* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;''
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.''

== External links ==

''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:''

* ''topic on the official game forum;''
* ''other literature.''

{{AirManufacturer MiG}}
{{Germany jet aircraft}}