Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23

The pivoting wing solved a previously unsolvable problem: low sweep gave short take-off and economical cruise, full sweep a supersonic dash. The pilot of the MiG-23 set the panels manually to three fixed positions depending on the flight regime. With the new wing came the Sapfir-23 radar and medium-range missiles — the fighter learned to engage beyond visual range. The MiG-23 was built in many versions until 1985 and became one of the most numerous third-generation fighters: about five thousand machines. On display is a MiG-23MLD, the final service version with improved manoeuvrability. A working stand next to the aircraft demonstrates the wing mechanism.