# Mikoyan MiG-27

The **Mikoyan MiG-27** ([NATO reporting name](https://www.edgepedia.org/nato-reporting-name) "Flogger-D") is a Soviet single-seat, variable-geometry (swing-wing) fighter-bomber developed from the MiG-23 fighter for low-altitude ground attack and interdiction (attacking enemy supplies/forces behind front lines), certified in 1975 and flown in quantity by the [Soviet Air Forces](https://www.edgepedia.org/soviet-air-forces), India, and several other operators.<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/mig27/)</sup> In Indian Air Force service it carried the name **Bahadur** ("valiant"), coined by its pilots during the 1999 [Kargil War](https://www.edgepedia.org/kargil-war).<sup>[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-story-of-the-mig-27-the-iafs-now-retired-ground-attack-bahadur-6197047/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Developed from the MiG-23BM attack variant of the MiG-23; the MiG-27 designation was adopted by the Soviet VVS after certification in 1975<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup> |
| Configuration | Swing wing; fixed (non-variable) air intakes reduced maximum speed from Mach 2.35 to Mach 1.7, acceptable for low-altitude strike profiles<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup> |
| Powerplant | One Soyuz/Khachaturov R-29B-300 afterburning turbojet, 25,335 lb (112.7 kN) with afterburner<sup>[2](https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/mig27/)</sup> |
| Weights and load | Max takeoff weight 44,750 lb (20,300 kg); maximum weapons load 8,820 lb (4,000 kg), equal to the Su-17M4<sup>[2](https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/mig27/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup> |
| Gun | 30 mm six-barrel GSh-6-30A, up to 5,500-6,100 rounds per minute, with recoil of about 5,500 kg that could damage the aircraft itself<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup> |
| Indian service | Inducted 1984; about 120 bought from Russia in the late 1980s plus licensed assembly at HAL Nashik; last squadron retired 27 December 2019 at Jodhpur<sup>[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-story-of-the-mig-27-the-iafs-now-retired-ground-attack-bahadur-6197047/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/after-fatal-crash-iaf-grounds-100-mig27s/)</sup> |
| End of the type | Russia withdrew its MiG-27s from frontline service in 1993; after India's 2019 retirement, Kazakhstan was the last operator and retired the type in 2023<sup>[5](https://www.flyajetfighter.com/the-mig-27-flogger-ground-attack-from-moscow-to-kabul-and-beyond/)</sup> |

## Design and development

The MiG-27 began as the MiG-23BM, a ground-attack modernization of the MiG-23 fighter; the two designations in fact describe the same aircraft, with "MiG-27" adopted after certification in 1975.<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup> The forward fuselage was redesigned for the strike mission: the MiG-23's radar and ogival radome gave way to a sharply tapered nose with a sloping window covering a laser rangefinder, improving over-the-nose visibility for low-level attack.<sup>[2](https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/mig27/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[6](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D201-PURL-LPS106117/pdf/GOVPUB-D201-PURL-LPS106117.pdf)</sup>

The most consequential change from the fighter versions was the intake. The MiG-23B and BN kept the variable-geometry intakes of the interceptor, while the MiG-27 used fixed intakes; maximum speed fell from Mach 2.35 to Mach 1.7, which matched the aircraft's transonic, low-altitude mission profile.<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup> On the ground, the main undercarriage was tilted 175 mm downward, eliminating the nose-high stance of the MiG-23B/BN and reducing drag for faster takeoff acceleration, and the main wheels were enlarged to allow operations from semi-prepared strips.<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup>

Avionics centered on the PrNK-23 digital attack and navigation system, which included an Orbita-10-15-23 digital computer, a KN-23 navigation complex usable as a backup, an S-17VG-1 head-up display, and the Fon laser rangefinder; bombing was possible in horizontal flight, in a dive, or on invisible pre-programmed targets.<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup> Every MiG-27, including later versions, was wired by default for nuclear missions, with the nuclear bomb carried under hardpoint 1 or 2.<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup>

## Armament

The defining weapon was the GSh-6-30A 30 mm six-barrel cannon derived from a naval mount, with a rate of fire up to 5,500-6,100 rounds per minute and a 300-round magazine. Its recoil of about 5,500 kg caused structural damage to the aircraft itself, a known limitation of fitting what amounted to flying artillery to a MiG-23-derived airframe.<sup>[1](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)</sup> A Soviet museum specification lists the armament set as the GSh-6-30A (260 rounds), seven hardpoints, the R-60 short-range air-to-air missile, Kh-23M, Kh-25, and Kh-29 air-to-surface missiles, the Kh-27PS anti-radar missile, rocket pods, and up to eight FAB-500 bombs along with cluster and concrete-piercing bombs.<sup>[7](https://parkpatriot.ru/o-parke/tekhnika-parka/samolet-mig-27/)</sup>

## Variants

The main production versions were:<sup>[2](https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/mig27/)</sup>

- **MiG-27 (Flogger-D)**: the baseline aircraft, based on the MiG-23BM with its digital attack computer.
- **MiG-27M (Flogger-J)**: a significantly more capable attack model with a new gun, improved electronic countermeasures, and a nav/attack system allowing automatic flight control, weapons release, and automatic flight to preprogrammed targets; 200 built from 1978 to 1983, plus 160 license-built by India.
- **MiG-27D**: MiG-23BM airframes upgraded to MiG-27M standard; 305 converted.
- **MiG-27K (Flogger-J2)**: the most advanced Soviet version, adding a laser designator and compatibility with TV-guided electro-optical weapons; approximately 200 built. Its Kaira laser/TV sighting system supported fire-and-forget launches in poor weather, but its cost and complexity limited production to 214 aircraft between 1976 and 1982.<sup>[8](https://museum.mincult.gov.ua/collections/litak-mig-27k)</sup>
- **MiG-27L/ML (Bahadur)**: the export model sold to India, largely identical to the MiG-27M; about 150 were assembled in India from kits or built under license, and a 1990 report counted 165 Nasik-assembled MiG-27MLs ordered, equipping eight squadrons.<sup>[2](https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/mig27/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[9](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/1990/11/November1990.pdf)</sup>
- **MiG-27H**: an Indian upgrade of the MiG-27L fleet with French avionics, glass cockpit displays, GPS and GLONASS compatibility, improved inertial navigation, electronic warfare equipment, and a radar giving anti-ship capability; some 140-180 aircraft modified.<sup>[2](https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/mig27/)</sup>

## Combat use

Soviet MiG-23/27 Floggers were used in Afghanistan from 1980, where the MiG-23/27, Su-24, and Su-25 were assigned to missions requiring greater accuracy than the Su-17 and MiG-21 could deliver.<sup>[10](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1987/february/professional-notes)</sup> In October 1988, US officials reported up to 30 MiG-27 close-air-support aircraft based at Shindand in western Afghanistan, a deployment that could violate the Geneva Accords governing the Soviet withdrawal.<sup>[11](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/10/30/soviets-migs-reported-in-afghanistan/b99c3440-c2aa-4f02-b74e-d1e9f425fc40/)</sup> The MiG-27K, lacking cockpit armor, stayed out of Afghanistan.<sup>[12](https://migflug.com/aircraft/mig-27-flogger/)</sup>

**Kargil, 1999.** The Indian Air Force opened Operation Safed Sagar on the morning of May 26, 1999, with the first strike at 0630 hrs flown by MiG-21, MiG-27ML, and MiG-23BN fighters under MiG-29 air-defense cover. On May 27, Flight Lieutenant Kambampati Nachiketa's MiG-27 developed mechanical problems and he ejected, spending more than a week as a prisoner in Pakistan; the MiG-21 sent to look for him, flown by Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, was shot down.<sup>[13](https://usiofindia.org/pdf/RoleoftheIndianAirForceDuringtheKargilWar.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-story-of-the-mig-27-the-iafs-now-retired-ground-attack-bahadur-6197047/)</sup> MiG-27 and Mirage 2000 strikes on June 16 and 17 devastated the Muntho Dhalo supply depot, and the aircraft's repeated high-altitude strikes earned it the Bahadur name.<sup>[13](https://usiofindia.org/pdf/RoleoftheIndianAirForceDuringtheKargilWar.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-story-of-the-mig-27-the-iafs-now-retired-ground-attack-bahadur-6197047/)</sup>

**Sri Lanka.** The Sri Lanka Air Force inducted six Russian-origin MiG-27 ground attack aircraft and one MiG-23UB trainer into No 5 Fighter Squadron in 2000, strengthening air interdiction and low-level strike capability during the civil war against the LTTE.<sup>[14](https://airforce.lk/sinhala/eng_news.php?news=7863)</sup> In 2021 the SLAF handed a retired MiG-27 to the University of Moratuwa as a training airframe for its aeronautical engineering program.<sup>[15](https://airforce.lk/news.php?news=5233)</sup>

## Indian service and retirement

India bought about 120 MiG-27s from Russia in the late 1980s and began licensed production at the [Hindustan Aeronautics Limited](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-aeronautics-limited) factory in Nashik.<sup>[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/after-fatal-crash-iaf-grounds-100-mig27s/)</sup> The type's engine was its principal safety problem: after a fatal crash near Siliguri in February 2010, the IAF grounded its fleet of nearly 100 MiG-27s on suspicion of a major engine snag, and Indian losses of roughly a dozen aircraft between 2001 and 2010 were mostly blamed on engine defects.<sup>[4](https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/after-fatal-crash-iaf-grounds-100-mig27s/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[12](https://migflug.com/aircraft/mig-27-flogger/)</sup> A MiG-27 (Upgrade) from Uttarlai crashed on a routine sortie on March 31, 2019, about 120 km south of Jodhpur; the pilot ejected safely.<sup>[16](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1569891&lang=2&reg=48)</sup>

The IAF decommissioned its last MiG-27 squadron at Jodhpur air base on December 27, 2019, 35 years after induction, leaving the air force with no swing-wing aircraft in its inventory.<sup>[3](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-story-of-the-mig-27-the-iafs-now-retired-ground-attack-bahadur-6197047/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[17](https://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/sites/default/files/drdo-news-documents/NPC_27_Dec_2019.pdf)</sup> With India's retirement, [Kazakhstan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kazakhstan) became the only operator of the type, and it retired its MiG-27s in 2023, ending the aircraft's operational history.<sup>[17](https://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/sites/default/files/drdo-news-documents/NPC_27_Dec_2019.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[5](https://www.flyajetfighter.com/the-mig-27-flogger-ground-attack-from-moscow-to-kabul-and-beyond/)</sup> Russia had already withdrawn the type from frontline service in 1993, passing ground attack duties to the Su-24, the Su-25, and newer multi-role fighters.<sup>[5](https://www.flyajetfighter.com/the-mig-27-flogger-ground-attack-from-moscow-to-kabul-and-beyond/)</sup>

## References

1. [Ground-Attack Aviation & Fighter-Bombers Units, 16va.be](https://www.16va.be/3.3_appui_tactique_part4_eng.html)
2. [Aerospaceweb.org Aircraft Museum: MiG-27 'Flogger'](https://aerospaceweb.org/aircraft/attack/mig27/)
3. [The story of the MiG-27, the IAF's now-retired ground attack Bahadur, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-the-story-of-the-mig-27-the-iafs-now-retired-ground-attack-bahadur-6197047/)
4. [After fatal crash, IAF grounds 100 MiG-27s, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/news-archive/web/after-fatal-crash-iaf-grounds-100-mig27s/)
5. [The MiG-27 Flogger, ground attack from Moscow to Kabul and beyond, FlyAJetFighter](https://www.flyajetfighter.com/the-mig-27-flogger-ground-attack-from-moscow-to-kabul-and-beyond/)
6. [Mikoyan MiG-27 FLOGGER Fighter/Bomber, US Government Publishing Office](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GOVPUB-D201-PURL-LPS106117/pdf/GOVPUB-D201-PURL-LPS106117.pdf)
7. [Самолет МиГ-27, Парк Патриот](https://parkpatriot.ru/o-parke/tekhnika-parka/samolet-mig-27/)
8. [Літак МіГ-27К, Музейний фонд України](https://museum.mincult.gov.ua/collections/litak-mig-27k)
9. [Aeronautics at Nasik: first MiG-27s assembled under license outside the USSR, Air Force Magazine, November 1990](https://www.airandspaceforces.com/app/uploads/1990/11/November1990.pdf)
10. [Professional Notes, US Naval Institute Proceedings, February 1987](https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1987/february/professional-notes)
11. [Soviets MiGs reported in Afghanistan, The Washington Post, October 30, 1988](https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1988/10/30/soviets-migs-reported-in-afghanistan/b99c3440-c2aa-4f02-b74e-d1e9f425fc40/)
12. [Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-27 Flogger: History, Specs & Stories, MiGFlug](https://migflug.com/aircraft/mig-27-flogger/)
13. [Role of the Indian Air Force During the Kargil War, USI of India](https://usiofindia.org/pdf/RoleoftheIndianAirForceDuringtheKargilWar.pdf)
14. [No 5 Fighter Squadron celebrates 35 years of distinguished service, Sri Lanka Air Force](https://airforce.lk/sinhala/eng_news.php?news=7863)
15. [Sri Lanka Air Force officially hands over a MiG-27 aircraft to the University of Moratuwa](https://airforce.lk/news.php?news=5233)
16. [IAF MiG-27 (Upgrade) Crash, Press Information Bureau, March 31, 2019](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1569891&lang=2&reg=48)
17. [DRDO News clippings, December 27, 2019](https://www.drdo.gov.in/drdo/sites/default/files/drdo-news-documents/NPC_27_Dec_2019.pdf)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Military aviation › Military aircraft by type and era › Fighter aircraft › Soviet and Russian fighters*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*

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