Su-25 operators Part 6
Fleet
Survey
The programme was terminated
and restarted several times and,
as of 2013, it was reported that
the Su-25 and Su-25UB fleets
were suffering severe corrosion
and maintenance issues. The
same year it was announced that
the Russian state arms export
agency, Rosoboronexport, had
been selected as the front runner
in the tender to overhaul, refurbish
and return the Frogfoots to service.
However, it took another three
years to finalise the contract
and start overhaul activities.
In early 2017, Rosoboronexport
signed the long-expected contract
with the Peruvian defence ministry
to overhaul the Su-25 fleet. Work
began immediately after the
contract signature and, by May
2017, as many as 12 aircraft werenoted at SEMAN undergoing
overhaul. While the work was
undertaken in co-operation
with Rosoboronexport,
SEMAN was responsible for
the majority of the fuselage
overhaul and repair activities,
excluding the undercarriage.
The engine overhaul was
carried out in Russia. There is
no information, however, on
any avionics upgrade agreed
for the FAP Su-25 fleet so far.
As of May 2017, the programme
schedule called for the first
three overhauled Su-25s to be
redelivered to the FAP at the end
of that year. To date, five single-
seaters and five two-seaters
have undergone the limited
upgrade work. The remaining
aircraft are now in storage. Afteroverhaul, the Peruvian Su-25s
are certified for a further 1,000
flight hours or 12 years of service,
whichever is reached first.Peru order
of battle
Peruvian Air Force
Unit
Escuadrón Aéreo 112
Aircraft
Su-25, Su-25UB
Base
Talara-El Patohe Korean People’s Air
Force (KPAF) took its
Su-25 fleet on strength
between 1988 and 1990. The first
four aircraft were delivered from
the Soviet Union in late 1988,
ferried from the Tbilisi plant by
Soviet pilots. The first batch to
equip one squadron of the 55th
Air Regiment (also reported as
Unit 1017) at Sunchon, in South
Pyongan province, comprised 12
single-seat Su-25Ks and a pair of
twin-seat Su-25UBKs. The second
squadron was re-equipped in
1989 and the third followed suit
in 1990. A total of 32 (some
sources state 30) Su-25Ks and
four Su-25UBKs were delivered,
but one was damaged beyond
repair in a training accident shortly
after regular training operations
began with North Korean aircrews.
The Sunchon-based Su-25s
are known to regularly practiseA rear view of Su-25 serial FAP 070
reveals the simple exhausts for the
R-95Sh non-afterburning turbojets
and the ten underwing stores
stations. Each of the eight main
wing hardpoints are able to carry a
500kg store; the outboard stations
are for R-60 (AA-8 ‘Aphid’) missiles
only. Katsuhiko Tokunaga/DACTNorth Korea
Inventory
Aircraft Number
Su-25 5
Su-25UB 5T
68 // September 2019 #378 http://www.airforcesmonthly.com66-69 SU25Survey AFM Sep2019.indd 68 8/5/2019 9:56:12 AM