Should China judge Russian aircraft obsolete?
The incident of a Russian Su-25 attack aircraft being shot down by rebels a few days ago with a man-portable air defense missile (MANPADS) in Idlib province (Syria) has created great concern.
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Some media outlets have rushed to make critical assessments of the Russian aircraft. For example, the Chinese portal Sina.com stated that the Su-25, despite its low cost and high reliability, is allegedly unsuitable for the realities of “today’s battlefield.” Apparently, the reason is that the electronic missile attack warning system is outdated, making the aircraft vulnerable to even the simplest man-portable air defense systems.
In addition, this type of aircraft, they say, has a small range of operation. Experts interviewed by the Chinese publication believe that today, instead of manned aircraft, it is necessary to use attack UAVs. For example, the American MQ-9 Reaper or the Chinese Rainbow CH-4.
Indeed, the all-weather armored attack aircraft Su-25, or as its pilots nicknamed it "Grach" - is not a new product; it has been used in at least 17 military conflicts in different countries (and is still in service today).
However, is it fair for media representatives of a country that has not participated in a real war since 1979 to categorically declare an aircraft that has been involved "in one war after another" obsolete?
Commenting on Sina.com's "wise conclusion", Sputnik asked Russian expert on military aviation, Associate Doctor of Military Sciences, Colonel Makar Aksenenko - a pilot who has participated in more than one war and has been tested at "hot spots" to give his opinion:
"It seems that experts from China - a country that has not won a single war in the last half century (despite its huge numerical advantage and not bad military equipment), in their assessment have chosen not objective criteria, but rather the economic prospects of modern unmanned vehicles, created by the US or Israel carrying out attacks on opponents who are almost incapable of responding. Meanwhile, the experience of local wars and armed conflicts over the past three decades shows that direct fire support aircraft are an inseparable part of combined arms combat! It does not matter whether it is against armed groups or modern armies".
According to experts, the Su-25 is the embodiment of modern warfare concepts and the experience of using attack aircraft during World War II, as well as the need of the army for a direct fire support aircraft on the battlefield. It was created and entered "operation" later than the similar American A-10. However, the Soviet-origin machine proved to be more successful, especially since the manufacturers took into account the shortcomings of the American aircraft. In the air force, the Su-25 is a brand like the Kalashnikov assault rifle in the army - its combat power, extraordinary survivability (proven in Afghanistan, and in two campaigns in the North Caucasus, when the plane "crawled" back after suffering serious damage from enemy anti-aircraft missiles) say that the Su attack aircraft is a "workhorse of war". And the modernization takes into account the combat experience of recent decades. |
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“Any serious expert in the air force can confirm the following,” Colonel Aksenenko continued. “In the rapidly changing environment of a full-scale war or a local armed clash, a special operation, often using high-precision conventional weapons and armored aircraft, together with a professional pilot in the cockpit, determined and loyal to the Motherland, will create a decisive victory over any opponent.
Both the former Soviet Union and today's Russia have demonstrated this to the world. Operators sitting in rooms behind joysticks, controlling "drones" hundreds of kilometers away from the battlefield, have so far not been able to replace strike aircraft pilots, who are able in a fraction of a second to decide and execute the only right decision at a difficult moment.
This is the paradox of war, when the Russian plane (in fact, Soviet) was shot down… by a Soviet man-portable air defense missile (MANPADS). And even in this case, military experts do not consider it a coincidence:
"It is no secret that Soviet-made MANPADS, as well as American Stingers, are ineffective against the Su-25 armored attack aircraft. This time we must pay tribute to our opponents. They shot down the best front-line aircraft to date with the best MANPADS - Igla, supplied to the anti-Assad fighters by our "old friends". However, this once again confirms that Russian weapons are very good. The victory of these weapons proves that it is best to accept Russia as a friend, a partner, and not turn it into an enemy "- concluded aviation expert, Colonel Makar Aksenenko!
