Sturmovik "Grach" Su-25: description, technical characteristics, photo

The events in Syria and the participation of the Russian air group in them drew attention to the technical park of our Air Force. It would be logical to assume that the most modern airplanes will be used to carry out the mission on the territory of a foreign state, since the number of contingents is not large. Among the various aircraft, including the newest, attracts attention Su-25 "Grach", which manifested itself during the Afghan war. What does he represent? This car is famous for its fighting qualities, legends about it.

The emergence of the concept

The need for such a car the Soviet military felt in the second half of the 60's. At that time, the most popular examples of flying equipment of the USSR Air Force were excellent combat aircraft MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-19, Su-7B and Yak-28. Some of them during the exercises performed assault attacks on the positions of the conventional enemy, but even then it was clear to specialists that in real war conditions the consequences of such air strikes might not be so impressive. The fact is that with all its merits, this technique was created for other tasks. Basically, these were interceptors, equipped with external suspensions for additional air-to-ground weapons. However, there were stormtroopers (for example, the same Su-7B), but the rapid development of front-level air defense in the camp of likely adversaries did not inspire much optimism. There was the Vietnam War, which provided a unique opportunity to study the experience of American pilots (often sad) and to identify the general image of a prospective aircraft supporting ground operations.

Definition of technical assignment

In 1969 several aircraft design bureaus, including the most famous ones (Mikoyan, Yakovlev, Ilyushin, Sukhoi) were invited to take part in the competition for the project of the best front-line support aircraft. All these bureaus had their own style, school and experience, including those received during the Great Patriotic War. At the end of the thirties, none other than S. V. Ilyushin created an excellent Il-2 attack aircraft, which carried out this combat work. Now we had to design something similar, only taking into account the new reactive time. The aircraft, according to the army, should have the following qualities:

• The ability to effectively assist ground forces in the theater of land hostilities;
• The ability to perform combat missions around the clock and in any visibility, even zero;
• All-weather;
• High survivability, manifested with active fire resistance of the enemy;
• Serious firepower and a variety of arsenal of weapons, including high-precision weapons;
• The aircraft should be relatively simple, unpretentious to operating conditions and easy to operate.

Sukhoi Design Bureau won the competition, it offered a sketch of the T-8, which became the prototype of the armored front-line attack aircraft "Grach" Su-25.

Ten years of work

There is no need to tell in full detail about how this aircraft was designed. He made his first take-off in 1975 (test pilot - Ilyushin), and in the next there were already plans for a serial production (Tbilisi aircraft factory). Another four years were working on the development, and in 1979, the release began. Supervised by the project MP Simonov and O. S. Samoilovich. Sturmovik Su-25 "Grach" showed so impressive characteristics that he immediately engaged in military operations over the Afghan provinces, thereby conducting trial operation in real combat conditions.

Design

In appearance, this aircraft is unsightly, it has a somewhat "humpbacked" silhouette, due to the volume fuel tank located behind the pilot's cabin, but the impression is deceptive. Su-25 Grach was built according to the usual monoplane scheme. The wing is high-placed, the fuselage is riveted. The feathering also does not differ any originality. The wing is long, with a total area of more than 30 square meters. M, with a small sweep. There is nothing surprising in this: the Su-25 Grach is a subsonic stormtrooper, it does not need high speed. He can steadily dive with a nose in a 30 degree angle at 700 km / h. The chassis is three-pedestrian, the nose post is biased so that it does not interfere with the gun. There are five fuel tanks: two in planes, one located in the center wing, and two more inside the fuselage. They are calculated for three tons of kerosene. Structurally, there are two more suspension tanks. In general, from the first cursory glance of "Grach" Su-25 - an ordinary plane, without zatey. Miracles are manifested by a more detailed examination of its features.

Armor is strong

Conceptually, the similarity to the distant relative of IL-2 consists in the ability to operate at low altitudes under the fire of antiaircraft artillery and, possibly, missile air defense systems. That the plane could withstand these destructive factors, designers had to tinker a lot. Su-25 "Grach" - armored subsonic assault aircraft - consists of more than 7% of its total mass from passive protection. First of all it concerns the pilot. Behind him covers the steel headrest, in front - a transparent triplex 6.5-cm armored unit, and on the sides - heavy-duty titanium. The vital nodes and assemblies are effectively protected, the systems are duplicated. A very difficult task was the defeat even of the Stinger Su-25 Grach. The Soviet armored subsonic stormtrooper was returning to the airfields with dozens of holes, and sometimes with a twisted engine, on one left.

Firepower

The main deadly power of this attack aircraft is placed under the planes, at ten points of external suspension. Eight of them are designed for a semitone mass. 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 missiles designed to defeat ground and air targets, air bombs of all types, tanks with napalm (500 kg each) and Suspension cannon containers. There is also a built-in double-barrel artillery installation of a caliber of 30 mm (GSh-30). It is difficult even to decide how to properly call the Su-25: "Grach" or "flying tank"? The comparison will not be in favor of the land "colleague".

Care of the pilot

During the Great Patriotic pilots stormtroopers died often. The special conditions of combat work, small heights and the absence of catapults affected. The K-36L armchair, 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 can even be unconscious (for example, after experiencing monstrous overload), in this case, the forced fixation will work, and a stable position in space will be automatically adjusted. In addition, the life of the pilot retains with a high degree of security the aforementioned armor. For all the time of operation, including in combat conditions, due to the death of the pilot in the air, not one Su-25 Grach was lost. The armored ground attack aircraft can withstand even a direct hit of an artillery shell.

In the battles

"Debuted" this plane, as already mentioned in this article, in the hot skies of Afghanistan. If at the beginning of the conflict the Soviet aviation felt relatively safe, then by the mid-eighties the Mujahideen detachments received from their "American friends" portable air defense complexes, which greatly complicated both transportation and combat tasks. Nevertheless, the pilots who piloted the Su-25 "Grach" attack planes during the eight years of the war carried out approximately 60,000 sorties, each of which was quite effective. The reason for the high performance was the sighting system ASP-17BTS-8, which ensures the accuracy of the hit, and many other avionics nodes, including laser technologies. An important role was played also by heat traps distracting the Stinger from the aircraft - they were widely used on other Soviet aircraft flying over the Afghan theater of operations. In the DRA, 23 aircraft were lost, the "hijacking attack" averaged 2,800 hours (this is a lot). The Grach Su-25 aircraft carried out 139 launches of high-precision guided missiles at the Mujahideen resistance points, and only two of them failed to achieve their goal.

Sturmovik became the main "workhorse" during the first Chechen campaign (1994-1996), during this period the militants shot down four units. Great are his services in the second stage of the conflict, after which in the country, finally, the world reigned.

Excellent characteristics, reliability and unpretentiousness of the aircraft contributed to its supply abroad. It consists in arming some countries, including those that were part of the Warsaw bloc. It is sad, but the best advertisement for a military aircraft is his participation in local wars, which at the end of the XX century and the beginning of the XXI century was enough. 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". Sorrowful list in 2014 continued Ukraine.

Ahead of a long service

During the "great friendship" with the United States, there was a kind of "exchange of experience" between the military personnel of the two superpowers, during which they had the opportunity to compare the samples of various weapons. In particular, the American pilots were given an opportunity to evaluate the flight capabilities of the Su-25 Grach. Experienced pilots, who served for many years in the US Air Force, brought to the delight of this seemingly plain aircraft, which, as it turned out, is very convenient to manage. 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 the Russian Navy are on alert about 240 "Rooks" of various modifications. In addition, the armed forces of other states are in no hurry to send him to resign. Most of them are from Belarus (approximately one hundred) and Ukraine (35), but their pilots are piloted by a dozen other countries. Since 1999, there has been a deep modernization of the technical fleet of the Russian Air Force, including the Su-25 Grach aircraft. The Russian armored subsonic assault aircraft will be in service at least until 2020.