The event MiG-23MF, and why I think it should be renamed

Changing the Name and Camo
of the Event MiG-23MF

Attempting to free up aircraft for the tech tree

I wanted to discuss a cosmetic and UI change for the event MiG-23MF. It was added in the 2021/2022 Winter event, so it’s kind of old now.

Currently, the default camo (pictured, top) for the MiG-23MF does not depict a specific aircraft. In this sense it is a “generic” aircraft. However, the aircraft’s Tricolor camouflage, from that event, does depict a specific aircraft. Said camo (pictured, bottom) depicts the aircraft as MiG-23MF 20+05.
This is a real MiG-23MF that was in service with the LSK and limited testing service in the Luftwaffe, pictured below in 1991.

With the aircraft’s Luftwaffe number, (20+05), and the aircraft identified, we can place the War Thunder event MiG-23MF as MiG-23MF cn 0390213100.
(cn = construction number)

With the construction number, the plane’s original number in the LSK can be found, 585. It was operated by II. Jagdfliegerstaffel/JG-9 (II.JS/JG-9) of Jagdfliegergeschwader 9 (JG-9) “Heinrich Rau,” operating from Peenemünde Air Base, East Germany.
Pictured below, during a 1983 Highway Airfield exercise.

This aircraft still exists today, below in 2014 and 2020.
It is currently on display at the Hugo Junkers Museum, in Dessau, in its NVA-LSK No. 585 livery.

I would like to propose that the event aircraft have both its name and standard camo changed to reflect the real aircraft it was based on, and allow for a “generic” MiG-23MF to be in the tree.
I think “MiG-23MF (No. 585)” could work, in my opinion the parenthesis should stay because it looks nice. “MiG-23MF (JG-9)” might work as well.


image
Forgive the cut off name pls
I promise it says MiG-23 there

Like I said before, this is based on the aircraft’s designation, as depicted on its tricolor camo.
Additionally, I loosely modeled my own MiG-23MF in a scheme similar to the aircraft in question.

Model MiG-23MF (No. 585) Paint


image

I will also include some pictures and videos, for references.

Additional Pictures and Videos
  • MiG-23MF (No. 582)
    This aircraft is currently at the European Aviation Museum, in Montélimar, France.

  • MiG-23MF (No. 586)
    This aircraft is currently at the Museum of Aircraft and Technology, in Wernigerode, Germany.

MiG-23 Operation from a highway strip - Timestamped to show No. 585
East German MiG-23MF Deployment on Highway in 1983

Sources/References

apbic - MiG-23MF (20+05)
flickr - MiG-23MF cn 0390213100
aerialvisuals - Airframe Dossier - MiG-23MF (20+05)
airfighters - MiG-23MF cn 0390213100
britmodeller - Post of MiG-23MF (No. 585)

3 Likes

Meh, it doesn’t exactly make sense to change things as they are. The Mig-23MF for Germany isn’t very special in such a regard given you have a lot of aircraft in the game which aren’t of any specific aircraft but might have a camo that belongs to a particular airframe. In that regard it doesn’t make sense to even try it, literally none of the Mig-23’s besides the BN and Hungarian (which has 2 additional skins for different airframes.) one has any details on them belonging to a particular airframe. It also doesn’t make sense why the event Mig-23 should suddenly stop being treated as a generic Mig-23MF when literally all they could do is just change the skin slightly and call it a day.

You haven’t even provided a real argument as to why another Mig-23MF should be added to the tech tree for Germany either. Sure, it’s one thing to want access to limited time event vehicles, but there really is no point in it whatsoever. For one the Mig-23MF in-game is no different from the Mig-23M and you still have the Hungarian Mig-23MF, second the Mig-23MF isn’t even a special modification of the of the Mig-23MF so it already was a generic Mig-23MF and always will be, third for all gaijin could care they could throw on the markings of a completely different Mig-23MF because they don’t exactly for any aircraft where all the skins are of the exact same airframe, fourthly the Mig-23MF isn’t even a good plane so what good would adding another plane to the tech tree which would never be played when you have the Mig-23MLA unless you folded the thing which would be detrimental for anyone because they now instead have to go through a pain in the ass plane with the actually good version being optional.

I have both the Mig-23M and German Mig-23MF, and to put it bluntly I never want to touch another early Mig-23 ever again, it is utter pain and not worth the effort in the slightest, and I really don’t think more people need to do it as well. If you really think a TT version should be added, giving an actual argument would be a good start, because you can already get the same sort of thing in one (two really) another tech tree which just isn’t German.

It’s more for progression and the idea that someday they will maybe decompress.
And also that I just think such an important milestone aircraft should’ve been in the tree instead of event

1 Like