THE RUSIAN ‘TANKBUSTER’
- Aviation Features
- THE RUSIAN ‘TANKBUSTER’
5th July 2018
FEATURE
The Sukhoi Su-25 ‘Frogfoot’ was developed as a rugged close air support aircraft. It too has been upgraded with modest projects to help keep it relevant for more modern campaigns.
Around 130 Su-25s remain in Russian Aerospace Forces service and all are set to be upgraded to SM3 standard. Dmitriy Pichugin
THE SU_25 ‘FROGFOOT’ is a single-seat, heavily armored, subsonic close air support (CAS) aircraft. Early in the Syrian campaign, the Su-25 was, along with the Su-24, the most numerous aircraft in the Russian contingent in the country — 12 Su-25SM/ UB attack aircraft from the 960th Attack Aviation Regiment at Primorsko-Akhtarsk were initially stationed in Syria. Under the ‘first withdrawal’ of the Russian forces from Syria in March 2016, all the Su- 25s returned to Russia. Later, a handful returned to Syria, but never more than four jets. One may speculate that the Su-25s turned out to be much less useful there than the Su-24s and Su-34s. For example, the weapon loads carried by the Su-25s were surprising small. They usually flew with just four 250kg (551lb) bombs, although they are capable of carrying up to four tonnes of weapons.
The Su-25 began its combat career in Afghanistan. Two test aircraft, T8-1D and T8-3, were deployed to Shindand, Afghanistan, for trials in April 1980. In June 1981, the first full operational squadron of 12 aircraft was deployed there. During the Afghan war the Su-25 matured as a simple CAS aircraft that was rugged and resistant to enemy fire.
Afghan war experience heralded many changes in the design, including hydraulic boosters in the aileron control system to increase permitted speed from 459 to 540kt (850 to 1,000km/h), redesigned aerodynamic brakes on the wingtips to enhance their effectiveness, and additional infra-red decoy dispensers and armor plating to protect the engines. According to Sukhoi, Su-25s flew 60,000 sorties in Afghanistan and combat losses amounted to 23 aircraft.
It’s worth noting the weapons used in Afghanistan. The primary munition types used by the Su-25s were the cannon, bombs and unguided rockets. They employed guided missiles from April 1986 onwards, but in total they fired only 139 examples in this campaign.
Improved ‘Frogfoot’
The Su-25SM mid-life upgrade was initiated in 1999 with the aim of replacing the entire avionics suite with the new PrNK-25SM (Pritselno-Navigatsionnyi Kompleks, targeting and navigation complex) Bars, which is controlled by the SOI-U-25 (Sistema Obrabotki Informatsii i Upravleniya, data-processing and control system) with a BTsU-25 computer.
The KAI-1-01 head-up display replaces the original ASP-17 sight; a single MFTsI-0332M multi-function display is also added. The first upgraded aircraft, Su-25SM-1 ‘33 Red’, flew on March 5, 2002, and series upgrades started at the ARZ 121 repair plant at Kubinka in 2006.
The first six aircraft were handed over to the Russian Air Force on December 28, 2006. In total, four test and 80 operational aircraft were modernized to Su-25SM standard by 2014.
Su-25SM3
In 2014, the more advanced Su-25SM3 standard was emerging. Aircraft were slowly modified at Kubinka but were not delivered and instead awaited the completion of formal evaluations. Only in 2018 was the first batch of reportedly 22 upgraded Su-25SM3s delivered. Reports suggest that all surviving Su-25s will be upgraded to SM3 standard, including the Su-25SMs.
The cockpit of the upgraded Su-25SM features a new multifunction display. Piotr Butowski
A Su-25SM, one of the 80 operational jets so modified. Piotr Butowski
A wonderfully weathered Su-25 on final approach to land. The Su-25SM3 upgrade is now gathering pace. Piotr Butowski
The reason for the delay is attributed mainly to the SOLT-25 targeting system, which was not ready. Dividing the work into stages and adding the SOLT-25 later was considered, but eventually it was decided to wait.
The SOLT-25 (Sistema Optiko-Lazerno- Teplotelevizionnaya, optical-laserthermo- television system), produced by Zverev Zenith of Krasnogorsk, is fitted in the Su-25SM3’s nose in place of the basic Klyon-PS laser rangefinder/target designator. The Su-25SM3 also features the PrNK-25SM-1 targeting and navigation system that enables the simultaneous attack of four targets (compared with two in the SM version). The new L370K-25 Vitebsk-25 self-defense suite couples the Zakhvat infra-red sensor and L150-16M Pastel radar warning sensors, L370-3S active jammer in two pods on the wingtips, and a UV-26M decoy dispensing system. The UV-26M system controls the 26mm chaff/flares on the engine nacelles and 28 new 50mm downward-firing decoys fitted under the fuselage. A new KSS-25 communication suite is added too.
In comparison to the Su-25SM, the SM3 version adds Kh-58USh antiradiation missiles (up to two) and KAB-500S satellite-guided bombs (up to two). The remaining air-to-ground guided ordnance is similar to that of the Su-25SM and includes up to two Kh-29L/T/TD/TE missiles, up to two KAB-500Kr guided bombs and up to four Kh-25ML or S-25L/LD laserguided missiles. R-73 (AA-11 ‘Archer’) air-to-air missiles are carried for selfprotection. Two-seat upgraded aircraft are designated as the Su-25UBM2. An alternative SVP-24-25 upgrade from Gefest&T was tested but rejected.
In 2012, Sukhoi won a tender for the design of the Perspektivnyi Samolyot Shturmovik (PSSh, Future Attack Aircraft), codenamed ‘Shershen’ (hornet). It’s expected that the Sukhoi PSSh will be a development of the Su-25. The Ulan-Ude plant retains the infrastructure for Su-25 production, but the new project has stagnated.
A Su-25M lets rip with two S-25 heavy unguided rockets. Dmitriy Pichugin
Current status
Single-seat versions of the Su-25 were manufactured at the Tbilisi, Georgia, plant between 1979 and 1992, while two-seat examples came from the Ulan-Ude factory in Russia between 1987 and 1992. About 1,320 Su-25s were built and Russia currently has some 130 Su-25s in service with combat and training units, plus dozens more in storage. Other than the units listed in the table, re-establishment of two previously disbanded Su-25 regiments is planned. The first is the 266th Attack Aviation Regiment based at Step (Olovyannaya), 94nm (175km) southeast of Chita and approximately as far from the Chinese border. This base is now being thoroughly refurbished; the runway has been lengthened and the regiment will likely obtain Su-25s from Domna, which is being re-equipped with Su-30SMs. The other unit is the 899th Attack Aviation Regiment based at Buturlinovka, about 76nm (140km) from the Ukrainian border. This base is currently equipped with Su-34s while Voronezh is being refurbished.
