The
Su-25 Frogfoot, known as the Grach or “Rook” by Russian pilots, is one of those aircraft that may not be at the cutting edge of technology, but still has seen widespread service around the world because it offers an effective and useful solution to the need to blast targets on the ground.
As such, its obvious stablemate is the American
A-10 Thunderbolt II attack plane. But while the U.S. Air Force wants to
retire the A-10 starting in 2022, the Su-25 is
Also unlike the Thunderbolt, it has been disseminated it all over the world and seen action in over a dozen wars, including in the air campaigns over Syria, Iraq and Ukraine.
Here, I’d like to break down the strengths and weaknesses of the two aircraft.
Here s What You Need To Remember: The biggest difference, perhaps, is in numbers; many hundreds of F-15s continue to serve around the world, while there are fewer than a hundred Su-35s.
I have been asked to compare the venerable American F-15 Eagle fighter to Russia’s new competitor for the crown of best Fourth Generation fighter, the Su-35S “Flanker E.”
The former is the airplane that in many ways
defined what a Fourth Generation fighter can do. Introduced in the 1970s, it has been extensively updated to keep with the times and hundreds will remain in service for decades to come.