Sukhoi Su-25
The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) was designed by Sukhoi. The plane was developed as a result of studies in the late 1960s on an aircraft to fill the Shturmovik (ground attack) role. More specifically it was to fill the close air support role. It is comparable to the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and was heavily used by the Soviet Union during its operations in Afghanistan in the 1980s. The Su-25 bears more than a passing resemblance to the losing competitor for the A-10, the Northrop YA-9.
The Su-25 made its first flight in 1979. Currently it is no longer in production. The Frogfoot is heavily armed, and able to carry more than 4,000 kg of weaponry in the ground-attack role. It is also very tough, and provides the pilot with a lot of protection. Despite this, the aircraft is not very popular with pilots, since it was often shot down by shoulder-launched SAMs in Afghanistan. A new variant, the Su-39 was developed based on the lessons learned in Afghanistan, but it has not gone into heavy production.
The Su-25 is flown by the air forces of Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Republic of Macedonia, North Korea, Peru, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine
