Comparison of attack aircraft. Bringers of death: the best attack aircraft in the history of aviation. Masses and loads

It turned out that some of my first aviation photographs, taken more than ten years ago at the early MAKS, were photographs of unusual, but at the same time very attractive aircraft designed by Evgeniy Petrovich Grunin. This name is not so widely known in our country, Evgeniy Petrovich, who came from the galaxy of designers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and organized his own creative team, has been involved in aviation for almost twenty-five years general purpose, aircraft that would be needed in every corner of the country, would be in demand in a wide variety of sectors, I almost wrote, of the national economy. Of those built, Grunin's most famous aircraft were such machines as the T-411 Aist, T-101 Grach, T-451 and aircraft based on them. They were repeatedly shown at MAKS different years, some examples fly domestically and internationally. I tried to follow the work of E.P. Grunin’s design bureau; the designer’s son, Pyotr Evgenievich, who led a thematic thread on the experimental aviation forum, provided great informational assistance in this. In the summer of 2009, I was able to personally meet Evgeniy Petrovich during testing of the AT-3 turboprop aircraft. Evgeniy Petrovich spoke little about his work at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, except that he spoke interestingly about his participation in the modifications of the aerobatic Su-26, which remained “ownerless” after Vyacheslav Kondratiev, who was involved in this topic, left the design bureau, and, rather vaguely, that he had previously worked in the brigade "on the topic of the T-8 aircraft." I did not ask about this in more detail, especially since the summer test day was not very conducive to long interviews.
Imagine my surprise when photographs of models of unusual combat aircraft began to appear online, under which it was indicated that these were promising attack aircraft developed at the turn of the 90s at the Sukhoi Design Bureau under the LVSh (Easily Reproducible Attack Aircraft) program. All these aircraft were developed in the so-called “100-2” brigade, and the leader of this topic was Evgeniy Petrovich Grunin.

All photographs and computer graphics used in the article are the property of KB E.P. Grunin and are published with permission, I took the liberty of slightly editing and organizing the texts.

At the end of the eighties, the military leadership of the country began to spread the concept that in the event of a nuclear strike on the USSR, the Union would break up into four industrially isolated regions - Western region, Urals, Far East and Ukraine. According to the plans of the leadership, each region, even in difficult post-apocalyptic conditions, should have been able to independently produce inexpensive aircraft for striking the enemy. This aircraft was supposed to be the Easily Reproducible Attack Aircraft.

The technical specifications for the LVSh project stipulated the maximum use of elements of the Su-25 aircraft, and since the OKB named after P.O. The Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft was designated by the code T-8, while the aircraft being created had the code T-8B (propeller). The main work was carried out by the head of the “100-2” brigade, Arnold Ivanovich Andrianov, and leading designers N.N. Venediktov, V.V. Sakharov, V.I. Moskalenko. The leader of the topic was E.P. Grunin. Yuri Viktorovich Ivashechkin advised the work - until 1983 he was the head of the Su-25 project, later he went to work in the 100-2 brigade as a leading designer.
For the LVSh project, department 100 examined several aerodynamic and structural-power schemes; for this work, specialists from specialized departments of the design bureau were widely involved in complex teams.

The following options were considered:
1. Basic - using Su-25UB units and systems.
2. According to the “Frame” scheme - according to the type of North American OV-10 Bronco aircraft.
3. According to the "Triplane" scheme - using the results of design studies and aerodynamic studies of models in SibNIA tubes on the S-80 topic (first version).

1. The first block of preliminary designs. The "basic" low-wing version, the fuselage and cabin of the Su-25, two turboprop engines.

4. “Basic” high-wing version, fuselage and cabin of the Su-25, two turboprop engines. A small PGO is used

7. Single-engine version of the “basic” one.

9. Technical characteristics of aircraft of the “basic” version.

The T-710 Anaconda project was created according to the type of the American OV-10 Bronco aircraft, only it was almost twice as large. Takeoff weight was assumed to be 7500 kg, empty weight 4600 kg, payload weight 2900 kg, and fuel weight 1500 kg. At maximum fuel load, the normal combat load weight is 1400 kg, including 7 paratroopers. In an overloaded version it can carry up to 2500 kg of combat load. The aircraft had 8 weapons hardpoints, 4 on the wing and 4 on the pylon under the fuselage. The forward part of the fuselage is taken from the Su-25UB (together with a twin 30 mm GSh-30 cannon), behind the pilot's cabin there is an armored compartment for separating paratroopers. It was supposed to use TVD-20, TVD-1500 or other variants with a power of about 1400 hp, the engine nacelles were covered with armor, and six-bladed propellers. The speed with these engines was assumed to be 480-490 km/h. To increase speed characteristics, an option was developed with two Klimov Design Bureau TV7-117M engines of 2500 hp each. Economic characteristics when using these engines, of course, they deteriorated, but the speed was supposed to be increased to 620-650 km/h. The vehicle could be used as a fire support aircraft, in the landing version, as a reconnaissance aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, fire spotter, ambulance, training aircraft, etc. Unfortunately, it is still Russian army there is no multi-role armored aircraft that would combine these functions.

10. Model of the Anaconda airplane.

11. View of the side landing door and weapons pylon.

12. It was supposed to use the tail booms of the M-55 aircraft.

13. Rear view.

14.

15. Airplane T-710 "Anaconda" in three projections

16. "Anaconda" in three-dimensional graphics, some changes are noticeable, especially in the tail.

17.

T-720 is one of the basic preliminary designs developed under the LVSh program; in total, 43 (!!) versions of the aircraft were developed. They were all similar in aerodynamic configuration, but differed in weight, speed and purpose (attack aircraft, trainer, combat training). Weight varied from 6 to 16 tons. Most of these aircraft were designed according to a longitudinal triplane with tandem wings and had an unstable aerodynamic design. Because of this, the use of SDU (remote control) was envisaged. It was assumed that 40-50% of the weight of these aircraft would be composed of composites.
The design of the longitudinal triplane was dictated by several considerations:
1. It was necessary to have good handling at all speed ranges.
2. When using SDU, ailerons can work like elevons, and you can change the flight altitude without changing the angle of inclination of the GFS (fuselage) to the ground, which is very useful for an attack aircraft (actually going around the terrain without changing the sight).
3. Combat survivability was sufficiently ensured by the triplane design, even if the anti-aircraft gun or stabilizer or part of the wing was shot off, there was a chance to return to the airfield.
Armament - 1 cannon from 20 mm to 57 mm cannon in the lower turret (for the 16 ton modification) which could rotate in all directions. The option GSh-6-30 and even GSh-6-45 were considered. Folding consoles were provided for use in small caponiers for the MiG-21, a salvageable cabin, etc.
This plane won the LVSh competition. The Mikoyan Design Bureau project, also submitted to the LVSh competition, turned out to be much weaker.
The T-720 had a take-off weight of about 7-8 tons, a maximum speed of 650 km/h. Weapons and fuel accounted for 50% of the take-off weight.
2 TV-3-117 engines (2200 hp each) were separated by a 25mm titanium plate and operated on one shaft. The screw could be enclosed in a ring to reduce the EPR. At this time, a six-bladed propeller was being developed in Stupino, which could withstand several hits from a 20 mm projectile. Its analogue is now installed on the An-70.
The use of a turboprop engine on a promising attack aircraft was dictated by the following considerations:
1. Low (relative to jet) fuel consumption.
2. Low noise
3. “Cold” exhaust.
4. TV-3-117 engines are widely used in helicopters.

The aircraft widely used components from commercially produced aircraft, in particular the cockpit from the Su-25UB attack aircraft (from the L-39 for the training version) and the fins from the Su-27. The complete process of purging the T-720 model was carried out at TsAGI, but interest in the project had already cooled down, despite the support of M.P. Simonova. Modern management has also forgotten this development, despite the fact that there has been a clear tendency in the world to move from complex machines like the A-10 to simpler ones, created on the basis of turboprop aircraft, or even on the basis of agricultural turboprop aircraft.

18. T-720 with engines in separate engine nacelles.

19. Interesting fact. Aircraft of the T-8B type (twin-engine type 710 or 720 with simplified avionics) were valued in 1988 at around 1.2-1.3 million rubles. The T-8V-1 project (single-engine) was estimated at less than 1 million rubles. For comparison, the Su-25 was valued at 3.5 million, and the T-72 tank at 1 million rubles.

20.

21.

22. T-720 with engines running on one propeller.

23.

24.

25.

26. A little-known variant of the T-720.

One of the projects carried out according to the “longitudinal triplane” scheme was the project of the light training attack aircraft T-502-503, which can be considered as an offshoot of the 720 project. The aircraft should provide training for pilots to pilot jet aircraft. For this purpose, a propeller and a turboprop engine or two engines were combined into one package (project T-502) and placed in the rear fuselage. Double cabin with a common canopy and tandem ejection seats. It was intended to use cabins from the Su-25UB or L-39. The hardpoints could accommodate weapons weighing up to 1000 kg, which made it possible to use the aircraft as a light attack aircraft.

27. Model of the T-502 aircraft

28.

29.

The most interesting project of the T-712 multi-purpose aircraft was developed to solve the following problems:
- operational-tactical, radio and radio-technical reconnaissance,
- as a light attack aircraft for striking enemy targets,
- adjusting the fire of artillery and missile units,
- detection and reconnaissance of minefields,
- over-the-horizon target designation for ships and submarines,
- radiation and chemical reconnaissance,
- electronic warfare equipment,
- providing data for counter-terrorism operations,
- imitation of threats when preparing air defense crews,
- resolving missile defense issues,
- educational and training,
- collection of meteorological information.
On the basis of the T-712 aircraft, it was possible to create a long-range UAV with a flight duration of 8-14 hours. Composite materials are widely used in the design. The aerodynamic design of the “triplane” type allows you to fly at high angles of attack without stalling into a tailspin. As an option, a cabin from a MiG-AT aircraft was considered as a basis for accommodating pilots. It is possible to install TVD-20, TVD-1500 or TVD VK-117 engines with a power of 1400 hp. A set of measures was used on the aircraft to reduce IR signature.
The project did not receive further development.

30. Containers similar to floats were used to accommodate cluster bombs, mines, electronic warfare equipment, radar, etc. Several types of containers have been developed.

31.

32.

33.

34.

35. In addition to the use of fuselages from the Su-25, the use of easily reproducible attack aircraft and others, including helicopter fuselages, was considered.

36.

37.

38. A project for a heavier aircraft, also using the nose section of a helicopter.

39.

40. Further development of the LVSh project was the development of the modernization of Su-25 aircraft according to the T-8M project. Main idea- as in LVSh, create an aircraft, including for the “special period” with maximum use of components and assemblies of the Su-25 (UB) and other production aircraft (helicopters). The main difference is the use of a turbofan engine to increase speed and combat characteristics. A non-afterburning version of the well-known RD-33 engine with a thrust of 5400-5500 kgf was used. A similar version of the engine, called I-88, was installed on the Il-102. The first sketches show a project with a high-mounted stabilizer. There were projects with low-mounted engines and a V-shaped tail.

41. Double option.

42. Larger - reverse device on engines.

43. Front view.

This is where I end my story, although Pyotr Evgenievich periodically pleases by publishing old developments of the “100-2” brigade in computer graphics. So it is quite possible that new publications will appear.

44. For illustration. Projects of attack aircraft based on agricultural vehicles being created in our time can also claim the right to be called LVSh.
The Air Tractor AT-802i aircraft in the attack aircraft version at the Dubai Airshow 2013. Photo by Alexander Zhukov. Also shown in Dubai was an attack aircraft armed with Hellfire missiles based on a Cessna 208 aircraft.

45. Evgeny Petrovich Grunin during testing of the AT-3 aircraft in Borki. June 2009.

46. Evgeniy Petrovich gives an interview to AeroJetStyle magazine correspondent Sergei Lelekov.

47. Viktor Vasilievich Zabolotsky and Evgeny Petrovich Grunin.

The merits of Soviet attack aircraft in World War II were so great that it seemed that this type of aircraft should have been registered in the domestic armed forces for decades. However, interest in him disappeared almost immediately after the end of hostilities.

Alexander Grek

The defeat of attack aircraft

Brief interest in attack aircraft resurfaced in the very early 1950s, inspired by the successful use of the Il-10 by Chinese and North Korean pilots in Southeast Asia. In October 1950, the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Marshal Zhigarev, even addressed Ilyushin with a letter in which he proposed to consider the issue of resuming serial production of the Il-10M attack aircraft as combat aircraft direct support of troops that “have not yet lost their combat capabilities.” The request did not go unheeded - production was resumed, and during 1952-1954, plant No. 168 produced 136 copies of the Il-10M (which were written off just two years later!).

Despite the cool attitude of the military towards attack aircraft, Ilyushin himself remained faithful to them to the end, never stopping to develop new machines. For example, in 1950, his design bureau began developing the world's first jet twin-engine two-seat armored attack aircraft, the Il-40, with powerful artillery, missiles and bombs. The first Il-40 took off in March 1953. True, the future fate of this aircraft is sad.

Lack of light attack aircraft in Vietnam War(1961−1973) led the Americans to force the conversion of 39 civilian Cessna T-37Bs into the A-37A Dragonfly, with significantly strengthened structure, crew protection, and increased internal fuel capacity provided by built-in tanks.

In April 1956, Defense Minister Marshal Georgy Zhukov presented to the country's leadership a report prepared by the General Staff and the Air Force General Staff on the state and prospects for the development of attack aircraft. The report concluded that attack aircraft were low on the battlefield in modern warfare and in fact it was proposed to eliminate attack aviation, ensuring the solution of combat missions for direct air support of ground troops in the offensive and defense by bomber and fighter aviation. As a result, an order was issued by the Minister of Defense, according to which attack aircraft were abolished, and all existing Il-10 and Il-10M (no less than 1,700 aircraft!) were written off. In parallel with the dispersal of attack aircraft, serial production of the Il-40 armored jet attack aircraft was stopped and all experimental work on promising attack aircraft.

Why was this necessary? The fact is that with the advent of nuclear weapons, the concept of “remote” wars triumphed. It was believed that the future war could be won ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. Moreover, options for completely eliminating combat aviation were seriously considered.

The only attack aircraft in the world comparable to the Su-25. Entered service with the US Army in the mid-1970s. The strong emphasis on the famous super-powerful 30-mm GAU-8/A cannon did not justify itself - unguided bombs and rockets became the main weapons of attack aircraft. This is one of the most popular attack aircraft of our time - more than 715 units were produced.

Vietnam

Note that attack aircraft as a class disappeared not only in the USSR, but throughout the world. The Americans were the first to realize the mistake - Vietnam helped. The multi-role supersonic F-4 Phantom II and F-105 Thunderchief were not up to the task of directly supporting ground forces, as were the light attack aircraft A-1, A-4 and A-6, whose low survivability did not allow them to operate at low altitudes. As a result, US Navy and Air Force specialists in the field modified the aircraft themselves as best they could, protecting them. The most interesting “home-made” was the legendary Vietnamese attack aircraft A-37 Dragonfly, converted from a Cessna T-37 training aircraft. The inside of the cabin was lined with Kevlar mats, soft polyurethane foam-filled fuel tanks and suspension units for weapons were installed under the wings. The most amazing thing is that the unit of these “homemade” attack aircraft, having completed several thousand sorties, did not lose a single aircraft!

In March 1967, the US Air Force sent out requirements for a promising close combat aircraft to 21 aircraft manufacturers. Fairchild Republic's competition-winning A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft was one of the most amazing aircraft of the second half of the 20th century. Built around a specially built heavy-duty 30mm seven-barrel GAU-8/A cannon, resembling a huge flying cross, with two barrels of turbojet engines on short pylons on the sides of the rear fuselage, with a bizarre spaced vertical tail, with rough, “chopped” shapes, the aircraft turned out to be extremely technologically advanced and ideal for its only task - direct support of troops over the battlefield. And since February 1975, the US Air Force began to receive serial attack aircraft, the likes of which no other country in the world had. At that moment.

The Il-102 experimental aircraft, built in 1982, became further development Il-40 attack aircraft. Essentially, this is the Il-42, which lost the competition to the Su-25. In 1984, the plane flew to the LII MAP airfield in Zhukovsky, where it was mothballed. Il-102 could lift up to 7 tons of bomb load on 8 hardpoints.

Illegal plane

The successes (or failures) of American aviation in Vietnam were closely monitored in the USSR. And if the leadership of the country's Air Force still continued to believe that every new aircraft should fly “faster, higher and further,” some aircraft designers had a different opinion. Having analyzed the experience of post-war conflicts, the deputy chief of the brigade common types OKB Kulon (now Sukhoi OKB) Oleg Samoilovich, at his own peril and risk, began to develop a promising battlefield aircraft designed to destroy targets when they are visually detected. The development of the aerodynamic design and layout of the future aircraft was entrusted to the leading designer of the general design brigade, Yuri Ivashechkin.

It was decided to create a small aircraft (smaller dimensions are harder to hit) of a fairly simple design using non-scarce materials, easy to pilot, with the ability to be based on unpaved airfields and protect the crew from armor-piercing bullets up to 12.7 mm and rocket fragments up to 3 g. Fundamental difference the future of the Su-25 from the American A-10 was that the main weapon of the American attack aircraft was supposed to be unique gun, and the Su-25 was designed with an emphasis on the use primarily of unguided weapons - bombs and missiles, as Yuri Ivashechkin told our magazine. The choice, by the way, is very logical: almost all tanks destroyed in World War II by Il-2 attack aircraft were hit either by small cumulative bombs or rockets. Disabling German tanks from aircraft gun- isolated cases.

The Su-25 is equipped with 10 external hardpoints located under the wing. The two closest to the wing tips are designed for air-to-air guided missiles, and on the remaining eight nodes, with a load of 500 kg each, various offensive weapons can be mounted: bomber (8 bombs for various purposes, calibers 500, 250 or 100 kg, or 32 bombs of 100 kg caliber on beam holders MBD2-67U, 8 KMGU-2 containers for mining, 8 bomb cassettes RBK-250 or RBK-500), unguided rocket (256 unguided aircraft missiles (UAR) S-5 57 mm caliber, 160 S-8 type NAR of 80 mm caliber, 40 S-13 type NAR of 122 mm caliber, 8 S-25 type NAR of 266 mm caliber or 8 S-25 type NAR of 240 mm caliber), guided missile (2 air-to-air missiles » R-60 or R-60M on external pylons, “air-to-surface” - 4 Kh-25ML missiles, 4 S-25L missiles, 2 Kh-29L missiles with semi-active laser guidance heads or 4 Kh-25MTP missiles with a thermal homing head ).

After numerous sketches, the design of a single-seat monoplane with a high wing of low sweep and high aspect ratio was chosen. The engines were placed in individual nacelles on the sides of the fuselage, which served as a fire and fragmentation barrier, which eliminated the possibility of their simultaneous destruction. The plane was designed to be as simple and easy to maintain as possible, a sort of flying Kalashnikov assault rifle, recalls Yuri Ivashechkin. The level of suspension of air bombs and missiles was exactly at the chest level of an average person, which made it possible, if necessary, to suspend weapons manually. The engine cowlings were easy to open from the ground, allowing instant access (try getting to the engines on the A-10!). There was even a built-in folding stepladder for the pilot to independently exit the cockpit - an unprecedented luxury in modern combat aviation. The characteristic “humpbacked” profile of the aircraft was formed by a protruding cockpit - thanks to its location, the pilot received a view forward, down and to the side, the likes of which were not found in any of the existing Soviet aircraft.

Contest

In May 1968, the project reached a certain degree of readiness and Samoilovich and Ivashechkin reported on it to General Designer Pavel Sukhoi. Sukhoi liked the plane, and he gave the go-ahead to continue the development, which received the factory designation “T-8”. Application documents for the new aircraft were sent to the Ministry of Aviation Industry, the Air Force Civil Code, the Scientific and Technical Committee of the General Staff, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy and TsAGI. The designers began to wait for a reaction.

The General Staff Scientific and Technical Committee was the first to respond: the laconic answer fit on one page of typewritten text - we don’t need such an aircraft. The Air Force Research Institute sent a cautious conclusion, but the rest ignored the project. Nevertheless, Sukhoi, at his own peril and risk, gave instructions to continue the development of the T-8.

Hope was given by the results of large-scale "Dnepr" maneuvers in Belarus in the fall of 1967, when supersonic Su-7B and MiG-21 aircraft, with the support of ground forces, showed themselves to be significantly worse than the outdated transonic MiG-17, the only aircraft that managed to reach the ground on their first approach. target, recognize and destroy it.

Meanwhile, the analysis of the Vietnamese events, albeit belatedly, reached the military leadership of the USSR. At the beginning of 1969, USSR Minister of Defense Andrei Grechko ordered the Minister of Aviation Industry to hold a competition light attack aircraft(LSSh), and already in March four design bureaus - Ilyushin, Mikoyan, Sukhoi and Yakovlev - received requirements for a new aircraft. By the appointed time, Sukhoi Design Bureau had not only a preliminary design, but also a full-size mock-up of the aircraft, which immediately made the company a leader. The Mikoyan Design Bureau presented the MiG-21LSH project, created on the basis of the MiG-21, the Yakovlev Design Bureau - the Yak-28LSH, and the Ilyushin Design Bureau - the Il-42 based on the already existing experienced attack aircraft Il-40. The Air Force rejected the proposals of Yakovlev and Ilyushin, inviting Sukhoi and Mikoyan to build flying models.

Over time, the appetites of the military began to grow. By mid-1971, they demanded to increase the ground speed to 1,200 km/h (initially 800 km/h) and the combat load to 1.5 tons (was 1 ton). All this led to the complication of the aircraft and an increase in its size. Sukhoi was especially resistant to increasing the maximum speed - 1,200 km/h still did not allow it to escape from fighters, but it greatly complicated the design of the entire aircraft. As a result, a compromise of 1000 km/h was reached, and by November 1971 the Sukhoi Design Bureau was declared the winner.

Train departure

Most American and Soviet aircraft that perform the same tasks are quite similar in appearance: F-15 and MiG-25, B-1 and Ty-160, etc. However, there is almost nothing in common between the A-10 and Su-25 . The thing is that they were created in complete isolation from each other - American and Soviet aircraft designers knew nothing about the work of their competitors. The first materials on the American A-10 became available to Sukhoi designers only in 1971. Immediately after this, Yuri Ivashechkin sketched out several layout options reminiscent of an American attack aircraft. He explained to us that they did not provide any fundamental advantages, and besides, it was too late to change anything. Having looked at the sketches, Samoilovich snapped: “It’s too late. The train has already left!”

Despite maintaining the original layout, the projected Su-25 was very different from the original T-8: the contours and layout were completely changed, the combat load (from 1000 to 1660 kg) and the fuel supply were increased. All this led to an increase in take-off weight (from 8340 to 10,530 kg) and physical dimensions of the aircraft (length from 12.54 to 13.7 m, wing area from 21 to 28 m2).

Particular problems arose with the booking. The contours of the head part were formed by straight planes, so most of the cabin armor plates could be made flat, which simplified the production technology. The armor was initially planned to be a “sandwich” of plates of KVK-37D steel alloys, which held up well against the high-explosive effect of a warhead, but poorly against bullets and shrapnel, and a layer of ABO-70 alloy, resistant to bullets and shrapnel, but not to high-explosives. A rubber shock-absorbing layer was provided between the plates. However, such a “sandwich” could not be welded, and bolted assembly significantly made the cabin structure heavier and larger. The solution was to use a special titanium alloy ABVT-20, specially developed for the Su-25. In addition to the possibility of creating a monolithic welded cabin, titanium armor made it possible to reduce the overall weight of the armor protection. By the way, as it turned out later, American designers of the A-10 also came to titanium armor.

In general, the plane turned out to be very technologically advanced. Minister of Aviation Industry Pyotr Dementyev, who visited the pilot production in 1972, assessed the technological simplicity of the almost finished machine on the slipway: “If something happens, ten of these ‘humpbacked horses’ can be riveted!”

To the sky!

The T-8−1, the future Su-25, took off for the first time on February 22, 1975. It was piloted by the chief pilot of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, Hero of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Ilyushin, the son of the legendary aircraft designer. The whole year was spent testing the aircraft. Like the Americans, the designers were faced with the problem of engine surge when firing large-caliber unguided rockets and simultaneously firing from the built-in cannon and four SPPU-22 outboard cannon containers. Like the Americans, they dealt with the problems.

In November 1975, the aircraft was shown to Defense Minister Andrei Grechko, who for the first time directly asked the question: “Will the Su-25 be able to hit the new American M1A1 Abrams tank?” - to which I received an honest answer: “Maybe, but with a very low probability.” To accomplish this task, a specialized set of powerful guided weapons was required. After analyzing the problem, a decision was made to create a specialized aircraft to combat tanks, which subsequently led to the appearance of the Su-25T, armed with supersonic Whirlwind missiles.

Another problem for the future Su-25 was serial production plants. Nobody wanted to take a low-prestige attack aircraft into production. Here are strategic bombers or, at worst, strike fighters - yes! And an attack aircraft is a lot of hassle, but not enough money. And only in 1977 it was possible to “register” the aircraft at the Tbilisi Aviation Plant. Dimitrova. Moreover, there was a chance to lose this plane altogether: at the same time, the first secretary turned to Brezhnev Communist Party Poland's Edward Gierek on the transfer of a license to produce an aircraft at the Polish aircraft plant in the city of Mielec.

Rhombus

Little by little, the Tbilisi plant began to master the production of the Su-25, producing a pair per year. The aircraft entered lengthy state tests. In March 1980, on the personal instructions of Defense Minister Dmitry Ustinov, a decision was made to conduct tests in “special conditions” - in the zone of real combat operations in the Republic of Afghanistan. For this business trip, the Sukhoi Design Bureau promised to count all the remaining tests. Along with two T-8s (future Su-25s), six Yak-38M vertical take-off and landing aircraft were sent to Afghanistan, which were supposed to test the concept of creating airmobile troops. The test program was called "Rhombus". Post-war history has never seen anything like this before.

The aircraft's artillery armament consists of one built-in cannon mount VPU-17A with a GSh-30 cannon of 30 mm caliber. The installation's ammunition capacity is 250 rounds, and the rate of fire is 3,000 rounds per minute.

The Shindand airfield was chosen as the base for testing, where the aircraft were relocated in April 1980. At first, shooting and bombing were carried out at an improvised training ground 9 km from the airfield. But at the very beginning of May, the 9th Motorized Rifle Division began the Farah operation, during which it came across a fortified area in a narrow mountain gorge. Even at the entrance to the gorge, two infantry fighting vehicles were blown up by mines, and the infantry was met with heavy fire. At every bend in the gorge there were powerful pillboxes, armed heavy machine guns, which made it almost impossible to use attack helicopters. It was decided to use a pair of Su-25s, which worked in the gorge for three days, making 3-4 sorties a day, using unguided missiles, high-explosive and concrete-piercing shells. But the main weapons were “sotochki” - hundred-kilogram AB-100 bombs; 32 “hundreds” were located on eight underwing hardpoints. The planes entered the gorge from the rear, “dive” from the top of the mountain and moved towards our units, not giving the Mujahideen time to deploy large-caliber machine guns. After the attack aircraft finished their work, the infantry entered the gorge without a single shot or casualties.

As Ivashechkin recalled, after the operation the gunsmiths decided to simulate the operation of the AB-100 by detonating an equivalent explosive charge in the gorge. After the explosion, the test participants could not come to their senses for three days - the acoustic impact alone was shocking. No one could imagine what the dushmans felt in the gorge, on whom these bombs continuously fell for three days, causing, among other things, heavy landslides. After the Farah operation, Su-25s began to be actively used for other combat operations. They soon earned the affectionate nickname “scallops” from the infantry. At the beginning of June 1980, Operation Diamond was successfully completed, the test program was completed and the Su-25 pair returned safely to the Union. And in May 1981, the first batch of 12 production Su-25s entered service with the 200th separate attack aviation squadron (200th OSHAE). Exactly a quarter of a century later, attack aviation was revived in Russia.

On the external sling, the aircraft can additionally carry four SPPU-22−1 outboard cannon mounts with a GSh-23 cannon or SPPU-687 with a GSh-301 cannon.

Working with light

Almost immediately after receiving the new aircraft, the 200th OSHAE was urgently relocated to Afghanistan to the already familiar Shindand airfield - the military really liked the resulting aircraft. On July 19, 1981, the first Su-25 landed at the airfield, and already on July 25, the attack squadron began to take an active part in a large-scale operation in the Luarcoch mountain range. After working the mountain range with “combs” for many days, the enemy completely abandoned the area, suffering heavy losses. A little later, Su-25s appeared in the Herat region, and by the fall - in the south of Afghanistan in the area of the country’s second largest city - Kandahar. By this time, the attack aircraft also had a second nickname - “rooks”.

In just one year, the 200th Squadron completed more than 2,000 combat missions without losing a single vehicle. The most effective weapons were the 80-mm S-8 rockets, especially the S-8D variant with a volumetric detonating warhead. Cluster bombs and incendiary tanks were also used. The most powerful effect was exerted by the ODAB-500 volumetric detonating bombs, which had terrifying power. They were used for serious purposes.

By 1983, the tactics for using new aircraft had also developed. As a rule, the Su-25s began their fire attack, making the first approach to the target, after which the Mi-24s appeared, point-by-point clearing out the remaining pockets of resistance. The Su-25 learned to operate at night - the first attack aircraft dropped luminous SAB aerial bombs, in the light of which, as in a football stadium, the next link of “rooks” began its terrible work. They mastered the Su-25 and the profession of miners, carrying out mining of caravan trails from a height of 300-500 m at a speed of 700 km/h from KMG containers; in 1984-1985 they carried out 80% of all mine laying. Thanks to its efficiency and versatility, the Su-25 quickly became the most popular aircraft in Afghanistan, its pilots had the most flight hours compared to pilots of other types of aircraft. Not a single operation could be completed without attack aircraft, and the geography of deployment was continuously expanding: Bagram, Kandahar, Kabul, Kunduz, Mazar-i-Sharif.

Wingspan: 14.36 m // Length: 15.53 m Wing area: 30.1 m 2 // Maximum take-off weight: 17600 kg // Normal take-off weight: 14600 kg // Combat load: maximum 4400 kg, normal 1400 kg // Fuel mass in internal tanks: 3000 kg // Maximum speed with normal combat load: 950 km/h // Ceiling: 7000 m (cabin unpressurized) // Flight range with normal combat load without PTB: 495 km (at the ground ), 640 km (at altitude) // Engines: two R95Sh with a thrust of 4100 kgf each.

By the fall of 1985, dushmans began to actively use portable anti-aircraft systems, and the number of aircraft losses began to rise. Greatest damage applied American MANPADS Red Eye. To counter them, aircraft sharply increased the number of infrared traps they could shoot, making their shooting a combat trigger. Now, after leaving the attack, the traps were automatically fired from the aircraft within 16 seconds - this was enough to go to a safe 5 km.

At the end of 1986, the dushmans acquired more advanced Stinger MANPADS with a dual-band homing head, from which the Su-25 suffered the greatest losses. They were never able to find an effective “antidote” against the Stingers, but losses were reduced by radically improving the fire extinguishing system - after the hit, a significant number of aircraft began to reach airfields. In 1989, Su-25s were the last to leave Afghanistan, covering the withdrawal of Soviet troops. During the entire Afghan war, 23 attack aircraft were lost in the air. On average, one aircraft lost per 2,600 combat sorties. These are very good indicators.

Subsequently, Su-25s took part in almost all conflicts involving Soviet weapons: in the Iran-Iraq war of 1987-1989, where they carried out up to 1100 (!) combat sorties per day, in Angola, in the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea, in the Karabakh conflict, in the Georgian-Abkhaz war, in Tajikistan and, of course, in Chechnya. And everywhere these planes have earned only excellent reviews.

Modifications

There were (and are) a huge number of modifications of the legendary aircraft. Let's focus only on the most important ones. Since 1986, the plant in Ulan-Ude began producing the “sparky” Su-25UB, a two-seater combat training aircraft. Apart from the addition of a second pilot seat, the aircraft is almost identical to a classic attack aircraft and can be used for both training and combat. The most modern modification of the serial attack aircraft Su-25SM differs from the “original” in a more modern complex of onboard radio-electronic equipment. The project of a carrier-based attack aircraft with ejection take-off Su-25K never went beyond the project stage (due to the lack Russian aircraft carriers with catapults), but several carrier-based training aircraft Su-25UTG were produced, intended for deployment on board the aircraft-carrying cruiser Admiral Fleet Kuznetsov with a ski-jump take-off. The aircraft turned out to be so successful that it serves as the main training aircraft for training carrier-based aviation pilots.

The Su-25 is very versatile and can carry bomb weapons for various purposes: high-explosive fragmentation, high-explosive, concrete-piercing, lighting, photographic, incendiary bombs and tanks. The normal combat load of the aircraft is 1400 kg, the maximum is 4400 kg.

But the most interesting and complex modification is the Su-25T anti-tank aircraft, the decision to create which was made back in 1975. The main problem in the development of this aircraft was the creation of avionics (avionics) for detecting, tracking and guiding missiles at armored targets. The aircraft was based on the glider of the two-seat Su-25UB training aircraft; all the space allocated for the co-pilot was occupied by a new avionics. It was also necessary to move the gun into the cockpit compartment, expand and lengthen the nose, where the Shkval daytime optical sighting system was located to control the firing of the Whirlwind supersonic missiles. Despite the significant increase in internal volume, there was no room for a thermal imaging system in the new car. Therefore, the Mercury night vision system was mounted in a suspended container under the fuselage at the sixth suspension point (by the way, the problem was solved in a similar way with the A-10). The anti-tank attack aircraft failed to win the laurels of its older brother, the Su-25 - it did not participate in anti-tank battles in Russia, and was not exported. Nevertheless, the originality of the aircraft was emphasized by the name Su-34 (in honor of the legendary T-34 tank), which the aircraft bore for some time. It was later given to another aircraft. The most advanced modification of the Su-25 is now called Su-25TM (sometimes called Su-39, under this name the aircraft can be exported). It is distinguished by advanced on-board electronics, which allows it to effectively hit point targets in any weather.

In full bloom

As Yuri Ivashechkin told us in parting, the Su-25 can remain in service for a long time - it is far from becoming obsolete. The only thing that needs to be periodically replaced is the on-board electronics: the equipment is rapidly becoming obsolete, since technological progress in this area is developing by leaps and bounds. Let us note on our own that, despite its unprepossessing appearance and small size, the Su-25 is truly the greatest modern Russian combat aircraft. And this will be confirmed to you by everyone who fought and who had the opportunity to see this hard worker at work, and not just on the demonstration fields of aviation exhibitions.

When preparing the article, I actively used the book by Ildar Bedretdinov “Su-25 attack aircraft and its modifications”, M., 2002

This method of destruction turns out to be more suitable for striking extended targets, such as clusters and especially marching columns of infantry and equipment. The most effective strikes are against openly located manpower and unarmored vehicles (cars, railway vehicles, tractors). To perform this task, the aircraft must operate at low altitude without diving (“low-level flight”) or with a very flat dive.

Story

Non-specialized types of aircraft can be used for attack, such as conventional fighters, as well as light and dive bombers. However, in the 1930s, a specialized class of aircraft was allocated for attack operations. The reason for this is that, unlike an attack aircraft, a dive bomber only hits pinpoint targets; a heavy bomber operates from a great height over areas and large stationary targets - it is not suitable for hitting a target directly on the battlefield, since there is a high risk of missing and hitting friendly forces; a fighter (like a dive bomber) does not have strong armor, while at low altitudes the aircraft is exposed to targeted fire from all types of weapons, as well as to stray fragments, stones and other dangerous objects flying over the battlefield.

The most mass-produced attack aircraft of the Second World War (as well as the most mass-produced combat aircraft in the history of aviation) was the Ilyushin Design Bureau's Il-2. The next vehicle of this type created by Ilyushin was the Il-10, which was used only at the very end of World War II.

The role of attack decreased after the advent of cluster bombs (with the help of which it is more effective to hit elongated targets than with small arms), as well as during the development of air-to-surface missiles (accuracy and range increased, guided missiles appeared). The speed of combat aircraft has increased and it has become problematic for them to hit targets at low altitude. On the other hand, there were attack helicopters, almost completely displacing the aircraft from low altitudes.

In this regard, in the post-war period, resistance to the development of attack aircraft as highly specialized aircraft grew in the Air Force. Although direct air support of ground troops by aviation remained and remains an extremely important factor in modern combat, the main emphasis was on the design of universal aircraft that combine the functions of an attack aircraft.

Examples of post-war attack aircraft include the Blackburn Buccaneer, A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair II. In other cases, ground attack has become the domain of converted trainers, such as the BAC Strikemaster, BAE Hawk and Cessna A-37.

In the 1960s, both the Soviet and American militaries returned to the concept of a dedicated close support aircraft. Scientists from both countries settled on similar characteristics of such aircraft - a well-armored, highly maneuverable subsonic aircraft with powerful artillery and missile and bomb weapons. The Soviet military settled on the nimble Su-25, the American ones relied on the heavier Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. A characteristic feature of both aircraft was complete absence means of air combat (although later both aircraft began to be equipped with short-range air-to-air missiles for self-defense). Military-political situation (significant superiority Soviet tanks in Europe) determined the main purpose of the A-10 as an anti-tank aircraft, while the Su-25 was more intended to support troops on the battlefield (destruction of firing points, all types of transport, manpower, important objects and enemy fortifications), although one of the modifications of the aircraft also became a specialized “anti-tank” aircraft.

The role of stormtroopers remains well defined and in demand. In the Russian Air Force, Su-25 attack aircraft will remain in service at least until 2020. NATO is increasingly offering modified production fighters for the attack role, resulting in the use of dual designations, such as the F/A-18 Hornet, due to the growing role of precision weapons, which has made the previous approach to the target unnecessary. Recently, the term “strike fighter” has become widespread in the West to refer to such aircraft.

In many countries, the concept of “attack aircraft” does not exist at all, and aircraft belonging to the classes “dive bomber”, “front-line fighter”, “tactical fighter”, etc. are used for attack.

Attack helicopters are now also called attack aircraft. In NATO countries, aircraft of this class are designated by the prefix - (Attack [ source?] ) followed by a digital designation.

Notes

Literature

N. Morozov, General tactics (with 33 drawings in the text), Series of textbooks, manuals and manuals for the Red Army, State Publishing House Department of Military Literature, Moscow Leningrad, 1928;

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Synonyms:

See what “Stormtrooper” is in other dictionaries:

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STORMMOVIK- STORMMOVIK, combat aircraft(airplane, helicopter) designed to destroy various small and mobile ground (sea) objects from low and extremely low altitudes using bomber, missile and artillery... ... Military encyclopedia

A combat aircraft (airplane, helicopter) designed to engage primarily small-sized and mobile ground and sea targets from low altitudes. It has small arms, cannons, air bombs and missiles. In the 70s as... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary

STORMMOVIK, attack aircraft, husband. 1. A military aircraft designed to attack ground targets from a low altitude. 2. B modern Germany member of a special paramilitary organization. Ushakov's explanatory dictionary. D.N. Ushakov. 1935 1940 ... Ushakov's Explanatory Dictionary

STORMMOVIK, huh, husband. 1. Combat aircraft for attacking ground targets from low altitude. 2. The pilot of such an aircraft. 3. In Germany during the years of fascism: member of the German Nazi paramilitary organization (original member of the National Socialist Party).... ... Ozhegov's Explanatory Dictionary

Noun, number of synonyms: 4 bomb attack aircraft (2) hydro attack aircraft (2) pilot (30) ... Dictionary of synonyms

A combat aircraft (or helicopter) designed to destroy various small and mobile sea (ground) objects from low altitudes using bomber, missile and artillery weapons. Has armor protection. Used...Nautical Dictionary

STORMMOVIK- a combat aircraft (or helicopter) that has armor protection and is designed to destroy various small-sized and mobile ground (and sea) objects from low altitudes using bomber, missile and artillery weapons... Big Polytechnic Encyclopedia

Today, almost no one is developing new attack aircraft for the Air Force, preferring to rely on fighter-bombers. Here are five attack aircraft that the Army is afraid to see in the skies above them.

One such aircraft has remained in service since the Vietnam War, while the other has not yet made a single combat mission. Most are used in most different situations, which emphasizes the flexibility and versatility of their combat use. Air strikes against ground targets are still very important. Here are five attack aircraft that the Army really doesn't want to see in the skies above them.

Have stormtroopers become an endangered species? Today, almost no one is developing new attack aircraft of this type for the Air Force, preferring to rely on fighter-bombers, although attack aircraft with their precision weapons do all the dirty work of providing close air support and isolating the battlefield from the air. But it has always been this way: the Air Force has always eschewed direct strike support and was more interested in fast fighters and majestic bombers. Many stormtroopers from World War II began their lives in design bureaus as fighters, and turned into attack aircraft only after the “failure” of the developers. Nevertheless, all these years, attack aircraft skillfully and conscientiously carried out one of the main tasks of aviation to destroy enemy forces on the battlefield and to provide support to their ground forces.

In this article we will analyze five modern aircraft that perform very old missions associated with attacking ground targets. One such aircraft has remained in service since the Vietnam War, while the other has not yet made a single combat mission. All of them are specialized (or have become specialized) and are designed to strike enemy troops in combat conditions. Most of them are used in a wide variety of situations, which emphasizes the flexibility and versatility of their combat use.

The A-10 was born out of rivalry between branches of the armed forces. In the late 1960s, the long-running battle between the Army and the US Air Force over the close air support vehicle gave birth to two competing programs. The ground forces were in favor of attack helicopter Cheyenne, and the Air Force funded program A-X. Problems with the helicopter, combined with the good prospects of the A-X, led to the abandonment of the first project. The second model eventually evolved into the A-10, which had a heavy cannon and was designed specifically to destroy Soviet tanks.

The A-10 performed well during the Gulf War, where it caused serious damage to Iraqi transport convoys, although the Air Force was initially reluctant to send it to that theater of operations. The A-10 has also been used in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and recently saw combat against ISIS. Although the Warthog (as the military affectionately calls it) rarely destroys tanks today, it demonstrated its highest efficiency in counter-guerrilla warfare - thanks to its low speed and ability to loiter in the air for a long time.

The Air Force has tried to phase out the A-10 several times since the 1980s. Air Force pilots argue that the aircraft has low air-to-air survivability and that multi-role fighter-bombers (F-16 to F-35) can perform its missions much more efficiently and without special risk. Outraged A-10 pilots, the Army and the US Congress disagree. The latest political battle over the Warthog was so bitter that one Air Force general declared that any Air Force member who leaked information about the A-10 to Congress would be considered a "traitor."

Like the A-10, the Su-25 is a slow, heavily armored aircraft capable of delivering powerful firepower. Like the Warthog, it was designed to strike on the central front in the event of a conflict between NATO and the Warsaw Pact, but then went through a number of modifications for use in other conditions.

Since its inception, the Su-25 has participated in many conflicts. First he fought in Afghanistan, when they entered Soviet troops– it was used in the fight against the Mujahideen. The Iraqi Air Force actively used the Su-25 in the war with Iran. It was involved in many wars, one way or another connected with the collapse of the Soviet Union, including the Russian-Georgian war of 2008, and then the war in Ukraine. Used Russian anti-aircraft missile systems The rebels shot down several Ukrainian Su-25s. Last year, when it became clear that the Iraqi army was unable to cope with ISIS on its own, the Su-25 again attracted attention. Iran offered to use its Su-25s, and Russia allegedly urgently delivered a batch of these aircraft to the Iraqis (although they could have been from Iranian trophies captured from Iraq in the 1990s).

From the outside, the Super Tucano appears to be a very modest aircraft. It looks a bit like North American's P-51 Mustang, which entered service more than seventy years ago. The Super Tucano has a very specific mission: strike and patrol in airspace where no one resists him. Thus, it has become an ideal machine for counterinsurgency warfare: it can track down rebels, strike them and stay in the air until the combat mission is completed. This is an almost ideal aircraft for fighting insurgents.

The Super Tucano flies (or will soon fly) with more than a dozen air forces in South America, Africa and Asia. The aircraft is helping Brazilian authorities manage vast swaths of the Amazon and Colombia's fight against FARC militants. The Dominican Air Force uses the Super Tucano in the fight against drug trafficking. In Indonesia, he helps hunt pirates.

After years of effort, the US Air Force managed to acquire a squadron of such aircraft: they intend to use them to increase the combat effectiveness of the air forces of partner countries, including Afghanistan. The Super Tucano is ideal for the Afghan army. It is easy to operate and maintain and can give the Afghan Air Force important advantages in the fight against the Taliban.

At the start of the Vietnam War, the US Air Force saw the need for a large, heavily armed aircraft that could fly over the battlefield and destroy ground targets when the Communists went on the offensive or were detected. The Air Force first developed the AC-47 based on the C-47 transport vehicle, which they equipped with cannons mounted in the cargo bay.

The AC-47 proved to be very effective, and the Air Force, desperate for close air support, decided that a larger aircraft would be even better. The AC-130 fire support aircraft, developed on the basis of the C-130 Hercules military transport, is a large and slow machine that is completely defenseless against enemy fighters and serious air defense systems. Several AC-130s were lost in Vietnam and one was shot down by a MANPADS during the Gulf War.

But at its core, the AC-130 simply grinds down enemy ground troops and fortifications. He can endlessly patrol over enemy positions, firing powerful cannon fire and using his rich arsenal of other weapons. The AC-130 is the eyes of the battlefield, and it can also destroy anything that moves. AC-130s fought in Vietnam, the Gulf War, the Invasion of Panama, the Balkan Conflict, the Iraq War, and operations in Afghanistan. There are reports that one plane has been converted to fight zombies.

This plane did not drop a single bomb, did not fire a single missile, and did not make a single combat mission. But one day it may do so, and it will revolutionize the 21st century combat aircraft market. Scorpion is a subsonic aircraft with very heavy weapons. It does not have the firepower of the A-10 and Su-25, but it is equipped with the most modern airborne radio-electronic equipment and has a fairly light weight, which allows it to conduct reconnaissance and surveillance, as well as strike ground targets.

Scorpion can fill an important niche in the air forces of many countries. For years, the air force has been reluctant to acquire multirole aircraft that perform multiple missions but lack the prestige and polish of leading fighter jets. But as fighter jet costs skyrocket and many air forces desperately need attack aircraft to maintain order at home and protect borders, the Scorpion (as well as the Super Tucano) could fit the role.

In a sense, the Scorpion is the Super Tucano's high-tech counterpart. Developing country air forces may invest in both aircraft, as it will give them a lot of ground attack capabilities, and the Scorpion will allow air combat in some situations.

Conclusion

Most of these aircraft ended production many years ago. There are good reasons for this. The attack aircraft has never been particularly popular as a class of aircraft in the Air Force different countries. Close air support and battlefield isolation are extremely dangerous missions, especially when performed at low altitudes. Stormtroopers often operate at the interfaces of units and formations and sometimes become victims of inconsistency in their actions.

To find a replacement for attack aircraft, modern air forces have focused on improving the capabilities of fighter-bombers and strategic bombers. Therefore, in Afghanistan, a significant part of the close air support missions is carried out by B-1B bombers, designed to launch nuclear attacks on the Soviet Union.

But as recent battles in Syria, Iraq and Ukraine show, attack aircraft still have important work. And if this niche in the US and Europe is not filled by traditional suppliers from the military-industrial complex, then (relative) newcomers like Textron and Embraer will.

Robert Farley is an associate professor at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce. His research interests include national security, military doctrine and maritime affairs.

The Su-39 is a promising Russian attack aircraft, the development of which began at the Sukhoi Design Bureau back in the late 80s. This combat vehicle is the result of a deep modernization of the famous “flying tank” - the Soviet Su-25 attack aircraft. And to be even more precise, it was created on the basis of one of the modifications of the aircraft - the Su-25T, designed to destroy tanks and other enemy armored vehicles.

The modernization of the attack aircraft primarily concerned its electronic equipment complex. Having received new avionics and an expanded weapons system, the Su-39 attack aircraft has significantly increased its combat capabilities compared to basic model. The Su-39 is even capable of conducting air combat, that is, performing the functions of a fighter.

The Su-39 made its first flight in 1991. Unfortunately, it was never put into service. In 1995, at the aviation plant in Ulan-Ude they tried to start small-scale production of this aircraft; a total of four attack aircraft were manufactured. It should be noted that Su-39 is the export name of the aircraft; in Russia this attack aircraft is called Su-25TM.

The attempt to start mass production of the new attack aircraft came at an unfortunate time - the mid-nineties. The financial crisis and the almost complete lack of funding from the state buried an interesting project. However, many years later, this wonderful machine never found its way into the sky.

History of the creation of the Su-39

In the mid-50s, the USSR decided to stop work on creating a new jet attack aircraft, the Il-40, and its predecessors were removed from service. In an era of rapid development of missile weapons and supersonic aircraft, the low-speed armored attack aircraft looked like a real anachronism. However, this was a wrong decision.

In the 60s it became clear that the global nuclear war is canceled, and for local conflicts an aircraft is needed that could directly support ground forces on the battlefield. In service Soviet army there was no such car. They tried to solve the problem by equipping existing aircraft with air-to-ground missiles, but they were not very suitable for performing such functions.

In 1968, the designers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau proactively began developing a new attack aircraft. These works led to the creation of the famous Soviet plane The Su-25, which received the nickname “flying tank” for its survivability and invulnerability.

The concept of this aircraft was based on increasing the survivability of the aircraft, a wide range of weapons used, as well as simplicity and manufacturability in production. To achieve this, the Su-25 actively used components and weapons that were developed for other Soviet combat aircraft.

On the Su-25TM it was planned to install a new radar-sighting complex "Spear-25" and an improved sighting system for anti-tank missiles"Squall".

At the beginning of 1991, the first prototype Su-5TM aircraft took off; its serial production was also planned to be organized at an aircraft plant in Tbilisi.

In 1993, production of the attack aircraft was moved to the aircraft plant in Ulan-Ude, the first pre-production aircraft took off in 1995. At the same time, the attack aircraft received its new designation, which today can be called official - Su-39.

The new Su-39 attack aircraft was presented to the public for the first time at the MAKS-95 aviation exhibition. Work on the aircraft was constantly delayed due to insufficient funding. The third pre-production model of the attack aircraft took to the skies in 1997.

However, the Su-39 was not accepted into service, and mass production of the vehicle never took place. There is a project to modernize the Su-25T into the Su-39, however, the anti-tank Su-25T has also been withdrawn from service with the Russian Air Force.

Description of the Su-39 attack aircraft

The design of the Su-39 generally repeats the design of the Su-25UB attack aircraft, with the exception of some differences. The plane is controlled by one pilot, the co-pilot takes the place of fuel tank and electronics compartment.

Unlike other modifications of the “flying tank”, the cannon installation on the Su-39 is slightly offset from the central axis to make room for electronic equipment.

The Su-39, like all other modifications of the Su-25, has an excellent level of protection: the pilot is placed in a cockpit made of special titanium armor that can withstand hits from 30 mm shells. The main components and assemblies of the attack aircraft are similarly protected. In addition, the cabin has frontal armored glass and an armored headrest.

The designers paid special attention to protecting the fuel tanks: they are equipped with protectors and surrounded by porous materials, which prevents fuel from splashing out and reduces the likelihood of a fire.

The special paint makes the attack aircraft less noticeable over the battlefield, and the special radio-absorbing coating reduces the aircraft's EPR. Even if one of the engines is damaged, the plane may well continue to fly.

As experience has shown Afghan war, even after the defeat of the Stinger-type MANPADS, the attack aircraft is quite capable of returning to the airfield and making a normal landing.

In addition to armor protection, the survivability of the attack aircraft is ensured by the Irtysh electronic countermeasures complex. It includes a radar irradiation detection station, an active jamming station “Gardenia”, an IR jamming system “Dry Cargo”, and a dipole shooting complex. The Dry Cargo jamming system includes 192 thermal or radar decoys and is located at the base of the Su-39's fin.

The Irtysh complex is capable of detecting all active enemy radars and transmitting information about them to the pilot in real time. At the same time, the pilot sees where the source of radar radiation is located and its main characteristics. Based on the information received, he makes decisions about what to do next: bypass the dangerous zone, destroy the radar with missiles, or suppress it using active jamming.

The Su-39 is equipped with an inertial navigation system with optical and radar correction capabilities. In addition, it is equipped with a satellite navigation system that can work with GLONASS, NAVSTAR. This allows you to determine the location of the aircraft in space with an accuracy of 15 meters.

The designers took care to reduce the visibility of the attack aircraft in the infrared range; this is facilitated by the aircraft’s afterburning engines with a nozzle signature reduced several times.

The Su-39 received a new radar and sighting system "Spear", which significantly expanded the combat capabilities of the vehicle. Although this vehicle was based on an “anti-tank modification” of an attack aircraft, the fight against enemy armored vehicles is not the only task of the Su-39.

This attack aircraft is capable of destroying enemy surface targets, including boats, landing barges, destroyers and corvettes. The Su-39 can be armed with air-to-air missiles and conduct a real air battle, that is, perform the functions of a fighter. Its tasks include the destruction of front-line aviation aircraft, as well as enemy transport aircraft, both on the ground and in the air.

The main means of destroying tanks and other types of armored vehicles of the enemy of the new attack aircraft are the Whirlwind ATGMs (up to 16 pieces), which can hit targets at distances of up to ten kilometers. Missiles are aimed at a target using the Shkval sighting system around the clock. The defeat of a Leopard-2 type tank by a Whirlwind missile using the Shkval complex is 0.8-0.85.

In total, the Su-39 has eleven weapons suspension units, so the arsenal of weapons that it can use on the battlefield is very wide. In addition to the Shkval ATGM, these can be air-to-air missiles (R-73, R-77, R-23), anti-radar or anti-ship missiles, units with unguided missiles, free-falling or guided bombs of various calibers and classes.

Characteristics of the Su-39 performance characteristics

Below are the main characteristics of the Su-39 attack aircraft.

Modification
Weight, kg
empty plane	10600
normal takeoff	16950
Max. takeoff	21500
Engine type	2 TRD R-195(Sh)
Thrust, kgf	2 x 4500
Max. ground speed, km/h	950
Combat radius, km
near the ground	650
on top	1050
Practical ceiling, m	12000
Max. operational overload	6,5
Crew, people	1
Weapons:	gun GSh-30 (30 mm); 16 ATGM “Whirlwind”; air-to-air missiles (R-27, R-73, R-77); air-to-surface missiles (Kh-25, Kh-29, Kh-35, Kh-58, Kh-31, S-25L); unguided missiles S-8, S-13, S-24; free-falling or adjustable bombs. Cannon containers.

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