11 photos of the Su-25, Russia's answer to the legendary A-10 Warthog
While the US plans to retire the A-10 Warthog in 2022, Moscow wants to continue upgrading the Su-25 for years to come.
The Su-25s have also been used in multiple other conflicts over the past decades, including Macedonia, Ethiopia and Sudan.
It first saw combat in 1981 in Afghanistan, the National Interest said, where it flew more than 60,000 bombing raids and sorties. Su-25s were also used by Russia and Georgia during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War.
The A-10 has likewise seen combat in nearly every US conflict since the aircraft's inception.
The Su-25 has been used extensively in Syria. In March 2016, the Frogfoot had completed more than 1,600 sorties and dropped more than 6,000 bombs in Syria in just 6 months.
The A-10 has also been deployed to Syria, and in October 2016, ISIS claimed to have shot one down, which the US coalition denied.
Source: Tass and Independent.
At the same time, the Frogfoot has "shorter range and loiter time, can only operate at half the altitude."
Source: National Interest.
While the Su-25 weighs less than the A-10, it also has a much faster top speed, topping off at 600 mph. Below is a shot of it taking off.
The A-10's top speed, on the other hand, is about 439 mph.
Source: National Interest.
The Su-25 also has a Gsh-30-2 30mm gun holding 260 rounds mounted under the nose. Below is a shot of the 30mm GAU-8 cannon rounds.
Source: National Interest.
Here is a shot of a Russian mechanic loading the Su-25's 30mm GAU-8 cannon, which can fire 2,500 to 3,000 rounds a minute.
The A-10 Warthog is armed with a similar 30 mm GAU-8 Avenger rotary cannon, Popular Mechanics said, which can fire 3,900 round per minute.
Source: Popular Mechanics and The Aviationist.
However, the Su-25 can only carry about 8,000 pounds of munitions, while the A-10 can carry about 16,000 pounds.
Source: National Interest.
Su-25s generally carry 250 to 500 kilogram bombs and rockets, while the A-10 are often fitted with precision-guided munitions, like Maverick anti-tank missiles.
The Su-25s rockets range from "pods containing dozens of smaller 57- or 80-millimeter rockets, to five-shot 130-millimeter S-13 system, to large singular 240- or 330-millimeter rockets," the National Interest said.
The Su-25 has 10mm to 25mm of armor surrounding the cockpit to protect the pilot while performing low-altitude strafs. Similarly, the A-10 Warthog has 1,200 pounds of titanium armor around the cockpit.
These cockpits have been dubbed "armored bathtubs."
Source: National Interest and Popular Mechanics.
Production on the Su-25 began in 1978, while the A-10 Thunderbolt II was put into production in 1972.
Source: National Interest.
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