Russian Air Force Su-25 Crash Grounds Fleet
The Russian Air Force’s fleet of Sukhoi Su-25 strike aircraft has been grounded after the crash of an example occured on the 20th March. The accident claimed the life of the Su-25’s pilot.
Confirming the incident, a spokesman for the air force stated: “Today, at around 3.33 Moscow time, a Su-25 aircraft crashed during a training flight near the Chernigovka airbase, 143 km from Vladivostok.”
The crash is now under investigation but, according to the same source, “preliminary reports” indicated that “the plane developed technical problems during live firing exercises.”
The Su-25 – NATO codename ‘Frogfoot’ – is a single-seat close air support aircraft comparable to the US-built A-10 Thunderbolt II. The type first flew in 1975, and entered production three years later.
Aside from Russia, the Su-25 is flown by nations including Bulgaria, Georgia, North Korea and the Ukraine.
Su-25 Accidents Involved Weapons Launches
It has been reported that a number of previous accidents involving the type occurred when weapons launches led to systems failures. Consequently, the S-24 missile previously fitted to the Su-25 was replaced by the FAB-500 bomb.
Yesterday’s incident was the first to involve an Su-25 since 2006.
Russian Air Force Su-25 Upgrades
Russia has flown the Su-25 for over 25 years. At the end of last century, a programme was launched to modernise a portion of the fleet to Su-25SM standard.
Initial examples of the upgraded aircraft joined the Russian Air Force in December 2006.
Earlier this year, Sukhoi announced that its Su-34 ‘Fullback’ aircraft had entered full production. By 2015, it is anticipated that 58 examples will be fully operational with the Russian Air Force.
Source – Armed Forces International’s Aviation Expert
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