Mike Busutil Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) While I was on a test range this weekend for work I came across a MiG-23. It appears I found "Red 44". I don't know the history of this MiG yet but it was brought here to San clemente island off the coast of California and was used as a target. I hear helicopters would use it to target and shoot. Eventually it was moved from the coast line and ended up here. Here are my pictures that I took of this old MiG-23. **Notice the wood in the wing** Edited March 1, 2016 by Mike Busutil 2 [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Checkout my user files here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/?CREATED_BY=Mike%20Busutil&set_filter=Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Busutil Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) Edited March 1, 2016 by Mike Busutil [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Checkout my user files here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/?CREATED_BY=Mike%20Busutil&set_filter=Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Busutil Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 There was also an old Harrier and an A-7... [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Checkout my user files here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/?CREATED_BY=Mike%20Busutil&set_filter=Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vampyre Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) Looks like a MiG-23MS Flogger E most likely acquired from Egypt after the Camp David peace agreement and the switch to western centric weapons acquisition. Nice find.:thumbup: **EDIT** The "wood" on the wing is actually exfoliation corrosion. This airplane is in terrible shape structurally not just from all the holes in it but also from the highly advanced state of corrosion on the aircraft. Edited March 1, 2016 by Vampyre Truly superior pilots are those that use their superior judgment to avoid those situations where they might have to use their superior skills. If you ever find yourself in a fair fight, your tactics suck! "If at first you don't succeed, Carrier Landings are not for you!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vincent90 Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 The plane is question is "Red 44", a MiG-23MS from the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron. Not a lot of 4477th's MiG-23's made it to the end (only 9 or 10 if I remember correctly), so seeing this in this overall good shape is pretty nice. This particular arcraft was last flown by LtCdr. Cary A. Silvers during a Green Flag exercise on march 8th, 1988. After that, it went in durable storage, which explains the overall good shape. Detailed flight records of Red 44 were destroyed at the end of 1988, when the 4477th was disbanded. Here are some documents of this plane. The first is a picture from it take from the book America's Secret MiG Squadron by Gaillard R. Peck Jr. The other is the flying schedule during the last exercise of the 4477th, taken from the book Red Eagles by Steven Davies. (NB: "F-4" was 4477th's code for the MiG-23, "F-5" was the code for the MiG-21.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Busutil Posted March 1, 2016 Author Share Posted March 1, 2016 (edited) Awesome. Thanks for the information Vincent! Edited March 1, 2016 by Mike Busutil [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Checkout my user files here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/?CREATED_BY=Mike%20Busutil&set_filter=Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Davies Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Thanks for sharing these, Vincent. They qualify as the first confirmed record of any Red Eagle MiG-23s. Would be wonderful to have your permission to use these images (credited to you, of course). One minor correction: Dollar Silvers may well have been the last guy to fly Red 44 on a CONSTANT PEG sortie, but it's quite possible that someone else flew it back to Groom, and that various other people then flew it when it got back to Groom. While they closed down CP in March '88, I've seen logbook entries that show a small number of guys flying MiG-23s on continuation sorties in the period immediately following. Steve Davies https://www.10percenttrue.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tirak Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Wonderful pictures, though boneyard pics always make me feel sad. It's just feels wrong to see them rusting away like that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hydrox Posted March 1, 2016 Share Posted March 1, 2016 Just a bit of paint and she's good as new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Busutil Posted March 2, 2016 Author Share Posted March 2, 2016 I also took a lot of pictures of a Russian coastal defense anti ship missile launcher. http://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=161784 [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Checkout my user files here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/?CREATED_BY=Mike%20Busutil&set_filter=Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enduro14 Posted March 2, 2016 Share Posted March 2, 2016 Very cool thanks for sharing! Intel 8700k @5ghz, 32gb ram, 1080ti, Rift S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDarksword Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Awesome, cool to see that 44 survived, I always liked it's camo job. "Though I fly through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil. For I am 80,000 feet and climbing." -9th SRW Det. 1 Wing Ops, Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] i5-4460, 16GB of RAM, MSi GTX 970 Twin Frozr V, ASRock H97M Anniversary, 2x 1TB HDD, Fractal design Core 1100, Thrustmaster HOTAS Warthog, CH Pro Pedals, Corsair Vengeance K70, Razer Abyssus mouse, BenQ 1080P monitor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aginor Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Thanks for sharing! DCSW weapons cheat sheet speed cheat sheet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Davies Posted October 28, 2020 Share Posted October 28, 2020 Red 44 is shown taxying briefly in some CONSTANT PEG footage that I was fortunate enough to be given. I'll stream a reaction video to the footage this weekend, and release the raw footage later in the day. We're planning on having a live Q&A with Red Eagles "Z Man" and "Gabby" afterwards (assuming I can make it work!) .Feel free to join! Hmm. Links not embedding. Try these: CONSTANT PEG reaction video: Red Eagle live Q&A: h Steve Davies https://www.10percenttrue.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Busutil Posted October 29, 2020 Author Share Posted October 29, 2020 Awesome, Thanks Steve. Looking forward to it. [sIGPIC][/sIGPIC] Checkout my user files here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/files/?CREATED_BY=Mike%20Busutil&set_filter=Y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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