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| CATEGORIES ABOUT SUKHOI SU-25 | |
| jet aircraft | |
| anti-tank aircraft | |
| cold war attack aircraft | |
| soviet attack aircraft 1970-1979 | |
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The Su-25 ( NATO Reporting Name ''''Frogfoot'''') is a battlefield Attack , Close Air Support , and anti-tank aircraft designed by the Soviet Union . It remains in service with Russia and the CIS , as well as a variety of export customers. DEVELOPMENT The Su-25 was designed by Sukhoi as a result of studies in the late 1960s on an aircraft to fill the ''Shturmovik'' ground attack role (so-named after the famous Ilyushin Il-2 of World War II renown). The Frogfoot is heavily armed, with a Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2 30mm cannon and various air-to-ground munitions; it can carry more than 4,000 kg of weaponry in the ground-attack role. It is comparable to the A-10 Thunderbolt II , although it more closely resembles the Northrop YA-9 , which lost the USAF competition that produced the A-10. (The same requirement led to the development of Fighter Bomber versions of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 , culminating in the definitive MiG-27 , although those aircraft share nothing with the Su-25 in design.) The first prototype, with the bureau designation T-8-1, made its first flight on 22 February 1975 . Development problems delayed its service entry until April 1981 . Early examples that were observed by the west were spotted at the Zhukovsky flight test centre near the town of Ramenskoye , resulting in the temporary codename of '''Ram-J.''' The Ram-J was initially believed to have overwing mounted Turbojets and a Tailplane mounted midway up the vertical stabilizer, unlike the actual aircraft. The Su-25, which is called ''Grach'' ( Rook ) in CIS service, was heavily used by the Soviet Union during its operations in Afghanistan in the 1980s. 22 Su-25 were lost in this conflict. Some two-seat Su-25UB Trainer s were built, including a small number for the AVMF designated '''Su-25UTG'''. They had strengthened airframes and an Arresting Hook for practicing Aircraft Carrier landings. The first Su-25UTG flew in September 1988 , and about ten were produced. About half remain in Russian service, used with Russia's sole carrier, the '' Admiral Kuznetsov ''. The Russian navy ordered ten more '''Su-25UBP''' aircraft, much like the earlier Su-25UTG, but with a retractable Aerial Refueling probe. More advanced attack variants, the Su-25T (alternatively, '''Su-34''', although the OKB appears to have given that designation to the 'Flanker' derivative, the Su-34 "Platypus") and later '''Su-25TM''' ('''Su-39'''), were developed with an improved nav/attack system, better survivability, and capability of carrying new precision-guided weapons. Only a handful of each version has been produced. The Su-25 is no longer in production, but it is still flown by the Air Force s of Afghanistan , Angola , Armenia , Azerbaijan , Belarus , Bulgaria , Czech Republic , Ethiopia , Georgia , Iran , Iraq , Kazakhstan , Republic Of Macedonia , North Korea , Peru , Russia , Slovakia , Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan , Ukraine . Until recently, Côte D'Ivoire 's (Ivory Coast) air force owned 2 Su-25s before they were destroyed after being used to attack French peacekeepers. The Sukhoi Su-28 was built as a variant of the Su-25UB, which adopted the role of primary trainer and demonstrator. SPECIFICATIONS (SU-25 LATE PRODUCTION)
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