Libyan Air Force MiG-23 fighter crashes at air show in Tripoli

TRIPOLI, October 7 (RIA Novosti) - A Libyan Air Force MiG-23 Flogger fighter crashed on Wednesday during a demonstration flight at the Third Libyan Aviation Exhibition.

The aircraft crashed about 2 kilometers from observation platforms at the Libyan Aviation Conference & Exhibition, which runs October 4-8.

According to preliminary reports, the pilot died.

Production of the "third-generation" MiG-23 started in 1970 and ended in 1985 with over 5,000 aircraft built.

Its various modifications are currently operated by several former Soviet republics and traditional recipients of Soviet arms including Armenia, Algeria, Angola, Belarus, Cuba, Ethiopia, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkmenistan, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.