Georgia has modernized the Su-25 attack aircraft

Su-25SM - Vladislav Perminov

Грузия модернизировала штурмовик Су-25 -

03/06/2021 16:43:41

       Tbilisi. March, 6. INTERFAX - The first modernized Su-25 attack aircraft in Georgia, also known as "Grach", successfully completed a test flight on Saturday.

       The work on the modernization of the aircraft was carried out in cooperation with TAM JSC (Tbilaviastroy) and the state military scientific and technical center Delta.

       As stated in the message of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, under whose supervision this project was carried out, the modification of the Su-25 aircraft has a dual purpose, which makes it possible to perform both combat and training flights.

       "Test flights on each subsequent aircraft will be carried out in stages, according to the schedule specified in the contract," the press release says.

       The project for updating the aircraft fleet of the Defense Forces, which was initiated by an agreement signed in July 2020 between the Georgian Ministry of Defense and TAM JSC, provides for the modernization of all Su-25 aircraft on the balance of the defense department by the end of 2022.

       JSC "TAM" ("Tbilaviastroy", earlier - the Tbilisi Aviation Plant named after Dimitrov) began producing Su-25 attack aircraft since 1979, being the only manufacturer of the combat modification of this aircraft. During this time, the enterprise has manufactured more than 1000 machines.

       After the collapse of the USSR, Tbilaviastroy assembled Su-25 KM "Scorpion" modernized with the help of Israel, parts for which came from Russia, but after the August 2008 war this became impossible.

       Currently, the enterprise, which is part of the system of the Ministry of Defense of Georgia, mainly repairs military aircraft and other aviation equipment, as well as assembles unmanned aerial vehicles. On its basis, together with the Delta center, the production of Didgori and Lazika armored personnel carriers and other military products was mastered.

       JSC "Tbilaviastroy" was established in March 2002 on the basis of the Tbilisi Aviation Plant, created in December 1941 after the evacuation of aircraft factories from Taganrog and Sevastopol to Georgia.

       Developed in the USSR, the Su-25 attack aircraft is designed to support ground forces directly over the battlefield with direct line of sight to the target. Its tasks include the destruction of small-sized mobile and stationary ground objects,

       Serially aircraft of this type were produced at two aircraft factories - in Ulan-Ude (combat training Su-25UB) and in Tbilisi (combat Su-25). In total, in 1981-1991, 1 thousand 320 copies of the Su-25 were built.

       The Russian Armed Forces receive an upgraded version of the Su-25. In 2018, an Interfax source reported that the entire fleet of ground attack aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces is planned to be upgraded to the Su-25SM3 version.

1ff ag

Su-25SM - Aleksei Grichkov

Sukhoi Su-25: Details