The events in Syria and the participation of the Russian air group in them drew attention to the technical fleet of our Air Force. It would be logical to assume that the most modern aircraft will be involved in the mission on the territory of a foreign state, since the number of troops is small. Among various aircraft, including the latest ones, the Su-25 “Grach” attack aircraft, which proved itself during the Afghan war, is noteworthy. What is he like? This car is famous for its fighting qualities, legends are made up about it.
Conception
The Soviet military felt the need for such a machine in the second half of the 60s. The most popular examples of flying equipment of the USSR air forces at that time were excellent combat aircraft MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-19, Su-7B and Yak-28. Some of them during the exercises carried out assault attacks on the positions of the conditional enemy, but even then it was clear to experts that in a real war the consequences of such air strikes may not be so impressive. The fact is that with all its advantages, this technique was created for other tasks. These were mainly interceptors, equipped with external pendants for additional air-to-ground weapons. However, there were attack aircraft (for example, the same Su-7B), but the rapid development of front-level air defense systems in the camp of probable opponents did not inspire much optimism. There was a Vietnam war, which provided a unique opportunity to study the experience of American pilots (often sad) and to identify the general image of a promising aircraft supporting ground operations.
Terms of Reference
In 1969, several aviation design bureaus, including the most illustrious (Mikoyan, Yakovleva, Ilyushin, Sukhoi), were invited to participate in a competition for the design of the best front-line support aircraft. All these bureaus had their own style, school and experience, including those gained during the Great Patriotic War. In the late thirties, none other than S.V. Ilyushin created an excellent Il-2 attack aircraft, performing this particular combat mission. Now they had to design something similar, only taking into account the new jet time. The plane, according to the army, should have the following qualities:
- the ability to effectively assist ground forces over the theater of ground operations;
- the ability to perform combat missions around the clock and in conditions of any visibility, even zero;
- weatherproof;
- high survivability, manifested during the active fire counteraction of the enemy;
- serious firepower and a variety of arsenal of weapons, including high-precision;
- the aircraft should be relatively simple, unpretentious to operating conditions and easy to manage.
The Sukhoi Design Bureau won the competition, it proposed a sketch of the T-8 aircraft, which became the prototype of the Grach Su-25 armored front-line attack aircraft.
Ten years of work
There is no need to tell in detail about how this aircraft was designed. He made his first take-off in 1975 (test pilot - Ilyushin), and the next he already made plans for serial production (Tbilisi Aircraft Plant). For four more years, work was underway on fine-tuning, and in 1979 production began. The project was led by M.P. Simonov and O.S. Samoilovich. The Su-25 "Grach" attack aircraft showed such impressive characteristics that it was immediately involved in military operations over the Afghan provinces, thus conducting a trial operation in real combat conditions.
Design
In appearance, this aircraft is unpretentious, it has a somewhat "hunchback" silhouette, due to the volumetric fuel tank located behind the pilot's cabin, but the impression is deceptive. Su-25 "Rook" is built according to the usual monoplane scheme. High wing, riveted fuselage. The plumage is also not distinguished by any originality. The wing is long, with a total area of ​​more than 30 square meters. m, with low sweep. There is nothing surprising in this: the Su-25 Rook is a subsonic attack aircraft, it does not require high speed. It can steadily dive with a trim on the nose at 30 degrees at 700 km / h. The tricycle landing gear, the nose strut is biased so as not to interfere with the gun. There are five fuel tanks: two in planes, one placed in the center section, and two more inside the fuselage. They are designed for three tons of kerosene. Mounting is provided for two more hanging tanks. In general, at first glance the Rook Su-25 is an ordinary airplane, without any fancy. Miracles manifest themselves in a more detailed examination of its features.
The armor is strong
Conceptually, the similarity with the distant relative of IL-2 lies in the ability to operate at low altitudes under the fire of anti-aircraft artillery and, possibly, air defense missile systems. So that the aircraft could withstand these destructive factors, the designers had to tinker fairly. The Su-25 Rook, an armored subsonic attack aircraft, consists of more than 7% of its total mass from passive defense equipment. First of all, this concerns the pilot. Behind him is a steel headrest, in front - a transparent triplex 6.5-cm armor block, and on the sides - heavy-duty titanium. Vital components and assemblies are effectively protected, systems are duplicated. The defeat of even the Stinger Su-25 Rook proved to be a very difficult task. The Soviet armored subsonic attack aircraft was returning to airfields with dozens of holes, and sometimes with the engine turned out, on one remaining.
Firepower
The main deadly power of this attack aircraft is located under the planes, at ten nodes of the external suspension. Eight of them are designed for half a ton. The total combat load is 4.4 tons. For comparison: the transport An-26 takes on board about 6 tons of cargo. The number of weapons used by the aircraft reaches 32, and it can be mounted on pylons in a variety of combinations, including guided and unguided rockets designed to hit ground and air targets, air bombs of all types, tanks with napalm (500 kg each) and hanging cannon containers. There is also a built-in 30-mm double-barreled artillery mount (GSH-30). It is difficult to even decide how to correctly call the Su-25: "Rook" or "flying tank"? Comparison will not be in favor of the land "colleague."
Caring for the pilot
During World War II pilots attack aircraft often died. Affected by special combat conditions, low altitude and lack of catapults. The K-36L seat, which is equipped with the Rook Su-25, will save the pilot, even if he needs to leave the car at zero altitude at a speed of a thousand kilometers per hour. It may even be unconscious (for example, having experienced a monstrous overload), in this case, forced fixation will work, and a stable position in space will be automatically adjusted. In addition, the already mentioned armor saves the pilot’s life with a high degree of safety. Over the entire period of operation, including in combat conditions, due to the death of the pilot in the air, not a single Su-25 Grach was lost. The armored attack aircraft withstands even a direct hit by an artillery shell.
In battles
This aircraft “debuted”, as already mentioned in this article, in the hot sky of Afghanistan. If at the beginning of the conflict Soviet aviation felt relatively safe, by the mid-eighties, Mujahideen detachments received portable air defense systems from their "American friends", which greatly complicated both transportation and combat missions. Nevertheless, the pilots who piloted the Su-25 Grach attack aircraft completed about 60 thousand sorties over the eight years of the war, each of which was quite effective. The reason for the high performance was the sighting system ASP-17BTS-8, which ensures hit accuracy, and many other avionics nodes, made including using laser technologies. An important role was also played by heat traps that distracted the Stingers from the aircraft — they were also widely used on other Soviet aircraft that flew over the Afghan theater of war. 23 aircraft were lost in the DRA; the “attack raid” averaged 2,800 hours (this is a lot). The Grach Su-25 aircraft completed 139 launches of ultra-precise guided missiles at Mujahideen resistance points, and only two of them did not reach the target.
The attack aircraft became the main "workhorse" during the first Chechen campaign (1994-1996), during this period, militants shot down four units. His merits were great at the second stage of the conflict, after which peace finally reigned in the republic.
Excellent characteristics, reliability and unpretentiousness of the aircraft contributed to its deliveries abroad. It is in service with some countries, including those included in the Warsaw block. Sadly, the best advertisement for a military aircraft is its participation in local wars, which were enough in the late XX and early XXI centuries. The Soviet attack aircraft fought in Angola (1975-2002), Iraq (1980-1988), Tajikistan (1992-1997), Abkhazia (1992-1993), Karabakh (1991-1994), Congo, Ethiopia (1998-2000), Macedonia ( 2001), again in Iraq (1991) and other “hot spots”. The mournful list in 2014 was continued by Ukraine.
Long service ahead
During the time of the "great friendship" with the United States, there was a kind of "exchange of experience" among the military personnel of the two superpowers, during which they had the opportunity to compare samples of different weapons. In particular, American pilots were given the opportunity to evaluate the flight capabilities of the Su-25 Grach. Experienced pilots who served for many years in the US Air Force were completely delighted by this seemingly unpretentious aircraft, which, as it turned out, was very convenient to fly. Despite the venerable age of development and the actual cessation of its production, the attack aircraft did not exhaust its capabilities. Currently, the Air Force and Navy of the Russian Federation are on alert about 240 "Rooks" of various modifications. In addition, the armed forces of other states are in no hurry to dismiss him. Most of them are in Belarus (about a hundred) and Ukraine (35), but their military pilots pilot another ten countries. Since 1999, a deep modernization of the technical fleet of the Russian Air Force has been carried out, including the Su-25 Grach aircraft. The Russian armored subsonic attack aircraft will be in service at least until 2020.