The Sukhoi Su-25 Grach is a Soviet-era close air support aircraft designed for ground attack missions. Entering service in 1981, the Su-25 has been used extensively in various worldwide conflicts and makes up for the shortcomings of the preceding Su-7 and Su-17 fighter-bombers which lacked proper armor protection. Similar to its American A-10 Warthog counterpart, the Su-25 is a true ground attack aircraft with limited air-to-air capability but excels in a ground attack role with its strong airframe and effective weaponry.
The Su-25K is a model of the Su-25 catered for the export market and has some minor differences when compared to the regular Su-25. However, both aircraft perform identically and share the same playstyles.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Armored airframe is durable and survivable | Mediocre mobility with a wide turning radius |
| Can use a variety of ground attack ordinance to decimate ground targets | Can rip its wings in level flight or in a dive |
| Plenty of countermeasures to fool missiles and radar | Slow and large target for enemy fighters |
| GSh-30-2 cannon is accurate and effective against air and ground targets | Compresses a lot at higher speeds |
Flight performance
Maneuverability
The maneuverability of the Su-25 is quite poor due to its big and heavy airframe. Above 700 km/h, the Su-25 can turn fairly well but it will begin to fly like a brick below 450 km/h. Dogfights with enemy fighters should be avoided whenever possible, as the Su-25 was not designed to intercept and dogfight enemy fighter aircraft in the first place.
Engines
The Su-25 is powered by two UMPO R-95SH turbojet engines, each producing 3300 kgf of thrust (6600 kgf total). For a subsonic attack aircraft, these engines are actually quite powerful for non-afterburning engines and accelerate the Su-25 to over 900 km/h in a short amount of time. The Su-25 can outrun most other attackers like the A-10 Warthog with ease, but fighter jets will typically be able to catch up to a fleeing Su-25 or outrun it with ease.
Warning: The Su-25 can accelerate past its structural limits even in level flight and will rip its wings at 1,100 km/h.
Structural limits
To slow down, use the airbrakes or throttle down. The Su-25 also has a drogue chute mounted in the tail to aid with landings. The Su-25 can still maneuver, albeit sluggishly, even with a partially snapped wing after overspeeding.
| Wings | 1,100 km/h |
| Gear | 420 km/h |
| Flaps — Combat | 900 km/h |
| Flaps — Landing | 420 km/h |
Internal armor
Internal armor: the titanium bathtub
The pilot of the Su-25 is surrounded by a “bathtub” of 24 mm and 10 mm titanium alloy which greatly increases the pilot’s protection against shrapnel and gunfire. This bathtub of armor protects the pilot from most shells that are below 30 mm in caliber and also absorbs the fragmentation from air-to-air missiles. Note that high-caliber armor piercing shells are able to penetrate through the bathtub and injure the pilot.
There is also a pane of 57 mm bulletproof glass to stops low-caliber shells from penetrating the windscreen from the front. Only the front windscreen is armored, and the rest of the canopy lacks armored glass.
Airframe durability
The Su-25 is known for its durability and resilience, being capable of flying back to base even without parts of its tail, control surfaces, or an engine. It can withstand hits from smaller missiles like the AIM-92 Stinger and sometimes even larger missiles, although a direct hit that blows off the tail or a wing will usually bring it down. The airframe is tanky against cannon shells, and the fuselage and wing roots can eat some rounds without being totaled.
Engine fires can be extinguished by using the EFS system. Note that using EFS will disable the engines.
Survivability
Countermeasures
The Su-25 is equipped with 256x upward-firing countermeasures mounted in dispensers above the engines and on the tail that dispense 2 at a time. The export Su-25K model has only 128x countermeasures, half of the regular Su-25's amount.
On the Su-25, these countermeasures will dispense in two different patterns (one narrow, one wide) due to the additional dispensers above the engines.
SPO-15 RWR
The Su-25 is also equipped with a SPO-15 Radar Warning Receiver, which can detect radar bands from G to I. It provides launch warnings when missiles are fired at the plane and is also equipped with IFF. SPO-15 also displays the height at which radar emissions are detected (see “#F — Elevation of Primary Threat” on the guide) on the cockpit display.
Note that SPO-15 cannot list the exact aircraft that the radar emissions is coming from (F-4, F-15, etc.) but lists the general type of vehicle.
Paying attention to the RWR in battles is important, as it will reveal the position of ground SPAAs equipped with radar and also aircraft that have their radar on.
Armaments for air combat
30 mm GSh-30-2
The Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-30-2 is a twin barreled autocannon and an upsized version of the GSh-23L used by the MiG-21 and MiG-23 series of fighter aircraft. It is mounted on the left side of the plane (pilot’s perspective) beneath the nose and holds 250 rounds of ammo.
With great ballistics and muzzle velocity (870 m/s), the GSh-30-2 is easy to aim and shreds nearly all aircraft and light ground targets that it hits due to its high fire rate. However, the gun’s high rate of fire means that the 250 rounds of ammunition can be depleted rapidly. Pilots should get familiar with having good trigger discipline to avoid wasting ammo.
Belt options:
- Default: HEFI-T · APHE
- Universal: AP-T · HEF-I · APHE · HEF-I
- Ground targets: AP-T · APHE · APHE
- Air targets: APHE · HEF-I · HEF-I · HEFI-T
- Stealth: APHE · HEF-I · HEF-I
The 30 mm APHE and AP-T rounds are very effective at neutralizing ground targets with 42 and 56 mm of penetration respectively. Aiming and shooting from above will allow the rounds to penetrate the thin roof armor of vehicles.
The Su-25 can also mount the GSh-23L autocannon in a suspended gunpod to supplement its firepower.
R-60 / R-60M
To combat aircraft at distances beyond the effective range of the gun, the R-60 and R-60M air-to-air missiles can be used. Two R-60s or R-60Ms can be carried on the wingtip pylons of the Su-25.
The main difference between the R-60 and R-60M is that the R-60M has all-aspect capability, meaning that it can be shot at targets in a head-on scenario (front aspect) in addition to the sides and rear. The R-60 can only be used from rear or side aspects. Pilots should always take the R-60M over the R-60 if they have it unlocked.
The R-60s have great maneuverability, with 30 Gs of max overload and good target tracking. However, their range is limited to around 2 km, and they can be easily fooled by flares, so shooting them at targets that are distracted will yield the most consistent results. Nevertheless, the R-60s are effective missiles when used properly and can be especially deadly in downtiers where the Su-25 can face aircraft without flares.
Armaments for ground targets
The Su-25 has 8 pylons that can carry a wide variety of armaments to destroy ground targets. These include rockets of various sizes, dumb bombs, parachute bombs, and laser guided missiles. Additionally, the Su-25 also has CCIP and CCRP for all of its armaments for enhanced accuracy. Always enable CCIP for the guns when strafing ground targets.
Rockets
| Rocket | Weight | Explosive mass | Max # of rockets |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-5K | 3.6 kg | 465 g | 256 |
| S-8KO | 11.3 kg | 1.4 kg | 160 |
| S-13OF | 69 kg | 10.6 kg | 40 |
| S-24B | 235 kg | 25.5 kg | 8 |
| S-25O | 370 kg | 58 kg | 8 |
| S-25OF | 367 kg | 27 kg | 8 |
| S-25OFM | 367 kg | 20 kg | 8 |
The S-5K and the S-8KO rockets are available in a large quantity, but multiple rockets are needed to destroy one target due to their low explosive filler, and they may fail to kill MBTs when launched from the front, side, and even from above. However, these rockets are the best choice for destroying stationary ground AI targets like howitzers and pillboxes.
The S-25O specializes in sheer explosive power and is the largest rocket the Su-25 can mount. It is very effective for destroying all ground targets, and the 58 kilograms of TNT filler usually overpressures any vehicle instantly on contact. The S-25O is superior to the S-24B and S-25OF/OFM rockets due to its much higher explosive mass.
The S-13OF rockets have a good balance between quantity and explosive mass, with each rocket pod containing 5 rockets (40 total with a full load). The S-13OFs can usually destroy light vehicles and SPAA in a single hit, and MBTs can also be destroyed by launching a S-13OF at the roof of the tank from above.
Bombs
| Bomb | Weight | Explosive mass | Max # of bombs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 kg OFAB-100 | 114 kg | 38 kg | 32 |
| 250 kg OFAB-250sv | 250 kg | 97 kg | 8 |
| 250 kg OFAB-250Sh | 275 kg | 131.7 kg | 8 |
| 500 kg FAB-500M-62 | 508.3 kg | 340.8 kg | 8 |
| 500 kg FAB-500Sh | 515 kg | 362.6 kg | 8 |
| ZB-500 incendiary | 374 kg | 250 kg | 8 |
The 100 kg OFAB-100 and 250 kg OFAB-250sv/Sh bombs should be avoided due to their low explosive mass.
The 500 kg FAB-500M-62 and 500 kg FAB-500Sh are the best option for destroying tanks, and 1 bomb for each target is usually sufficient unless multiple targets are grouped together.
For base bombing, the ZB-500 incendiary bombs should be used. Two ZB-500 bombs are enough to destroy one base, and up to 4 bases can be destroyed when carrying a full loadout (8 bombs total).
Laser guided missiles
| Missile | Weight | Explosive mass | Maximum speed | Max # of missiles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kh-25 | 318 kg | 119 kg | 2 M | 4 |
| Kh-25ML | 297 kg | 119 kg | 2 M | 4 |
| Kh-29L | 657 kg | 186.2 kg | 1.8 M | 2 |
| S-25L | 410 kg | 20 kg | 510 m/s | 4 |
Warning: The Su-25 does not have a dedicated targeting pod, so there is very little optic zoom in the missile sight which makes hitting targets extremely difficult. Taking the rockets or bombs instead of the guided missiles is usually more useful in battle.
The Kh-29L and Kh-25ML missiles are able to engage targets at longer distances (albeit with some difficultly) and can destroy all vehicles with a direct hit or a near miss. The Kh-25 and S-25L should not be taken as these are inferior versions of the Kh-29L and Kh-25ML.
Gunpods (GSh-23L)
The GSh-23L is the ubiquitous twin-barreled autocannon found on many Soviet aircraft. These can be used to greatly enhance the Su-25's firepower and gives it the ability to shred any aircraft in a singular burst. Up to 4 gunpods can be carried on the inner pylons.
Belt options
- Default: HEFI-T · AP-I · HEF-I
- Armoured targets: HEF-I · AP-I · AP-I · AP-I
- Air targets: HEFI-T · HEF-I · HEFI-T · HEF-I · AP-I
- Stealth: AP-I · HEF-I · HEF-I
These gunpods are typically useful for aircraft only, as the AP-I rounds only have enough penetration to destroy light tanks and SPAA.
Usage in battles
Ground battles
The Su-25 is a highly effective combatant in ground battles, being able to devastate ground targets with its varied ordinance options. With proper air support and team coordination, even a single Su-25 can decisively affect the outcome of a match.
Recommended loadout:
- Fuel: 12 minutes
- Secondary weapons: 4x S-25O, 4x S-13OF pods (20 rockets), 2x R-60M
- 30 mm belt: Ground targets
- Countermeasures: 128/128 flares and chaff (64/64 for Su-25K)
- Gun targeting distance: 600 m
The primary threats to the Su-25 will be SPAA (Gepard, Stormer HVM, etc.) and light tanks with autocannons. Missiles from SPAAs are the primary threat at around 6 km and below, while autocannon fire is effective up until 2 km. Keep an eye on the RWR and always stay alert for hostile aircraft. Flares should be used to fool IR missiles, and chaff is useful to break radar lock if an enemy SPAA or aircraft is tracking the plane.
The best and safest way to engage ground targets is by doing a quick “attack run” to minimize the Su-25's exposure to SPAA and enemy fire. Circle around the battle and identify the location of potential targets by looking at team pings, callouts, and the minimap.
Afterwards, pick a line of approach. Approaching from the sides and rear of the enemy spawn will give the pilot the element of surprise. Avoid diving head-on to attack ground targets as most SPAA operators will be looking in front of them and not behind.
Stay low to the ground and then go for targets; fly upwards slightly before attacking if the target (s) cannot be seen. Attack with the bombs/rockets/gun and then fly away out of the battle to reduce the chances of getting hit.
If the attack was unsuccessful or if there are new targets, circle back around the battle (do not hover over the battle), approach from a new direction, and repeat the process.
Air battles
Although the Su-25 was meant to be a strike aircraft, it can still perform well in air battles if it is used correctly. Use the GSh-30-2 cannon to shred aircraft that stray in front of the plane and fire the R-60s at targets that are either distracted or that lack flares. Maintain speed, and don’t engage multiple enemies at the same time without the help of teammates.
Recommended loadout:
- Fuel: 12 minutes
- Secondary weapons: 2x R-60M, 4x ZB-500 (optional), 4x GSh-23L gunpods (optional)
- 30 mm belt: Air targets
- 23 mm belt (if using gunpods): Air targets
- Countermeasures: 190/66 flares and chaff (90/38 for Su-25K)
- Gun targeting distance: 600 m
Taking opponents by surprise is one of the best methods to get kills. Attacking enemies that are not paying attention or engaging other aircraft also is effective. Do not attempt to “1v1” and dogfight enemy fighters, as they will easily outmaneuver the Su-25 and send it back to the hangar. Instead, engage fighters when having the element of surprise.
With proper cover from teammates, the Su-25 can also bleed enemy tickets by destroying ground AI targets. The GSh-30-2 is able to penetrate and destroy all ground targets easily with a short burst.
