There are many legendary aircraft in Soviet and Russian aviation , the names of which are known to everyone who is interested in military equipment to one degree or another. The Rook also belongs to those - SU-25 attack aircraft. The technical characteristics of this machine are so good that it is not only actively used to this day in armed conflicts around the world, but is also undergoing modernization.
General information
As already mentioned, this is an attack aircraft. Flight speed - subsonic; has a good reservation. The machine is designed to cover the advancing troops or independent actions as part of the aviation units, can strike at enemy forces and armored vehicles, flies at any time and in almost all meteorological conditions. What else can be given for the SU-25
description? The performance characteristics of this aircraft are so versatile that you can devote a whole book to them! However, let's try to get by with a rather brief article.
The first flight was carried out at the end of February 1975. The machine has been heavily used since 1981, aircraft were involved in all armed conflicts in the territory of the former USSR, and not only. The last episode of the application is the 2008 war in Ossetia. Today it is known that the attack aircraft of this series will be in service with our army at least until 2020, but - subject to the availability of modern modifications and the State order to continue their release - this period is clearly shifted indefinitely. At the moment, Russia has about 200 SU-25. The technical characteristics of the vehicles on combat duty are supported by their constant modernization to modern realities.
Background
Around the mid-60s, the military priorities of the USSR and the USA underwent dramatic changes. At that time, it became completely clear that the idea, cherished until then, of crushing the enemy with nuclear weapons was a senseless suicide on a global scale. Everyone came to the conclusion that we should focus on the use of conventional weapons. That is why the military of both superpowers once again paid close attention to the development of front-line aviation as the main strike force in all conflicts of recent years.
In those years, the USSR was armed with:
MiG-19, MiG-21, Su-7B, as well as the Yak-28. These machines were very good, but they were completely unsuitable for working directly on the battlefield. They had too high flight speed, and therefore physically could not maneuver and hit small targets. In addition, the complete absence of booking put an end to their assault qualities: when attacking ground targets for these aircraft, any machine gun could pose a mortal danger. It was then that the prerequisites for the appearance of the SU-25 were laid. The technical characteristics of the new machine had to be somewhat similar to those for the legendary IL-2: armor, maneuverability, low flight speed and weapons.
Development Brief
Thus, the troops urgently needed a specialized aircraft. Sukhoi Design Bureau soon submitted the T-8 project, which was developed by engineers on an initiative basis. In addition to him, in 1969, the IL-102 was present at the competition, but the future Grach favorably differed from it in small dimensions, armor and maneuverability. That is why the “kitchen” development was given the green light, and the new attack aircraft passed all the tests with honor. This was largely due to the fact that the designers applied the principle of maximum survivability of a combat vehicle in all possible conditions when creating it.
Particular attention was paid to the ability of the attack aircraft to resist the MANPADS, which at that time began to appear en masse in the troops of a potential enemy. It was the American "Stingers" that became the real headache of our helicopter pilots in Afghanistan, and therefore all the measures taken were not superfluous.
"Tank" option
The SU-25T aircraft was created in a slightly different way. The history and characteristics of its weapons are directly related to the development of armored vehicles of that period. NATO made the final bet on heavy and perfectly protected tanks, and therefore required a special "subspecies" of the attack aircraft, which could conduct an attack at even lower speeds, providing better target destruction.
This modification was adopted for service in 1993. Differences from the standard "Rook" are small, but they are. The general unification with the “parent” aircraft is 85%. The main difference is the more advanced sighting equipment and the Whirlwind anti-tank missile system. Unfortunately, with the collapse of the Union, out of 12 cars built, only 8 entered Russia. No further production and modernization of these aircraft was made. Sadly, the SU-25T, whose flight and technical characteristics made it possible to confidently hit all Western tanks, no longer fly and are placed in an eternal parking lot in the Lipetsk center.
Key design features
Design was carried out using a well-established normal aerodynamic design with a high location of the carrier wing. Unlike fighters, due to this solution, the attack aircraft gets the maximum degree of maneuverability at subsonic speeds.
For a long time, specialists struggled over the optimal aerodynamic layout of the machine, but the effort spent did not sink in: there are high lift coefficients in all types of combat maneuvering, excellent flight aerodynamics, excellent maneuverability when approaching ground attack targets. Due to the special aerodynamics of the SU-25, the technical characteristics of which are discussed in the article, it has the ability to go on the attack at critical angles, while maintaining high flight safety. In addition, the aircraft can dive at a speed of up to 700 km / h, while having an inclination of up to 30 degrees.
All this, as well as an excellent reservation complex, more than once allowed pilots to return to base on an engine alone, with a fuselage pierced through and broken up by MANPADS rocket explosions and heavy machine gun bullets.
Machine security
All the flight technical characteristics of the SU-25 attack aircraft would cost a little, if not for the degree of protection of the machine. And this degree is high. The take-off weight of the Grach consists of more than 7% of booking elements and other protective systems. The weight of this stuff is more than a ton! All vital flight systems are not only maximally protected, but also duplicated. But the developers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau focused on protecting the fuel system and the cockpit.
All of its capsule is made of titanium alloy ABVT-20. The thickness of the armor is (in different places) from 10 to 24 mm. Even the frontal glazing is a monolithic block TSK-137 with a thickness of 65 mm, which provides the pilot with protection from bullets, including a very large caliber. The thickness of the pilot’s armor plate is 10 mm. The head is protected by a 6 mm plate. Not bad, is it? But that's not all.
In all directions, the pilot is reliably protected from firing from weapons with a caliber of up to 12.7 mm inclusive, and the frontal projection prevents him from being hit by a barrel weapon, the caliber of which is up to 30 mm inclusive. In a word, the SU-25 aircraft, whose technical characteristics are beyond praise, can stand up not only for itself, but also for the life of the pilot who controls it.
About evacuation options
In emergency cases, the K-36L ejection seat is responsible for saving the pilot. It can be used in all flight modes, at all speeds and meteorological conditions. Before ejection, the cockpit lantern is reset by the use of squibs. The seat is ejected manually; for this, the pilot needs to simultaneously pull two handles.
Attack aircraft armament
Of course, the SU-25 Rook, whose tactical and technical characteristics are considered on the pages of this article, simply cannot be poorly armed. It is equipped with aircraft guns, guided and unguided bombs, NURSES, as well as air-to-air guided missiles can be hung on the external suspension. In total, the designers provided for the possibility of carrying at least 32 types of various weapons. The main standard - 30-mm gun GSH-30-2.
Note that all this description of the SU-25K aircraft of the 8th production series, which is now in service with the Russian Air Force. There are other modifications (like the SU-25T), but these cars are so few that they do not play any special role. However, let us return to the disclosure of the characteristics of the Rook.
Other weapons - mounted, set depending on the characteristics of those tasks that the pilot of the attack aircraft will have to solve during the battle. Under each wing there are five suspension points for various types of weapons. Guided missiles are mounted on launchers of the APU-60 model; for other bombs, missiles and NURSs, pylons of the BDZ-25 type are used. The maximum weight of weapons that an attack aircraft can carry is 4,400 kg.
Basic performance characteristics
So that you better imagine what the Su-25 attack aircraft is capable of, the technical characteristics of the latter are better given in the form of a list:
- The full wingspan is 14.36 m.
- The total length of the aircraft is 15.36 m.
- Case height - 4.80 m.
- The total wing area is 33.70 m.
- The weight of an empty aircraft is 9500 kg.
- The standard take-off weight is 14,600 kg.
- The maximum take-off weight is 17600 kg.
- Engine type - 2hTRD R-195 (on the first aircraft - R95Sh).
- The maximum speed at the ground is 975 km / h.
- The maximum flight range (with hanging tanks) is 1850 km.
- The radius of use at maximum height is 1250 km.
- The limit of flight above the ground, in combat conditions - 750 km.
- The flight ceiling is 10 km.
- Effective altitude of combat use (max.) - 5 km.
- The maximum overload in combat mode - 6.5 G.
- The crew is one pilot.
Do you know where the SU-25 attack plane, the technical characteristics of which we just reviewed, first recommended itself?
Afghanistan
In March 1980, a batch of cars, despite the fierce protests of engineers who did not manage to bring them to the desired "condition", was sent to Afghanistan. The pilots did not have the proper experience of war in the mountains, the airfield itself was located significantly above sea level. That is why the first weeks of the flight groups constantly improved tactics and revealed the "childhood illnesses" of the aircraft, which were especially pronounced in the difficult conditions of the mountains.
Already in the second week, new equipment was launched in the province of Farakh. And immediately it became clear that the USSR received excellent attack aircraft. Despite the fact that at first the engineers did not recommend loading the Rooks with ammunition weighing more than four tons, such a need arose very soon. Unlike the Su-17, which could take a maximum of 1.5 tons of bombs, the new attack aircraft lifted eight heavy five-hundred-kilogram shells into the sky, which made it possible to permanently seal bunkers and caves in which the Mujahideen were hiding. Even then, the military began ardently advocating for the speedy adoption of the machine into service.
Fighting MANPADS
Through the efforts of Americans and Chinese, Afghans quickly developed modern MANPADS. To combat them, ASO-2 suspension systems were used, each cassette of which had 32 infrared traps. Eight of these complexes could be hung on each plane. This allowed the pilot with minimal risk to make up to nine ground attack on every combat mission.