Su-25SM FROGFOOT Grach (Rook)
In 1999, Russia adopted a program to upgrade part of its aging Su-25 fleet. The Russian Air Force received the first six modernized planes, Su-25SM, in December 2006. Starting in 2001, Design Bureau has been implementing a program to upgrade the Su-25 planes in service in the Air Forces of Russia (Su-25SM). The Su-25 aircraft has been in service with the Russian Air Force for more than 25 years. But, despite its enormous survivability, confirmed by numerous tests, by the beginning of the 21st century, this aircraft was outdated. At the moment, it does not meet the current requirements for the composition of on-board radio electronics and high-precision weapons. The modernization of the aircraft to the Su-25SM version solved all the existing problems. In 2001, the Sukhoi Design Bureau began a program to modernize the famous Su-25 into an improved version of the Su-25SM attack aircraft. On March 5, 2002, this updated aircraft made its first flight under the control of the design bureau's test pilot I.Ye.Solovyov. The main organizer of the program was the 121st Aircraft Repair Plant of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, located in the city of Kubinka. The whole range of work on improving the aircraft was carried out under the guidance of the Design Bureau engineers. Now the 121st Aircraft Repair Plant is a JSC and is one of the largest enterprises for the improvement and repair of aircraft engines and attack aircraft of combat aviation. Work on the modernization of the Su-25 aircraft into an improved version of the Su-25SM has become one of the most important and priority for the 121st plant in Kubinka. The engineers decided to create an almost new attack aircraft, even re-riveting the center section of the previous version of the aircraft. The cost of this machine will be much less than if the aircraft was created from scratch. The plant, although it specializes in the repair of attack aircraft around the world, but basically only Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft undergo modernization stages.
The Su-25SM 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.
The Su-25SM is a Mid-life refurbishing program for the original Su-25. Many of the old components are kept. The double barrel 30mm Cannon is left in the nose, which says that there are few improvements in this area. The Laser targeting system is replaced with a modernized version with a limited video camera channel, no Zoom or Night Vision Video features like those in the Su-39's Kair Fire Control based system. The old style Reflector Sight (with Telescopic Bomb Sight) is replaced with an LCD screen and an Electronic Heads Up Display. Of course, these features were standard on the late production Su-25T.
The management of the plant decided that it makes no sense in the process of improving the attack aircraft, to modernize the power plant (2 turbojet engines Z-95Sh with a thrust of 41,000 kgf each), which had previously proven its reliability and survivability during combat missions. In addition, the fact that attack aircraft had a reserve to increase their resources was taken into account. Refinement on the Su-25SM engines, which was associated with surge, was nevertheless carried out by analogy with the Su-25T variant. All this greatly expanded the possible modes of use of weapons during any sorties. After that, improvements were made to the power plant as part of the electronic type rotating stall signaling device, the engines now have a different index R-95Sh Letter SM. During the overhaul on this aircraft, it became possible to install the R-195 engine.
A modernized Su-25SM (T-8SM) aircraft was created for use under difficult weather conditions, which are most often observed in Central and Eastern Europe, where the lower edge of clouds at an altitude of 400 meters can be observed on 75% of days a year. Therefore, the height of the bombing in the operating mode should be 200-300 meters. In addition, the pilot needs to drop ammunition, both from complex maneuvers, ensured by the accuracy of hitting the target, and as part of horizontal flight.
Engineers in the process of improving the aircraft was completely updated avionics. From the old avionics, they left only the Klen-PS - a laser rangefinder sight, and in the near future they planned to replace it with another version with increased power and accuracy. But the airframe of the aircraft was completely preserved from the previous model, no changes were made here. Therefore, in the existing attack aircraft fuselage, which retained its original configuration, new details were added, namely electrical harnesses and electronic systems and blocks.
Saving about 300 kg of on-board equipment became possible due to the transition of the aircraft to the latest avionics. Through this, the engineers were able to transfer important blocks from the tail of the attack aircraft, which is the most vulnerable to MANPADS and missiles, to the nose of the aircraft, which is more reliably protected. In addition, the implemented amount of improvements significantly increased the survivability of the aircraft.
The capabilities of this aircraft during the battle were significantly increased due to the installation of the latest PrNK-25SM complex of the Bars sighting and navigation type, which was specially designed for this attack aircraft. The complex now included information processing and display systems, an electronic intelligence station, short-range and satellite navigation systems, a digital computer, an automatic radio complex, the Karat-B-25 onboard system and other innovations.
The Su-25SM aircraft are also equipped with the L-150 radar warning station. In front of the attack aircraft, the Klen-PS was installed - a laser ranging and illumination station, aimed at providing guidance to the target of the SD using laser homing heads.
The result of the modernization is a new version of the Su-25SM attack aircraft, which is an aircraft whose combat effectiveness has increased by 1.5 times. The inertial satellite navigation system contributed to the accuracy of determining coordinates without the use of satellite correction of about 15 meters, and with correction of about 200 meters. In addition to all this, the new aircraft is equipped with a variable rate of fire from an aircraft cannon, which significantly increased the possibility of successful attacks on the target. The VPU-17A cannon, equipped with a double-barreled 30-mm GSh-2-30 (9-A-623) cannon, now has a rate of fire of 1:1, 1:4, 1:8, 1:16. The design bureau also implemented the latest modes as part of the combat use of the aircraft, allowing the use of air-to-surface missiles during level flight through the use of precise program-correcting target settings.
The first Su-25SM aircraft was upgraded in 1999. At least 2-3 were upgraded up to 2005, when 6 more aircraft were upgraded. The modernization of the first 4 attack aircraft at the 121st plant in Kubinka took place back in 2002-2004. State flight tests of the new aircraft were completed in 2005. Special flight tests were carried out during 2006. After their passage, the attack aircraft was recommended as a mass modernization. In 2007, the first two Su-25SM, passed all the necessary modernization measures were recommended for combat use / crew training on them and sent to the Center in Lipetsk. The side numbers of these attack aircraft are 87 red and 19 red.
But the problem is the original Su-25 was made in Tbilisi, Georgia. That factory is now out of Russia's control. The Aviation Repair Plant #121 doing the Su-25SM upgrades in Russia had less than 2,000 Sq. meters of factory floor space, and is actually just a Hangar with a Machine shop. It would be difficult for this facility to upgrade all 200 active Su-25 aircraft within a sensible period of time [that is, years not decades]. So Russia might have to either have to scrap many of them without replacement, or use the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant to build new Su-39 aircraft.
The first six Su-25SMs were accepted by the Russian Air Force in December 2006. The operation of the plant was far more transparent since it was privatised in May 2007, and its production dynamics can be traced by means of its annual reports. According to the reports, the company rolled out six more Su-25SMs in 2007, eight more in 2008 and 13 more in 2009. More Su-25s from line units are being converted to Su-25SM standard in the shops of the company. While the plant had overhauled three to four in-service Su-25UBs yearly, it was slated to begin to upgrade Su-25UB twin seaters to Su-25UBM standard starting from 2011.
Air Force spokesman Col. Vladimir Drik said on 21 February 2012 that Russia will continue to upgrade its outdated Su-25 attack aircraft to Su-25SM version, which has a significantly better survivability and combat effectiveness. The Russian Air Force currently had over 30 Su-25SM planes in service and plans to modernize about 80 Su-25s by 2020, Drik said.
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