Russian military narrowly avoids disaster: Own missiles almost take out Su‑25 jet in shocking near-miss
The short video taken from the frontline in Ukraine captures how dangerously close the Russians came to accidentally destroying their aircraft during a barrage supported by the BM-21 Grad system. Bulgarian Military indicates that this is not the first incident where the Russians nearly destroyed their equipment with their own weapons. A previous occurrence like this took place in October, when the Russian Federation's anti-aircraft defense unintentionally shot down either a Su-25 or Su-35S plane (the type of plane varies depending on the reporting source).
4:01 PM EST, December 16, 2023
In the latest footage, which was shared on the X platform by @Azovsouth among others, a Su-25 can be seen flying at a dangerously low altitude, almost brushing the BM-21 Grad system as it launches a cluster of missiles. Despite two of the missiles closely missing the aircraft, the plane remained unscathed.
Understanding the Su-25 close air support aircraft
First introduced in the 1970s, the Su-25 aircraft has somewhat of a bull's eye for Ukrainians, as it is often used by the Russian army to aid ground operations. With a relatively low flight ceiling of about 22,966 feet, they are relatively easy targets. These aircraft are frequently deployed in conflicts around Avdiivka, where they are regularly taken out by Ukrainian forces.
Recently, the Su-25 was in the limelight due to a crash in the Azov Sea in July, when the aircraft nicknamed the "flying tank" plunged into the water owing to engine failure. Speculation is rife that similar incidents could become a frequent occurrence, indicative of the declining state of Russian aviation and the ongoing battle to maintain aircraft in good condition.
This aircraft has one primary mission on the frontline - to provide air support in the first line of air combat and ensure ground safety. The attack aircraft Su-25 has an overall length of 50.85 feet and weighs nearly 11 short tons. It can additionally carry more than 4.7 short tons of weapons, mounted on 10 under-wing nodes. The aircraft can reach a top speed of 590.29 mph and operates at an altitude of approximately 22,966 feet.
The main fuel tank gives a distance range of over 310.68 miles while supplementary fuel tanks can further extend this to over 1,118.47 miles. The main weapon of the Su-25 is a single GSz-30-2, a 30 mm caliber gun.
