Su-25 FROGFOOT Grach (Rook)
Su-39 FROGFOOT
The Su-25, which is no longer in serial production, made its first flight in 1979. This single seat ground attack aircraft is a very durable airplane - it is fairly heavily armored -- and easy to service - all service equipment can be stored in a container and transported by the airplane itself. It is armed with one twin barrel 30mm gun in the bottom of the fuselage with 250 rounds. There are 8 pylons under the wings which can carry about 4,000 kg of air-to-ground weapons, including 57mm to 330mm rockets. There are two small outboard pylons for AA-2D/ATOLL or AA-8/APHID AAMs.
The wings are high-mounted and back-tapered with straight trailing edges. There are pods mounted at the square tips. There are two turbojets mounted alongside the body under the wings. There are semicircular air intakes forward of the wings’ leading edges. There are exhausts to the rear of the wings’ trailing edges. The fuselage is long, and slender and has a rounded nose. The body tapers to the rear section that overhangs the exhausts. There is a stepped canopy. The tail is swept-back and fin is tapered with a square tip. The flats mid-mounted on the fuselage, unequally tapered with blunt tips.
Su-25, a multirole twin-engine attack fighter for close air support (this type of aircraft is called ”shturmovik” in Russia) was developed in the 1960s. The Su-25 is designed for highly precision destruction of ground targets in all weather conditions by day or night, primarily destruction of armoured targets, bridges, means of transport, firing positions, command and control elements, convoys, motorways, railways, combat helicopters etc. Its combat capabilities, resistance, striking power and efficiency make it fully comparable with its American counterpart A-10 Thunderbolt. Its structure, universal electronic equipment and especially wide range of multipurpose weaponry and the possibility of its application in the most demanding conditions make the Su-25 suitable for close air support of ground units.
There are two versions of the aircraft with almost identical parameters, a single-seat Su-25K, and a two-seat Su-25UBK which is used for training of pilots for this type while keeping all the advantages of a single-seat modification and all capabilities of a combat application. Standard equipment of the aircraft is an internal 30 mm AO-17A gun with 250 rounds. Other optional weaponry includes pods with 57 mm up to 330 mm rockets, and a number of air-to surface missiles including Ch-23 (AS-7 Kerry), Ch-25 (AS-10 Karen) and Ch-29 (AS-14 Kedge). A built-in laser target illuminator in the nose permits homing of air-to-surface missiles, sliding and cluster bombs and multi-purpose laser-guided weaponry. For longer distances, a laser target illuminator can be mounted in a pod under the wing. R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) air-to-air missiles provide self defence against enemy aircraft. For ground targets destruction, it can be additionally fitted with a SPPU-22 machine gun. Su-25 can take off and land with armament load on limited runways even without reinforced surface. In mountainous regions at the altitude of about 3,000 m above the sea level, take-off and landing runways of 1,200 m are sufficient to permit its operation. This makes it possible to reduce the distance from the theater of operation, frequently change the take-off site, and conduct surprise strikes against enemy ground targets.
The upgraded SU-25KM “Scorpion” is enhanced with the most advanced avionics, designed to elevate its unique capabilities and to provide a head-start into the 21st century as a model for close-attack aircraft. Avionics include “Glass cockpit” arrangement; digital map generator; display and sight helmet; computerized weapons system; complete mission pre-plan capability; fully redundant backup modes; extremely reliable and very easy to maintain. Performance enhancements include: Highly accurate navigation; pinpoint weapon delivery systems; all weather and day/night performance; NATO compatibility; high level of situational awareness; state-of-the art safety and survivability features; advanced onboard debriefing capabilities complying with international requirements.
The Su-39 (also known as the Su-25T or Su-25TM) is a Frogfoot variant incorporating post-Afghanistan lessons-learned. It is based on the Su-25UB two-seat trainder, with the rear seat and cockpit replaced with a fuel cell and extra avionics. The Su-39 carries the Kopyo-25 multi mode radar in a pod under the fuselage. Armament includes ground attack missiles such as the AT-16 Vikhr , anti-ship missiles, and AAMs such as the R-27, R-27ER, R-60, R-73 and R-77. A four-fold reduction in thermal signature has been achieved through cooling intakes on the upper surface of aircraft, and a new center body which masks hot turbine blades. Only a few dozen of these aircraft have been built. Reports in the mid-1990s that the Su-39 designation had been assigned to a primary trainer derived from the Su-26 and Su-29 aerobatic competition aircraft, designed to replace the Yak-52, are apparently incorrect.
Two aircraft of the Sukhoi Attack Aircraft Concern (Sturmoviki Sukhogo in Russian) shown at a static display during the MAKS 2001 air show. The Su-39 (Su-25TM) had been displayed earlier and was well known, while the Su-25SM upgraded by the Air Force's 121st aircraft repair plant at Kubinka was shown for the first time. The Su-25 upgrade is aimed at expanding their combat capabilities, enhancing lethality and slashing operating and maintenance burden. The plane's navigational accuracy is improved by an order of magnitude while its ordnance's efficiency is increased two to three times. The upgrade increases combat payload on the new MBD3-U2T-1 bomb racks up to 5,000 kg and expands their ordnance list allowing R-73E air-to-air guided missiles and S-13T rockets.
VARIANTS
- Su-25 (Frogfoot A) -- Original production ground attack aircraft with R-95 engines
- Su-25K -- Export version of Su-25 (commercial)
- Su-25UB (Frogfoot B) (UB - Uchebno-Boevoi, Combat Trainer) -- Two-seat combat trainer
- Su-25UBK -- Export version of Su-25UB
- Su-25UBP -- Naval trainer based on Su-25UB
- Su-25UT (Frogfoot B) (UT - Uchebno-Trenirovochnyi, Trainer) -- Unarmed primary trainer (sometimes referred to as Su-28)
- Su-25UTG (Frogfoot B) (UTG - Uchebno-Trenirovochnyi Gakovyi, Trainer Naval) -- Naval trainer based on Su-25UT
- Su-25BM -- Enhanced ground attack aircraft with R-195 engines, this is the current production version, and the most numerous in Russian service
- Su-25T (Su-25TM Tankovyi Modifitsirovannyi, Antitank) -- Proposed enhanced version with more armour, improved sensors, and possibly a new gun and engines [Su-25T's production designation is Su-39]
- Su-25TK -- Proposed export version of Su-25T tank-buster
- Su-25TM -- all-weather multirole aircraft
- Su-25TM -- (Su-39) export version - Su-39 strike shield
- Su-25K -- shipborne catapult - assisted attack aircraft (project)
- Su-25 -- recce aircraft (project)
- Su-25B -- (project)
- Su-25UZ -- Russian Troika three-seat trainer (project)
- Su-25SM - A Su-25 upgrade
- Su-25UBM -- upgraded combat trainer
- Su-25U -- combat trainer
- Su-25KM -- Scorpion aircraft
