The Russian A-10

[Winston]

Sukhoi Su-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-25
The Sukhoi Su-25 Grach (Russian: Грач (rook); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975. After testing, the aircraft went into series production in 1978 at Tbilisi in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

List of Sukhoi Su-25 operators

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sukhoi_Su-25_operators
August 26, 2016
Russia's A-10 Warthog: Why the Su-25 Frogfoot Is a Flying Tank
[great article detailing very interesting Su-25 combat use, for and AGAINST Russia, and combat losses]

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/russias-10-warthog-why-the-su-25-frogfoot-flying-tank-17499
Like the A-10, the Su-25 was all about winning a titanic clash between the ground forces of NATO and the Warsaw Pact by busting tanks and blasting infantry in Close Air Support missions. This meant flying low and slow to properly observe the battlefield and line up the plane for an attack run.

Flying low would also help the Su-25 avoid all the deadly long-range SAMs that would have been active in a European battlefield. However, this would have exposed it to all kinds of antiaircraft guns. Thus, the pilot of the Su-25 benefited from an “armored bathtub”—ten to twenty-five millimeters of armor plating that wrapped around the cockpit and even padded the pilot’s headrest. It also had armored fuel tanks and redundant control schemes to increase the likelihood of surviving a hit. And in their extensive combat careers, Su-25s have survived some really bad hits.

This was most likely caused by a Russian-made SA-16:

The 9K310 Igla-1 (SA-16), accepted into service in the Soviet army on 11 March 1981, is shown in the lower section of this photo:

Russian Sukhoi Su-25:

Ukrainian Su-25:

Bulgarian Su-25 flying with A-10:

 

[BABAR]

Sukhoi Su-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-25
The Sukhoi Su-25 Grach (Russian: Грач (rook); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for the Soviet Ground Forces. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 22 February 1975. After testing, the aircraft went into series production in 1978 at Tbilisi in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

List of Sukhoi Su-25 operators

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Sukhoi_Su-25_operators
August 26, 2016
Russia's A-10 Warthog: Why the Su-25 Frogfoot Is a Flying Tank
[great article detailing very interesting Su-25 combat use, for and AGAINST Russia, and combat losses]

https://nationalinterest.org/feature/russias-10-warthog-why-the-su-25-frogfoot-flying-tank-17499
Like the A-10, the Su-25 was all about winning a titanic clash between the ground forces of NATO and the Warsaw Pact by busting tanks and blasting infantry in Close Air Support missions. This meant flying low and slow to properly observe the battlefield and line up the plane for an attack run.

Flying low would also help the Su-25 avoid all the deadly long-range SAMs that would have been active in a European battlefield. However, this would have exposed it to all kinds of antiaircraft guns. Thus, the pilot of the Su-25 benefited from an “armored bathtub”—ten to twenty-five millimeters of armor plating that wrapped around the cockpit and even padded the pilot’s headrest. It also had armored fuel tanks and redundant control schemes to increase the likelihood of surviving a hit. And in their extensive combat careers, Su-25s have survived some really bad hits.

This was most likely caused by a Russian-made SA-16:

The 9K310 Igla-1 (SA-16), accepted into service in the Soviet army on 11 March 1981, is shown in the lower section of this photo:

Russian Sukhoi Su-25:

Ukrainian Su-25:

Bulgarian Su-25 flying with A-10:

I’ll take the A10 any day.

 

[BABAR]

The SU-25 DOES have a Carrier based version, which the A10 does not have. They considered it, with a nose hook (the plane would slow down and the carrier would snag it from behind) but decided against it.

 

[Winston]

I’ll take the A10 any day.

Totally... The Su-25 is the closest to the A-10 they've got, but it ain't that close at all.

 

[RocketT.Coyote]

The Frogfoot is thought to have been inspired by the Northrop YA-9, which competed against the A-10 in trials.

 

[SolarYellow]

But does it go, "Brrrrrrrtt?"

 

[Rob Campbell]

After testing, the aircraft went into series production in 1978 at Tbilisi in the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Now that's Commie Georgia, not Georgia USA. You can tell the difference cuz in Commie Georgia, they don't have a Waffle House at every exit off the Interstate.