Vastly more capable? Paveway series LGBs = KAB series bombs and Maverick etc = Kh-25 etc. On the plus side Su-24 can also carry ARM or AShM missiles and a way larger payload.
You’re not seriously trying to compare a modern Block 52 F-16 with the Soviet 80’s Su-24M with vastly inferior A2G radar, computers, optics, no FLIR, etc.? Regarding the payload, it can potentially carry more dumb weapons, yes, but if we’re talking guided weapons and a decent range, then it’s a different story, especially with missiles given only three hardpoints for those two of which are usually used for fuel tanks as the engines on the Su-24’s are not fuel-efficient. Furthermore, Kh-25 and 29 variant it carries are only laser or TV guided, there’s no IR guided one which would allow all weather operation against moving targets.
On air-to-air role, AIM-7M is broadly comperable to R-24R; MiG-23-98 upgrade proposal offered R-77 and R-73M. MiG-23+R-77+R-73 vs F-16+AIM-7M+AIM-9M?? My money is on the MiG. Also slightly irrelevant but, does anyone have there an image of Iraqi F-16s with AIM-7M or any guided munition?
R-24R has a pretty short effective range, but disregarding that, the MiG’s obsolete radar and other equipment (RWR, no ECM, interface) cannot really be compared with the one on the modern F-16 variant. Nobody ever bought the MiG-23-98 so that upgrade was just a pipe dream by 2010, but it’s not surprising as it seems the MiG-23 was fairly expensive to operate, hence why all operators seems to have ditched them at first opportunity to do so.
Besides, Iraqi Air Force operated both of those aircraft so if they saw any benefit in buying more of these 35+ year old airframes and potentially upgrading them instead of ordering a single type (plus newly produced) like these F-16’s, I’m sure they would have done so.
Here’s the list of ordered weaponry:
http://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/iraq-f-16-aircraft
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