Distinguished by its high survivability and powerful weapons, the attack aircraft Su 25 "Rook" effectively provided air support for ground forces operations. This aircraft was intended from the very beginning for combat operations in the daytime, but currently it works perfectly on the battlefield in difficult weather conditions and at any time of day.
The history of the revival of the attack aircraft "Rook"
After the end of World War II in the second half of the 1960s, there was no aircraft for air support of ground forces in the Soviet Union and only thanks to Army General I.G. Pavlovsky, then Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces and Marshal's patronage Soviet Union A.A. Grechko announced a competition to create a new attack aircraft.
The Sukhoi Design Bureau's project for the T8 machine was the most successful, although it required significant improvements. The developers tried to combine and implement three goals in the aircraft. The first is to develop a simple and high-tech design that would already be used existing systems real planes. The second goal is to make a vehicle that is highly maneuverable and capable of continuing flight with significant combat damage. The third is to create an aircraft that does not require concrete runways to operate and is capable of taking off from field airfields with a full combat load in close proximity to the line of combat contact.
Appointed chief designer P.O Sukhim, project manager M.P. Simonov built a prototype for strength testing by November 7, 1974. In February 1975, before Soviet Army Day, test pilot V.S. Ilyushin made his first familiarization flight on a prototype. In September 1978, after the requirements for the attack aircraft were approved and a preliminary design was submitted, the vehicle underwent state flight tests.
In the summer of 1979, a pre-production sample of the T-8-3 was tested in the air. This prototype aircraft embodied all the solutions that a promising attack aircraft must initially comply with. From April to June 1980, two pre-production prototypes took part in combat operations in the Afghan war and in March 1981 signed an act of completion of state tests.
New vehicles arrived at military units in Afghanistan already in April 1981, but they were officially listed in service only since 1987.
Design features of the Su 25 aircraft
For a stormtrooper Su 25 "Rook" The traditional aerodynamic design worked well - it is a monoplane with a high-mounted wing and a single-fin tail. Two power plants are located at the interface between the wing and the body, the landing gear is tricycle, retractable into the fuselage.
The main goal of the designer was the survivability of the aircraft, so the pilot was placed in a kind of titanium capsule with thick armored glass. Important units had reliable armor protection; a polyurethane filler protected the fuel tanks, which were also filled with inert gas as they were used up.
The experience of the war in Afghanistan showed that the R-95Sh engines are located too close to each other; a MANPADS shell, hitting one engine, destroyed the second one. The disadvantage was eliminated by placing between power plants a partition made of armor 1.5 meters long and equipped with a fire extinguishing system with four spherical cylinders with freon.
After these modifications, the MANPADS did not shoot down a single one, although they received damage large number stormtroopers.
Later versions of the attack aircraft have a somewhat “humpbacked” appearance, which was given to them by the compartment located behind the pilot’s cabin, and the canopy frame was structurally strengthened. The CRT screen displays the TV image on the windshield; the rear view periscope was abandoned in the new cabs. The escape system is equipped with a K 36L ejection seat and provides ejection at zero speed and zero altitude.
Eight universal pylons of special strength are located under the wing, of which the inner and middle ones carry fuel drop tanks, others are intended for aerial bombs and missiles, including the X-29T. Two external pylons are equipped with holders for missiles of the " air-air" Another suspension unit is located along the axis of the fuselage; it is intended for containers with ATGM guidance systems and multifunctional radars.
It’s impossible not to mention the option Su 25UTG, designed specifically for pilot training carrier-based aviation. This attack aircraft was tested on board the Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Kuznetsov aircraft carrier.
Since coastal airfields were designated as the permanent location for the carrier-based attack aircraft, folding wings were not needed.
Flight characteristics of the Su 25 "Rook" aircraft
- Wingspan – 14.36 m
- Wing area – 30.1 m2
- Power plant – 2 x R-195
- Take-off thrust – 44.13 kN
- Empty aircraft weight – 9315 kg
- Maximum take-off weight – 17600 kg
- Maximum speed – 950 km/h
- Practical ceiling – 7 thousand m
- Combat radius – 300 km
- Range without PTB – 640 km
- Range with four PTBs – 1250 km
- Run length concrete/soil – 550/600 m
- Run length concrete/soil – 600/700 m
- Armament – double-barreled gun GSh-30-2
- Suspension points – 10
A curious incident occurred on March 30, 2016 in Primorye. The plane was landing at the Chernigovka military airfield, and suddenly fell before reaching the runway; the pilot managed to eject. The car collapsed on outbuildings in the courtyard of a private house, damaging the garage, and killing 50 chickens. The plane crashed into the cellar, destroying the owner's supplies. The military, according to the victim, promised to compensate for the damage caused.
During the war in Afghanistan on October 24, 1987, when attacking targets near the village of Kobay in the first approach to Lieutenant P.N. Golubtsov was hit by a MANPADS shell and tore off half of the tail unit. A fire started in the engine, which was partially extinguished; the pilot decided to land the plane at his airfield.
Having reached the runway on one engine, Lieutenant Golubtsov landed, but the braking system did not work and he had to direct the plane to the ground to slow down the car.
Lieutenant Pyotr Golubtsov was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Battle.
During the war in Afghanistan, only 23 vehicles were lost. The survivability of the “Rooks” (as the pilots called it) is phenomenal. A unique record was set by the plane, which after landing counted 165 holes.
In total, during the fighting in Afghanistan, 139 guided missile launches were carried out and 137 of them hit the target.
The Iraqi government withdrew it from service in 2003, and in 2014 again purchased these vehicles from the Russian Federation and Iran, realizing that this attack aircraft was perfectly suited for combat operations against ISIS militants.
Russia plans to keep the aircraft in service with the Aerospace Forces until 2020. Thus, decades later, the design talent of the Sukhoi engineers who created such an irreplaceable attack aircraft was confirmed.
Rooks Su 25 videos
Su-25 is a Soviet/Russian armored subsonic attack aircraft, designed to support ground forces over the battlefield day and night with direct visibility of the target, to destroy objects with given coordinates around the clock in all weather conditions. In Russian and Ukrainian troops he received the nickname “Rook”.
Su-25 (product "T-8", according to NATO: Frogfoot)
The plane first took off on February 22, 1975. These aircraft have been in operation since 1981 and have participated in many military conflicts. The aircraft will be in service with the Russian Air Force at least until 2020. In 2009, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the resumption of purchases of attack aircraft of this type for the Russian Air Force.
Story
Work on the creation of the Su-25 began at the Sukhoi Design Bureau in the mid-70s on an initiative basis, when it became clear that the decision made in 1956 to abolish attack aircraft and transfer its functions to fighter-bombers was erroneous. The chief designer of the Su-25 was the former commander of the T-34 tank, one of the best aircraft designers of the 20th century, Oleg Sergeevich Samoilovich (1926-1999).
During the development of the attack aircraft, research and development work was carried out on 40 topics, about 600 samples and mock-ups were made and tested. In February 1975, the prototype of the attack aircraft, which received the working designation T-8, took off, and in 1980 the attack aircraft was adopted by the USSR Air Force under the designation Su-25. In 1981, a Su-25 squadron consisting of 12 vehicles already took part in combat operations in Afghanistan.
Design
Engines
The Su-25 engines are located on both sides of the fuselage in special engine nacelles at the junction of the wing and the fuselage. The engines are equipped with a non-adjustable nozzle and air intake. The service life between repairs is 500 hours.
Early versions of the Su-25 were equipped with two afterburning single-circuit R-95Sh turbojet engines with a thrust of 4100 kgf each. The engines had an average specific fuel consumption of 1.28 kg/kgf/hour, as well as autonomous electric start.
Later, more advanced R-195s with thrust increased to 4300 kgf began to be installed on attack aircraft. The R-195 engines were secret for a long time, in particular, in the T-8-15 aircraft shown at the air show in France in 1989, the R-195 engines were replaced with the R-95Sh. The design was strengthened compared to the R-13 prototype. The engine is capable of withstanding a direct hit from a 23 mm projectile and remains operational despite numerous less serious damages. IR radiation has also been reduced, which makes the aircraft less vulnerable to missiles with infrared homing heads.
The R-95 and R-195 engines were recognized as the most reliable in their class.
Much attention is paid to the survivability of the design and shielding of the systems so that it is impossible to disable both engines with one hit from a weapon. If one engine fails, the aircraft can continue flying on the other.
The main fuel for these engines is aviation kerosene. The engines are supplied with fuel from 4 built-in tanks (2 in the fuselage, one in each of the wings) with a total volume of up to 3660 liters; suspension of up to 2 external fuel tanks (PTB-800) with a capacity of 840 liters each is also allowed. Thus, the total volume of fuel tanks can be up to 5300 liters.
Security, life support and rescue system
The Su-25 is a highly protected aircraft; combat survivability systems account for 7.2% of the normal take-off weight or 1050 kg. The stormtrooper's vital systems are duplicated and shielded by less important ones.
Much attention is paid to the protection of critical components and elements - the cockpit and fuel system.
The pilot's cabin is welded from ABVT-20 aviation titanium armor. The thickness of the armor plates ranges from 10 to 24 mm. The front glazing provides bulletproof protection and is a glass block 55 mm thick. At the rear, the pilot is protected by an armored back made of 6 mm thick steel. The pilot is almost completely protected from fire from any gun with a caliber of up to 12.7 mm, and in the most dangerous directions - with a caliber of up to 30 mm.
In the event of a critical aircraft failure, the safety and rescue of the pilot is ensured by the K-36L ejection seat, which ensures the rescue of the pilot in all flight modes, speeds and altitudes. Before ejection, the canopy is discarded. The ejection is controlled manually using control handles, which must be pulled with both hands.
Armament
The Su-25 is equipped with a powerful set of weapons - air cannons, air bombs of various calibers and purposes, guided and unguided air-to-ground missiles, guided air-to-air missiles. In total, the Su-25 can be equipped with 32 types of weapons. The attack aircraft has a built-in 2-barrel 30-mm aircraft cannon GSh-30-2, the rest of the weapons are placed on the aircraft depending on the type of mission assigned. The aircraft is equipped with 10 suspension points for additional weapons and cargo (5 under each wing). For suspension of air-to-surface weapons, BDZ-25 pylons are used, and for suspension of air-to-air guided missiles (UR) - APU-60 (aircraft launchers).
Artillery weapons
The attack aircraft is armed with a VPU-17A (built-in cannon mount) with a double-barreled 30-mm GSh-30-2 air cannon (GRAU index 9A623), made according to the Gast design. The air cannon is designed to destroy armored vehicles, enemy personnel, as well as air targets at medium and close ranges. The gun is relatively compact for guns of this rate of fire and caliber: the barrel length is 1.5 m, and its weight without ammunition is 105 kg. The GSh-30-2 is fixed motionless relative to the airframe; guidance is carried out by maneuvering the aircraft. The gun is powered by a belt feed. Firing is controlled by electric ignition using 27 volt direct current. The total ammunition capacity is 250 rounds, and the air cannon can use up all the ammunition in one continuous burst. The barrel allows you to fire up to 4000 shots without deteriorating performance. The initial projectile speed is 900 m/s. The rate of fire of this aircraft gun is 3000 rounds per minute.
The gun can fire the following types of ammunition:
OFZ-30 high-explosive fragmentation incendiary projectile,
-OFZT-30 high-explosive fragmentation incendiary tracer projectile,
-Armor-piercing explosive projectile BR-30,
-Multi-element projectile ME-30.
-It is also possible to install additional artillery weapons on the Su-25 in the form of SPPU-22-1 suspended cannon containers, each of which is equipped with a double-barreled 23-mm GSh-23 cannon, made according to the Gast design. The ammunition capacity of each cannon container is 260 rounds. Up to 4 such containers can be installed on an aircraft.
Unguided bombs
In the basic version, the Su-25 can use the following unguided bombs:
FAB-100 one or four bombs (using MBD2-67U) on a suspension
-FAB-250
-FAB-500
-SAB-100
-BetAB-500
-BetAB-500ShP
-RBK-250
-RRBK-500
-KMGU-2
-ZB-500
-ODAB-500P
Unguided rocket weapons (URA)
The Su-25 can use NAR units with the following missiles with different warheads (warhead):
S-5
-S-8
-S-13
-NAR one on the suspension:
-S-24B
-S-25
Precision bombs and missiles
To use air-to-surface guided weapons, the Su-25 (as well as the Su-17M4) is equipped with a Klen-PS laser rangefinder/target designator (LD). After locking on a target and launching a missile, the pilot must illuminate the target until it is hit. Due to the location of the LD in the nose of the aircraft, the viewing angle is directed to the front hemisphere, and not to the bottom, which is why in the basic modification the Su-25 does not use guided bombs. Guided missiles:
S-25L
-X-25ML
-X-29L
Air-to-air weapons
For self-defense and combat against helicopters, the Su-25 is equipped with two short-range R-60 guided missiles with IR homing heads. The missiles are attached to APU-60 aircraft launchers located under the wing.
Since the R-60 missiles have already been discontinued and their storage periods are ending, when modernizing the Su-25 aircraft of the Russian Air Force into the Su-25SM and Su-25SM versions, the pylons intended for the APU-60 launchers are dismantled. The modernized Su-25SM attack aircraft use R-73 and PU missiles ( starting device) which is suspended on the outer holders BDZ-25.
Navigation and auxiliary equipment
BKO "Talisman" - an airborne defense system for personal protection combat aircraft from guided missiles.
Modifications
Su-25 - combat single-seat attack aircraft
Su-25K (commercial)- export version Su-25. Between 1984 and 1989, 180 vehicles were built. The Su-25K was also the name given to the project of a shipborne version of the attack aircraft.
Su-25T - Anti-tank attack aircraft designed in 1984 on the basis of the Su-25UB. The central section was strengthened, radio-electronic equipment was placed in the garrot instead of the second cabin, the bow was changed, the I-251 Shkval sighting system was added, an ILS was installed, and the ability to use modern high-precision ammunition was added, the cabin is sealed.
Su-25UB - Training two-seat attack aircraft. It is in service with the Georgian Air Force.
Su-25SM - Upgraded combat single-seat attack aircraft. The avionics have been updated (from aviation and electronics, also known as avionics - avionics), a HUD has been added (heads-up display - an aircraft system designed to display symbolic navigation, flight and special information on the windshield, against the backdrop of the cockpit environment. Using HUD allows you to significantly reduce the likelihood of information overload for the pilot, who is forced to simultaneously monitor both the surrounding space and the readings of numerous instruments. This technology was originally developed exclusively for. military aviation(primarily for jet fighters and helicopters), is currently used in civil aviation and automotive industry.) and MFD (Multi-functional display - MFD) is a general term for a multi-mode device for displaying various service graphic and television information in the cockpit of an aircraft, issued by on-board systems and sensors. Information display modes can switched both automatically and manually by the pilot (operator). Single-mode devices, as a rule, have more specific names, for example, “tactical situation screen”).
Su-25KM - Georgian attack aircraft modernized by Israel. Avionics have been updated, plus the ability to use NATO ammunition has been added.
Su-28 - Training aircraft. Not mass produced.
Su-25UTG - Training aircraft for learning to take off and land on a ship's deck
Su-39 - Anti-tank attack aircraft, further development Su-25T. Stocked radar station"Spear-25" in a hanging container.
Su-25UBM - A modernized two-seat attack aircraft, created as a combat training version of the Su-25SM and Su-39. The aircraft implements all the developments of previous modifications. The basis for the new aircraft was the two-seat Su-25UB. The radio-electronic equipment was supplemented by the Bars-2 avionics complex, and it was also planned to add the Spear radar (there is no radar on the prototype). It is assumed that the aircraft can be used both as a training aircraft for single-seat modifications and as an independent combat unit. Moreover, in the latter case, the Su-25UBM will be able to carry out reconnaissance, guidance and coordination of actions, turning into an air command post. The new aircraft made its first test flight on December 6, 2008 at the Kubinka airfield near Moscow. In 2011, the first stage of the aircraft's geological survey was completed. For the first time, the aircraft will be equipped with a powerful RTR and EW (electronic warfare) system, as well as a BKO complex (the airborne defense complex is a means electronic warfare and is designed for individual protection of combat aircraft against air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles).
Su-25M1 - Ukrainian modernization of the Su-25. Equipped with modernized equipment from Ukrainian manufacturers - satellite navigation, new system SVS (system of air signals of modern aircraft is a software and hardware system designed to measure, calculate and display to the aircraft crew and on-board systems (consumers) information about altitude and speed parameters, as well as other parameters, such as air temperature, angles of attack and sideslip. It consists of a large group of sensors - air pressure receivers (static pressure receivers, dynamic pressure receivers or combined total pressure receivers), stagnant flow sensors (velocity pressure) and a number of other sensors, as well as pressure transmission pipelines (the so-called static "C" and dynamic “D” lines), processing and conversion devices that convert the received information into electrical signals (on which the bulk of the aircraft’s equipment operates). In a decentralized SHS on board an aircraft there is a large group of various instruments - HF (altitude corrector), IFM (mach number indicator), KZSP (indicated speed corrector-setter), pressure switch measuring complex (IKDRDF), etc. A centralized SHS, as a rule, has a single computer (for example, a speed and altitude central station), which receives information from receivers, converts it into proportional electrical signals and issues it to consumers. In a decentralized SHS in the cockpit, aneroid-membrane instruments and indicators are used: altitudes (for example, the VD-20 altimeter), speeds (for example, KUS-1500), variometers, etc. In a centralized SHS, electrical indicators of speed, altitude and other flight parameters are used, or the information is displayed on the MFI. As a rule, even the most modern digital aircraft instrumentation has room for a backup barometric altimeter and airspeed indicator connected directly to the pressure receivers), an upgraded radio station, and a modern sight counter. The analog sight was replaced with a digital one, which increased the aiming accuracy by approximately 30%. The aircraft is now capable of using standard weapons against ground targets at any time of the day, in poor visibility conditions and without leaving the clouds. The “ceiling” for the use of weapons has been increased very significantly, almost 3 times. Air parameters module and flight register installed digital parameters BRCP. The modernized single-seat Su-25M1 attack aircraft are equipped with a new “digital” camouflage. Production to modernize the attack aircraft takes place in Zaporozhye, at the airfield State enterprise"Zaporozhye State Aircraft Repair Plant".
Su-25UBM1 - Ukrainian modernization of the Su-25UB analogue of the Su-25 M1.
Combat use
Angolan Civil War (1975-2002)
The Angolan Air Force received small numbers of Su-25s in the late 1980s and used them extensively against UNITA units throughout the 1990s.
Afghan War (1979-1989)
In the spring of 1980, four Su-25s underwent combat evaluation in Afghanistan, showing complete superiority over their competitors, the Yak-38. Since mid-1981, one Su-25 squadron participated in the Afghan conflict; in 1984 it was expanded to an air regiment. The combat operations revealed the high survivability and maneuverability of the attack aircraft. Its relatively low speed allowed it to deliver very accurate strikes, something fighter-bombers usually lack. In Afghanistan, the Su-25 received its nickname “Rook”, becoming the most famous aircraft of that war. After the Mujahideen acquired the Stinger MANPADS in 1987, the attack aircraft underwent modernization in order to increase survivability.
One of the Rook pilots in Afghanistan was Alexander Rutskoy (future vice president Russian Federation). During his participation in hostilities, he was shot down twice - in April 1986 by fire from the ground and in August 1988 by a Pakistani F-16 fighter.
On average, for every Su-25 shot down there was 80-90 combat damage; there are cases when planes returned to base with 150 holes! Most sources talk about the loss of 23 Su-25 attack aircraft and 8 pilots in Afghanistan, while it was noted that not a single case of the loss of an aircraft due to the explosion of fuel tanks or the death of a pilot was recorded (although there is an opinion that the plane of Senior Lieutenant Shumikhin was lost as a result of the pilot being hit by fire from the ground). Researcher Viktor Markovsky considers these data incomplete and, citing documents from the 40th Army Air Force and the TurkVO Air Force Command Center, informs about the loss of 33 attack aircraft and 12 pilots, noting that in this assessment he did not take into account several aircraft written off due to combat and non-combat damage. In the books of Markovsky and Ildar Bedretdinov, as well as in some other sources, you can find a description of the circumstances of the loss of 34 attack aircraft in Afghanistan (including 24 in the air and 10 on the ground) and the names of 12 dead Su-25 pilots.
Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)
The Su-25 entered service with Iraq in the second half of the 1980s. According to some sources, they took part in the war very intensively, according to others, they carried out literally several combat missions. Nothing is known about the effectiveness of their use, as well as possible losses.
Gulf War (1991)
Iraqi Su-25s did not make a single combat mission during this war, but suffered combat losses. Seven planes flew to Iran, where they were assigned to the local air force, two more were shot down by American F-15 fighters during a flight attempt, and a number were destroyed by NATO aircraft on the ground. In total, Iraq lost 31 Su-25s.
Civil war in Tajikistan (1992-1997)
During the war, Su-25s of the Russian and Uzbek air forces operated.
Abkhazian War (1992-1993)
Georgia used its Su-25s in the war. Several aircraft were destroyed by Abkhaz air defense. There is also at least one known case of the Russian Air Force Su-25 participating in the war.
Karabakh War (1991-1994)
The Su-25 was the first combat aircraft to take part in the Karabakh War. In April 1992, Russian Air Force pilot Azerbaijani Vagif Kurbanov stole his attack aircraft to Azerbaijan and flew combat missions on it until it was shot down. Later, Azerbaijan received several more aircraft. By the end of the war, Armenia also had its own Su-25s.
First Chechen war (1994-1996)
The Su-25 was the main combat aircraft used by the Russian Air Force in the Chechen conflict. At the very beginning of hostilities, Su-25 attack aircraft destroyed all Chechen aircraft on the ground. These aircraft operated most actively in the winter and spring of 1995; subsequently, aviation was used sporadically due to the nature of the war after the June truce. The attack aircraft again confirmed their high efficiency. Combat losses amounted to 5 aircraft (four were shot down and one was written off due to combat damage). Despite the high combat survivability of the Su-25, one of the aircraft was lost as a result of the death of the pilot from enemy fire from a DShK heavy machine gun - the bullets pierced the unarmored side window of the cockpit.
Congo War (1997-2002)
8 attack aircraft were purchased by the Republic of Congo in 1999. All combat missions were carried out by hired pilots from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus (since there were no trained pilots in the national air force of the Republic of the Congo).
Ethiopian-Eritrean conflict (1998-2000)
Both sides were armed with the Su-25 by the beginning of the third part of the hostilities (May-June 2000). The use of X-25 and X-29 guided missiles by Ethiopian attack aircraft has been noticed.
Second Chechen War (1999-2000)
As in the first war, Su-25s were often used to provide close air support to ground units of the federal forces, and also made “free hunting” missions. Aviation activity decreased sharply after the end of the main part of the hostilities in the spring of 2000. By mid-2001, 6 aircraft were lost.
Other conflicts
Conflict in Macedonia (2001)
Directly during the fighting, the Macedonian Air Force received several Su-25s from Ukraine and used them to attack Albanian positions.
French-Ivoirian conflict (2004)
On the afternoon of November 6, a Su-25 aircraft of the Ivorian Air Force attacked the positions of French peacekeepers, as a result of which 9 people were killed and 31 were wounded. A few hours later, French aircraft struck back at Yamoussoukro airport and destroyed both of Côte d’Ivoire’s Su-25s on the ground.
Armed conflict in South Ossetia (2008)
Su-25 attack aircraft were intensively used by the Russian and Georgian Air Forces. During the conflict, the officially confirmed losses of the Russian Air Force amounted to three Su-25s, four more were quite seriously damaged, which significantly exceeded the losses and damage to other types of aircraft used. South Ossetian and Russian sides V different times It was announced that a number of Georgian aircraft had been destroyed.
Su-25SM were used in the war, but due to the fact that these aircraft did not have an electronic warfare system, they quite often came under enemy fire. The outdated sighting system did not allow the aircraft to operate in bad weather conditions, or to use Kh-25/29 missiles at night; the attack aircraft mainly used NAR and aerial bombs.
Darfur conflict
According to international organization Amnesty International, Sudan has repeatedly used the Su-25 to attack both military and civilian targets in Darfur. The attack aircraft were supplied from Belarus in 2008-2010; According to the terms of the UN embargo imposed on Sudan, weapons supplied to the country must not be used in hostilities in Darfur.
Armed conflict in eastern Ukraine (since 2014)
Su-25 attack aircraft are used by the Ukrainian Air Force during the civil war in eastern Ukraine. As of August 22, 2014, the losses of these aircraft confirmed by the Ukrainian side were: destroyed as a result of hostilities - 3 units, damaged - 3 units. Information about the Su-25 shot down on August 20 is erroneous, in fact, according to the Council national security and Ukrainian defense information, a Su-24M front-line bomber was shot down.
Armed conflict in northern Iraq (2014)
The Su-25s, purchased by Iraq from Russia and delivered at the end of June 2014, made their first combat missions on December 25 in the skies over the outskirts of the Iraqi city of Tikrit in the province of Salah al-Din, thereby putting the militants of the extremist organization "Islamic State" to flight.
Characteristics (TTX)
Technical characteristics of the Su-25
Crew: 1 pilot
-Length: 15.36 m (with LDPE)
-Wingspan: 14.36 m
-Height: 4.8 m
-Wing area: 30.1 sq.m.
-Wing aspect ratio: 6
-Wing taper ratio: 3.38
-Sweep angle along the leading edge: 20 degrees
-Transverse V wing: -2.5 degrees
-Chassis base: 3.57 m
-Chassis track: 2.51 m
-Empty weight: 9315 kg
-Curb weight: 11,600 kg
-Normal take-off weight: 14,600 kg
-Maximum take-off weight: 17,600 kg
-Fuel mass in internal tanks: 3000 kg
-Weight of armor protection: 595 kg
- flashlight: 48.5 kg windshield (armored glass)
- cockpit: 424.9 kg
-fuel and oil systems: 121.6 kg
-Tread weight: 160 kg
-Power plant: 2 x R-95Sh turbojet engines
-Thrust: 2 x 4100 kgf (40.2 kN)
Flight characteristics
Maximum speed: 950 km/h (with normal combat load)
Cruising speed: 750 km/h
-Landing speed: 210 km/h
Combat radius: 300 km
Practical range: (with normal combat load)
-at altitude:
-without PTB: 640 km
-with 4x PTB-800: 1250 km
-near the ground:
-without PTB: 495 km
-with 4x PTB-800: 750 km
Ferry range: 1950 km
Service ceiling: 7000 m
-Maximum altitude for combat use: 5000 m
-Turning radius: 680 m (with normal combat load at 1500 m at 555 km/h)
-Rate of climb: 60 m/s (at the ground with a load of 1000 kg)
-Wing load: 485 kg/sq.m. (at normal take-off weight)
-Thrust-to-weight ratio: 0.56 / 0.466 (at normal/max. takeoff weight)
Run length:
-on a concrete runway: 550 m
-on a dirt runway: 600 m
Run length: (without drogue parachute)
-on a concrete runway: 600 m
-on a dirt runway: 700 m
Maximum operational overload:
-with normal combat load: + 6.5g
-with maximum combat load: + 5.2g
Armament
Small arms and cannon: double-barreled 30-mm cannon GSh-30-2 with 250 rounds of ammunition
Hanging points: 10
Combat load:
-normal: 1400 kg (4x FAB-250, 2x R-60, gun ammunition)
-maximum: 4400 kg
Guided missiles:
-air-to-air missiles: 2 x R-60 (AA-8)
-air-to-surface missiles: 4 x Kh-25ML or Kh-25MLP or S-25L or 2 x Kh-29L
Unguided rockets:
-256 (8 x 32) x 57 mm S-5 in UB-32 blocks or
-160 (8 x 20) x 80 mm S-8 in blocks B-8 or
-40 (8 x 5) x 122 mm S-13 in blocks B-13 or
-8 x 240 mm S-24 or 266 mm S-25
Bombs: free-falling and adjustable for various purposes, cluster bombs
-8 x 500 kg (FAB-500, RBK-500, etc.) or
-8 x 250 kg (FAB-250, RBK-250, etc.) or
-8 or 32 x 100 kg or
-8 x KMGU-2 containers
Gun containers: 4 x SPPU-22-1 with a double-barreled 23-mm GSh-23 cannon with 260 rounds
Avionics
Laser illumination station: “Klen-PS”
-Weight: 82 kg
-Range measurement accuracy: +...- 5 m
-Laser deflection angle:
-in height: ?30 degrees/+6 degrees
-in azimuth: +...- 12 degrees
-GLONASS satellite navigation system (for Su-25SM)
In service
Russia: There are about 200 aircraft of this type in service and about 100 more are in storage.
-Azerbaijan: 19 Su-25s were supplied from Belarus and Georgia + 5 Su-25s were supplied from Ukraine.
-Angola
-Armenia
-Belarus
-Bulgaria
-Gambia
-Georgia
-Democratic Republic of Congo
-Iraq
-Iran
-Kazakhstan
-DPRK
-Peru
-Sudan
-Turkmenistan
-Uzbekistan
-Ukraine
-Chad
-Equatorial Guinea
-Eritrea
-Ethiopia.
A Su-25 attack aircraft crashed on Tuesday in the Novogrudok region of Belarus, the pilot was killed, the BELTA agency reports, citing the Republic's Ministry of Defense.
Su-25 "Rook" (according to NATO codification: Frogfoot) is an armored subsonic attack aircraft, designed to provide close air support to troops during combat operations day and night with visual visibility of the target, as well as for round-the-clock destruction of objects with known coordinates in any meteorological conditions.
Work on the creation of the Su-25 attack aircraft began at the Sukhoi Design Bureau in 1968.
The construction of the prototype T8-1 aircraft was completed in November 1974, the first flight was carried out on February 22, 1975. Factory tests of two prototype Su-25 aircraft continued until October 1976, after which the aircraft were sent for modification.
In 1978, state tests of the aircraft began, which continued until 1980.
Officially adopted by government decree of March 31, 1987. By this time, the aircraft had already been in serial production for 8 years, of which 6 years had been in service and participated in combat operations in Afghanistan.
Flight characteristics of the Su-25
Dimensions:
length - 15.53 m
height - 4.8 m
wingspan - 14.36 m
wing area - 30.1 sq. m
Weight:
empty - 9315 kg
takeoff normal - 14600 kg
take-off maximum - 17533 kg
normal - 1400 kg
maximum - 4400 kg
Speed:
maximum at the ground - 970 km/h
cruising - 750 km/h
landing - 210 km/h
Maximum flight range:
near the ground - 750 km
at an altitude of 1250 km
Operating range - 300 km
Service ceiling - 7000 m
Crew - 1 person
Fuel capacity - 3000 kg
The aircraft has several modifications:
Su-25 is the first production modification of the attack aircraft; Su-25UB - two-seat combat training aircraft; Su-25UT, Su-28 - two-seat training version; Su-25UBK - export version of the Su-25UB aircraft; Su-25UTG - a two-seater aircraft for testing landing techniques using ground and deck arresting devices; Su-25BM - target towing aircraft; Su-25K - export version of the Su-25; Su-25T - anti-tank attack aircraft with new electronic equipment and weapons; Su-25TK - export version of the Su-25T; Su-25TM, Su-39 - all-weather anti-tank attack aircraft.
The armament of a serial army attack aircraft consists of means of destroying ground and air targets and a weapon control system (WCS), ensuring reliable destruction in various ways under conditions of their visual visibility.
The aircraft has 10 hardpoints located under the wing, on eight of them, designed for loading 500 kg, it carries various weapons of the following types: bombarded; guided missile; unguided rocket; cannon (artillery), and the other two - air-to-air guided missiles (UR) for close combat. In total, the aircraft can be equipped with 32 types of weapons, including high-precision weapons.
The Su-25 is designed to be operated by a minimally trained flight and ground crew. The time it takes to prepare an aircraft for departure is short.
The AMK-8 special airmobile ground support complex provides autonomous basing of the attack aircraft at poorly equipped unpaved airfields.
Serial production of the Su-25 was completed in 1992 and, according to Western experts, amounted to approximately 700 aircraft of all modifications.
Single-seat attack aircraft (Su-25, Su-25BM and Su-25T/TM) were produced at an aircraft plant in Tbilisi, two-seat (Su-25UB and Su-25UTG) - in Ulan-Ude.
Currently various options The Su-25 is in service with the Air Forces of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Uzbekistan, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Angola, Afghanistan, North Korea and Iraq, etc.
By 2020, the troops should begin to receive a new attack aircraft with dual controls based on the Su-25. It will be designed for two pilots: a navigator and an operator.
The promising vehicle should replace the Su-25SM, which, in turn, was the result of a deep modernization of the Su-25.
The Su-25SM is distinguished from the standard vehicle by a significantly wider range of weapons. The modernization affected the communication systems of radar equipment and the sighting and navigation system.
More than 30 Su-25 attack aircraft have been modernized in Russian Air Force units until 2020.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Su-25K after takeoff from the deck, drawing
Development and production
Operation history
General design data
Engine
Flight-tactical characteristics
Armament
hanging
- air-to-air missiles: 2 x R-60
- air-to-ground missiles: 4 x Kh-27PS, 2 x Kh-31, 2 x Kh-29L
- unguided missiles, bombs (up to 1265 kg)
built-in
- 1 x 30 mm gun GSh-30-2
Power point
The aircraft is equipped with two R-95Sh afterburning turbojet engines with a non-adjustable nozzle. Air enters the engines through two cylindrical channels with oval subsonic unregulated air intakes.
At the bottom of the engines there are boxes of aircraft units that take away part of the power of the turbines to rotate the electric generators that power the aircraft’s on-board network. These same generators serve as starters that spin up the compressor when starting.
Weapons and equipment
Sighting equipment The carrier-based attack aircraft was supposed to include an ASP-17BMTs aviation rifle-bomber sight and a Klen-PS laser illumination and ranging station, which ensured the destruction of targets when they were visually visible. The weapon control system ensured the use of both similar and mixed types of weapons in one attack.
Armament The aircraft included a powerful 30-mm double-barreled GSh-30-2 cannon in the fuselage; if necessary, it could be supplemented with SPPU-22 suspended containers with 23-mm GSh-23L cannons. Wide range of bomb and missile weapons also placed on an external sling. There were eight pylons under the wing in total, but with the suspension of multi-lock beam holders on them, the number of suspension points could be increased.
The attack aircraft could carry both unguided bombs and missiles, and laser-guided ones (target illumination was provided by the Klen-PS onboard laser station); If a container with a Vyuga control system was suspended on one of the pylons, the aircraft could also use anti-radar missiles of the Kh-31 and Kh-27PS types. For self-defense, a suspension of R-60 air-to-air missiles with heat guidance was provided.
Modifications
Variants of the Su-25K carrier-based attack aircraft, equipped with on-board radar
In addition to the main, single-seat version, the project also worked on a combat training two-seat version of the attack aircraft ( Su-25UBK). The preliminary design of this aircraft assumed that deck pilots would be trained on it in piloting techniques during takeoffs and landings on an aircraft carrier, as well as in aircraft navigation in open sea conditions and combat use. Unlike the one actually built educational Su-25UTG, which cannot carry a combat load when taking off from a springboard, combat training The Su-25UBK was designed to take off from a catapult, so it had to retain some of the attack aircraft’s weapons and a full-fledged sighting and navigation system.
At the level of preliminary design, improved modifications of the single-seat attack aircraft were also developed - Su-25K-1 And Su-25K-2. They were supposed to carry a more advanced sighting and navigation system, including an on-board radar.
- A selection of materials about projects of domestic aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft on the website paralay.com
Notes
Image gallery
TASS DOSSIER. On February 3, 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that while flying over the Idlib de-escalation zone in Syria, a Su-25 attack aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) crashed. The pilot managed to report the ejection in an area controlled by militants of the terrorist organization Jabhat al-Nusra (banned in the Russian Federation). The pilot died while fighting terrorists. According to preliminary information from the Russian military department, the plane was shot down from a portable anti-aircraft missile system.
The Ministry of Defense clarified that the Russian Center for Reconciliation of Warring Parties in Syria, together with the Turkish side responsible for the Idlib de-escalation zone, is taking measures to return the pilot’s body.
Su-25 (according to NATO classification - Frogfoot) is an armored subsonic all-weather turbojet attack aircraft. Designed to support ground forces over the battlefield, destroy ground targets and low-speed air targets. Developed in the first half of the 1970s at the experimental design bureau (OKB) P.O. Sukhoi (Moscow). General designer- Pavel Sukhoi, chief designer - Oleg Samoilovich. The working code of the aircraft is T-8.
The prototype first took to the air on February 22, 1975, piloted by Honored Test Pilot Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Ilyushin. The aircraft was serially built at the Tbilisi (1978-2008) and Ulan-Ude aviation plants (1978 - present). In total, the enterprises produced more than 1 thousand 300 machines of this type. It was in service with the USSR Air Force since 1981, and was officially adopted only in 1987. The Russian Ministry of Defense plans to use the aircraft in modernized versions of the Su-25SM and Su-25SM3 at least until 2020.
Flight performance
Crew - 1 person (2 in training modifications). Aerodynamic design The aircraft is a twin-engine high-wing aircraft with a trapezoidal wing, a single-fin tail and a three-legged retractable landing gear with a nose wheel. Non-afterburning turbojet engines are placed in engine nacelles at the junction of the wing and the fuselage. The cockpit and engine compartments are armored. Su-25 length - 15.53 m, height - 4.8 m, wingspan - 14.36 m. Maximum take-off weight - 16 thousand 500 kg, maximum combat load- 4 thousand 340 kg. The range of action with a combat load of 2 tons is 400 km (near the ground) and 700 km (at altitude). Maximum flight range with maximum combat load is 1 thousand 250 km, service ceiling is 7 thousand m.
Armament
Double-barreled 30 mm caliber cannon (ammunition capacity 250 rounds), 10 hardpoints can accommodate air-to-surface or air-to-air guided missiles, unguided missiles, aerial bombs, and the attack aircraft can also carry gun-cannon containers with double-barreled caliber cannons 23 mm (ammunition 260 shells).
Modifications
Su-25 - basic serial; Su-25K (“commercial”) - export version of the basic one; Su-25UB and Su-25UBK - two-seat combat training; Su-25UT and Su-28 - two-seat trainers; Su-25T (Su-39), Su-25TM, Su-25TK - anti-tank attack aircraft; Su-25BM - target towing vehicle; Su-25UTG is a training aircraft for practicing landing using ground-based and deck-based aerofinishers (operated Naval aviation Russian Navy); Su-25KM "Scorpion" - modernization for the Georgian Air Force, carried out jointly with Israel.
Combat experience
At various times, the Su-25 was in service with about 30 states; currently the armies of the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Angola, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Peru, Chad, etc. have these aircraft. They were used during military operations in Afghanistan (1981-1989), the Iran-Iraq war (1985-1988), the Gulf War (1990-1991), armed conflicts in Tajikistan (1992-1997), Abkhazia ( 1992-1993), Nagorno-Karabakh (1991-1994), Chechen Republic (1994-1996, counter-terrorism operation 1999-2009), DR Congo (1998-2000), Macedonia (2001), South Ossetia (2008 year), in Ukraine (in 2014), in northern Iraq (since 2014), in Syria (since 2015).
Accidents and disasters
The exact number of serious aviation accidents involving the Su-25 is unknown. IN open sources provides information about 12 crashes of aircraft of this type (excluding combat losses) in the USSR and the Russian Federation, as a result of which a total of 13 people died.
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