Su-25 fighter was hit by a Ukrainian missile, what did Russia say?

03/15/2022 13:15 GMT+7

“While on a combat mission, a Su-25 attack aircraft was hit by a missile from a shoulder-fired air defense system fired from the ground by a soldier of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the Russian Defense Ministry said. said.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that after being hit by a missile, the pilot, assessing the situation, turned off the damaged engine and did not leave the plane, and returned to base.

The squadron commander, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Litvinov, said that the Su-25 would crash if the enemy continued to attack, so he decided to move into a support position, using his own aircraft to shield his teammates.

Sukhoi Su-25 is an attack, anti-tank and direct air support aircraft designed by the Soviet Union. (Photo: RIA)

“Thanks to his brave and skillful actions, pilot Denis Litvinov saved his comrades and the fighter aircraft. The landing was performed without further incident. At the same time, both pilots were awarded state awards,” the Russian Defense Ministry stressed.

Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a video of the destruction of an ammunition depot of the Ukrainian Armed Forces by a Su-25 attack aircraft.

On March 13, the Russian Defense Ministry also released a video of a Russian drone destroying a Ukrainian air defense missile system.

The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) is an attack, anti-tank and direct air support fighter aircraft designed by the Soviet Union. Frogfoot is heavily armed, with a 30 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2 cannon and ground attack weapons; it can carry more than 4,000 kg of weapons. It is comparable to the American A-10 Thunderbolt II.

To meet maneuverability on the battlefield, the Su-25 uses two Soyuz/Tumansky R-195 engines with a thrust of 4,300 kg, helping the aircraft to reach a maximum speed of 950 km/h, a range of 2,500 km, flying ceiling 7,000 m.

According to experts, like the Su-24, the Su-25 mainly uses unguided bombs, but the results are very good. This is possible because the Russian Air Force has equipped these two types of attack with a device called the Special Subsystem (SVP-24).

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