No A-10 Warthog: Russia's Su-25 Has Had a Tough Time in Ukraine
The Frogfoot has proven to be less valuable in modern combat scenarios. Since the onset of Russia’s Ukraine invasion, several Su-25s have been eliminated.
One of the most tried and trusted Soviet-era fighter jets is the Su-25. Unlike some of its counterparts, the “Frogfoot” has served in numerous Soviet and Russian war zones over its four-plus decades in service. The single-seat, twin-engine jet was designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau during the Cold War in order to challenge the American-made A-10 Thunderbolt II “Warthog” airframe.
Introducing the NATO-designated “Frogfoot”
Prior to the production of the Su-25, Soviet pilots were flying fighter-bombers that did not fulfill the country’s requirement for close air support of the army. While the Su-7, Su-17, and MiG-21 were solid platforms, they lacked certain protective measures that better-protected pilots and the airframe from ground fire and missile hits. To rectify these shortcomings, the USSR tasked leading manufacturers to compete to create a new battlefield close-support aircraft. Ultimately Sukhoi’s T-8 design was awarded as the winner of the competition and the Su-25 was born.
Specs & capabilities
Perhaps the Su-25’s greatest asset was its armament power. The fighter’s wings possess ten pylons for lugging a vast range of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapon systems. As detailed by Airforce Technology, “Air-to-ground missiles include Kh-23 (Nato codename AS-7 Kerry), Kh-25ML (AS-10 Karen) and Kh-29l (AS-14 Kedge). The air-to-air missiles carried on the smaller outboard pylons are the R-3S (AA-2D Atoll) and the R-60 (AA-8 Aphid). The aircraft can be fitted with UB-32A pods for 57mm S-5 rockets, B-8M1 pods for 80mm S-8 rockets, S-24 240mm guided rockets and S-25 330mm guided rockets.”
In terms of radar and sensors, the base Frogfoot variant features a sophisticated rangefinder that is widely considered to be a top-tier avionics system. Other notable additions to the Su-25 include a DISS-7 Doppler radar, a Gardeniya radar jammer, and an SPO-15 Sierna-3 radar warning receiver. Two Soyuz/Gavirlov R-195 turbojet engines give the aircraft a maximum speed of 950km/hr.
Combat history
Despite some of the Frogfoot’s more advanced qualities, these airframes have not been impervious in conflict. During the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s, the American-made Stinger missiles fired by Afghan fighters were easily able to shoot down many Frogfoots in the skies. The Su-25 would later see combat in the Iran-Iraq War and the Abkhazia War. Following the collapse of the USSR, many former Eastern Bloc nations gained Frogfoot regiments, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and others.
Today, the Frogfoot has proven to be less valuable in modern combat scenarios. Since the onset of Russia’s Ukraine invasion, several Su-25s have been eliminated. Ukraine’s 110th Mechanized Brigade and the Ukrainian Defense Ministry announced this summer that seven Russian Frogfoots had been destroyed in the war. While this number cannot be verified, analysts have confirmed at least two of these takedowns.
As Russia’s invasion continues, the country’s already dwindling aerial fleet will undoubtedly get even smaller as Kyiv’s arsenal of Western-delivered weapons increases. Considering the Frogfoot’s largely outdated functions, the Soviet-era jet will likely suffer more hits.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image Credit: Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock
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