A Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack jet from the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) made a belly landing at an unidentified air base, possibly in Russia. The video, whose exact date and location of recording are not known, was released on social networks last Saturday (10).
The images were shared by a Russian only identified by Fighterbomber, across your channel in the Telegram app. The video is just over a minute long and starts with the Su-25 already in the final short.
Аварийная посадка российского Су-25 с убранным шасси https://t.co/K8x6HYj3TF #вксрф pic.twitter.com/M5k1HebR7M
- Necro Mancer (@ 666_mancer) December 10, 2022
About 30 seconds later, the plane's fuselage touches the runway at high speed, creating a trail of smoke and sparks, as expected in such a situation. Then the pilot activates the braking parachutes, with the plane stopping quickly.
Read more: Russian Su-25 pilot films own ejection in Ukraine
It is possible to see the letter Z painted in white on the tail of the aircraft, indicating that she was somehow involved in the fighting in ukraine. Russia painted several symbols on its vehicles involved in the campaign against Kiev: the Z was the first, and also the most famous.
It should be remembered that the images were not released through official channels in Moscow, but through third parties. That said, it remains to be seen what led to the Su-25's belly landing. In the same way that the aircraft may have suffered a breakdown, combat damage may also have affected the landing gear systems, preventing complete or partial extension of the wheels.
The fact is that the Sukhoi Su-25 is an old acquaintance of the Russian Armed Forces and has become a symbol of the conflict in Eastern Europe, being widely used by the forces of Kiev and Moscow.
This is why Su-25s of # Ukraine Air Force have become untouchable for #Russian Su-30SM & Su-35S pilots and also SAM systems over #Kherson. Watch these two Su-25 Ground Attack Aircraft of 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade flying low over a road on their ways toward the battle front. pic.twitter.com/atC0YuMReu
- Babak Taghvaee - The Crisis Watch (@ BabakTaghvaee1) September 8, 2022
The Su-25 was specifically developed for ground attack and close air support missions, as a response to the North American A-10 Thunderbolt II. In this way, the mission performed by the plane exposes it even more to anti aircraft systems. Even flying low to avoid radar detection, aircraft are vulnerable to short-range portable missiles, called MANPADS.
Anyway, the Su-25 is widely recognized for its robustness (as well as the A-10), capable of returning to base even seriously damaged. This is the case of a Russian Frogfoot that landed after being hit by a Ukrainian missile, right in the first months of the war. However, others 24 Russian Su-25s e 15 Ukrainians they weren't so lucky.
