Midair rocket explosion caused Russian Su-25 crash - investigation

21/03/2008 09:31 MOSCOW/VLADIVOSTOK, March 21 (RIA Novosti) - The explosion of a rocket launched during a midair live firing exercise caused the crash of a Su-25 strike aircraft in Russia's Far East, a source close to the investigation said on Friday.

A Su-25 Frogfoot close-support aircraft exploded in the air on Thursday in the Primorye Territory about 143 kilometers (90 miles) from the port of Vladivostok. The pilot died in the crash.

"According to the preliminary investigation, the crash of a Su-25 combat aircraft over the Novoselskoye testing grounds was caused by the explosion of an S-8 rocket during its launch," the source said.

An investigation into the cause of the incident has been launched and a special investigation commission is to work at the crash site for at least nine days.

Investigators have found the plane's "black box" and are currently decoding it, the source said, adding that it may take a month to prepare the final report on the results of the investigation.

Russia's Air Force has suspended all Su-25 strike aircraft flights following the incident and until the investigation is complete, an Air Force spokesman said on Thursday.

The Su-25 is a single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau to provide close air support for ground troops.

The aircraft is reported to have experienced a number of accidents in operational service caused by system failures attributed to the salvo firing of weapons.

Developed in the 1970s, the S-8 is an 80-mm (3.15 in) rocket used by fighter bombers and helicopters. The system entered service in 1984 and is produced in a variety of subtypes with different warheads.

The S-8 is generally carried in rocket pods, carrying either seven or 20 rockets.

Thursday's incident is the first Su-25 crash for two years. The most recent crash involving a Su-25 plane occurred in June 2006 in southwest Russia near the border with Ukraine. The pilot also died in the crash.

On May 21, 2005, a Su-25 crashed in Tajikistan. The pilot managed to eject from the plane and an investigation later established that the accident had been caused by technical problems.

The Su-25 aircraft has been in service with the Russian Air Force for more than 25 years. In 1999, Russia adopted a program to upgrade part of its aging Su-25 fleet. The Russian Air Force received the first six modernized planes, Su-25SM, in December 2006.

Video:
http://www.en.rian.ru/video/20080320/101834826.html

ako sam dobro razumeo,prizemljila je samo one koji su ucestvovali na vezbi!!??

"A criminal investigation is now looking into a mid-air explosion. Air Force command has grounded all Su-25 strike aircraft flights." Sve avione su prizemljili do zavrsetka istrage, mada mi to nije logican potez ako je u pitanju explozija raketnog zrna, a ne defekt samog aviona, ipak, bolje spreciti nego leciti...

Ma Su 25 je stvarno zastareo model.Cak i prema dinasaurusu A10 je dosta losiji..... al kad pricamo o Su-25T to je druga prica...

ne brinite,modernizovace se svi Su25...ne vidim zasto je losiji od A10?nisam video tromiji avion od A10...stavi na Su25 neke toplotne rakete,npr R73M ili R27T,pa da vidis kakav belaj pravi...

Su-25 se modernizuju od 1999. Inace za samoodbranu moze da nosi R-60 ako se ne varam, a rakete v-v veceg dometa nema ni potrebe da nosi posto ne sluzi kao lovac niti ima agilnost jednog lovca, nego je upravo trom kao i A-10 jer mu je takva uloga da mora da bude stabilan u brisucem letu. Zlaviji je A-10 od njega, a ima i bolji top od 30mm, raketno naoruzanje im je slicno, s tim sto ja preferiram ruski Vikhr, zbog veceg dometa i vece energije koju isporucuje na cilj, a moze da se upotrebi i za gadjanje helikoptera, i drugih sporoletecih ciljeva.
Bilo kako bilo, zabrana letenja ce biti skinuta po zavrsetku istrage, procenjuje se za oko mesec dana, ali letece i na paradi, 9. maja cak i ako zabrana jos uvek bude na snazi. Evo i kompletan text koji sam stavio i na temu o paradi posto clanak obuhvata obe teme :

eh,sad...ne bih se bas slozio...veoma lako se krece i manevrise...

Koliko znam Su25 modernizacijom dobija radar te će moći nositi i bolje rakete za samoodbranu od r-60,
žilava su oba aviona to je dokazano u mnogim borbama, sad koji je više teško je reći.

A zasto se ne bi slozio?Procitaj karekteristike tog aviona pa ces se sloziti ...

Neki novi momenti u istrazi o razlozima pada Su-25: http://www.en.rian.ru/russia/20080326/102255244.html