Mig-27 Mikoyan-Gourevitch Flogger

The Mig-27 Mikoyan-Gourevitch (МиГ-27 in Cyrillic alphabet, designation NATO: " Flogger") avion of attack to the Russian colluvial soil is a from the hunter Mig-23 Flogger. Appeared in the years 1970, the MIG-27 was built with practically 900 specimens, including 165 pennies license in India.

Design

MIG-23 with the MIG-27

With the beginning of the year 1970, Mikoyan-Gourevitch had carried out a version of the Mig-23 specialized in missions of attacks on the ground: the MIG-23BN (Flogger H). A new improved version was carried out after, receiving designation MIG-23BM initially but finally famous MIG-27 (Flogger D).

The modifications compared to the MIG-23BN were the following ones:

• new simpler air intake, reducing maximum speed to Mach 1,7
• gear landing and pylons of armament reinforced to allow to carry up to 4.000 kg of load
• replacement of the gun of 23 mm by a gun of 30 mm to 6 tubes which can draw at a rate from 5000 blows per minute
• improvement from the Avionique with in particular a new navigation system and from attack more precise

The first MIG-27 made its inaugural flight on November 17th, 1972 and the plane was brought into service in the Soviet air force in 1975. Meanwhile, a new version had made its appearance: the MIG-27K (or BK, Flogger J2) whose avionics had been again improved by replacement in particular of the navigation system and attack, of the laser designation, the detector of alarm radar, and of the system of jamming. This version could thus carry new bombs with laser guidance or missiles.

The first flight of the MIG-27K/BK take place on December 30th, 1974, but of the problems of development of the new avionics delayed the startup at 1980. While waiting, a simplified version MIG-27M (Flogger J) was carried out with a navigation system and of attack less sophisticated. In 1982, approximately 300 MIG-27 (initial version) were carried to standard MIG-27M and accepted designation MIG-27D then.

After the dislocation of the the USSR, the various units equipped with MIG-27 underwent different fates:

• the Russia withdrew the plane of the service to the beginning of the year 1990
• the Kazakhstan reconverts its MIG-27 in diurnal hunter
• the Ukraine preserved its MIG-27 without using them, and sold of them finally 7 (of which a two-seater) with the Sri Lanka in 2000

The MIG-27 in India

In the middle of the years 1980, the India signed a contract to produce under license the MIG-27M: 50 specimens were to be assembled locally starting from the parts provided by Soviet, and the others entirely built in India. The first plane assembled by Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd. made its inaugural flight on January 11th, 1986, and was followed by 164 specimens called locally Bahadur (" Vaillant") and sometimes indicated MIG-27ML.

With the beginning of the year 2000, the Indian MIG-27ML underwent a programme of handing-over on level to prolong their lifespan, concerning a first section of 40 planes with a provision for a hundred more. The avionics was seriously modified on this occasion, in particular by the addition of a GPS, a new sight multifunction head high and color screens. The first modified MIG-27ML made its inaugural flight on March 25th, 2004 and the deliveries started in 2006.

The MIG-27 in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lanka bought 4 additional MIG-27 in 2007. Indeed, on the 7 planes bought in 2000, one was destroyed on the ground at the time of an attack of the Tamil Tigers of Eelam tamoul in July 2001, was crushed on December 27th, 2001 and the another on June 9th, 2004. Moreover Flogger were only at 2 years of their limit of ageing at the time of their purchase and were thus prohibited of flight at the end of 2003. An invitation to tender to prolong the working life of the MIG-27 had not led at the time for reasons of costs, in a context of cease-fire with the guerilla tamoule.

Finally, a contract was signed in 2006 with the Ukraine on the one hand for 4 Flogger additional having 8 more years of flight in front of them, and on the other hand for a revision of the 4 MIG-27 bought in 2000 in order to enable them to take again the air. The amount of this contract raised a controversy with the Sri Lanka because of rumors of corruption, and Reporters without borders very recently denounced death threats towards a journalist who inquired into the subject. The position of the government Sri Lankais is that the higher unit costs of the 4 new Flogger are comparable with that of the planes bought in 2000 if one takes into account the cost of the extension by lifespan of the latter.

Engagements

A regiment of Russian MIG-27 (36 planes) was deployed between 1988 and 1989 in Afghanistan. The missions carried out revealed that the gun of 30 mm posed many problems (overheating, too important retreat).

The Sri Lanka engaged its MIG-27 against the guerilla of the Tamil Tigers of Eelam tamoul. Two planes were lost at the time of these operations: one destroyed on the ground at the time of the attack of an air base in July 2001, the other shot down in flight on April 30th, 2007.

Alternatives

• Mig-27 Flogger D: initial version (360 specimens)

• Mig-27K/BK Flogger J2: improved avionics (197 specimens)
• Mig-27M Flogger J: intermediate version enters Flogger D and Flogger J2 (162 specimens)
Mig-27D
• : 300 Mig-27 Flogger D carried to the Mig-27M standard Flogger J
Mig-27ML
• : Mig-27M assembled/built under license in India (165 specimens)

Users

• Bielorussia

• India
• Kazakhstan
• Russia
• Sri Lanka
• Ukraine
• Soviet Union