complex) Bars, which is controlled by the
SOI-U-25 (Sistema Obrabotki Informatsii
i Upravleniya, data-processing and
control system) with a BTsU-25 computer.
The KAI-1-01 head-up display replaces
the original ASP-17 sight; a single
MFTsI-0332M multi-function display is
also added. The rst upgraded aircraft,
Su-25SM-1 ‘33 Red’, ew on March 5,
2002, and series upgrades started at theARZ 121 repair plant at Kubinka in 2006.
The rst six aircraft were handed over
to the Russian Air Force on December
28, 2006. In total, four test and 80
operational aircraft were modernized to
Su-25SM standard by 2014.Su-25SM3
In 2014, the more advanced Su-25SM3
standard was emerging. Aircraft wereAfghan war the Su-25 matured as a simple
CAS aircraft that was rugged and resistant
to enemy re.
Afghan war experience heralded
many changes in the design, including
hydraulic boosters in the aileron control
system to increase permitted speed
from 459 to 540kt (850 to 1,000km/h),
redesigned aerodynamic brakes on the
wingtips to enhance their e ectiveness,
and additional infra-red decoy dispensers
and armor plating to protect the engines.
According to Sukhoi, Su-25s ew 60,000
sorties in Afghanistan and combat losses
amounted to 23 aircraft.
It’s worth noting the weapons used in
Afghanistan. The primary munition types
used by the Su-25s were the cannon,
bombs and unguided rockets. They
employed guided missiles from April 1986
onwards, but in total they red only 139
examples in this campaign.Improved ‘Frogfoot’
The Su-25SM mid-life upgrade was
initiated in 1999 with the aim of replacing
the entire avionics suite with the new
PrNK-25SM (Pritselno-Navigatsionnyi
Kompleks, targeting and navigationAbove: Around
130 Su-25s
remain in Russian
Aerospace Forces
service and all
are set to be
upgraded to SM3
standard.
Dmitriy Pichugin
Above right:
The cockpit of
the upgraded
Su-25SM features
a new multi-
function display.
Piotr Butowskihttp://www.combataircraft.net // August 2018 85
80-87 Russian Strikers C.indd 85 21/06/2018 13:51