Su-25K
Anti-Tank Plane
GUIDE > RTS > WGRD > UNIT
by
Pijove
Posted on May 03, 2019
Introduction
The Sukhoi Su-25 Grach (Russian: Грач (rook); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Soviet Ground Forces.
Stats Overiew
These are the stats from the Wargame:Red Dragon armoury (Fig.).
- Turn Radius: 200 is Extremely good. (Fig.) So it doesn’t stray into enemy AA
- Speed: 750km/h is slow, but it is the same speed at the other EB SEAD Planes
- TOT: 105s is good, you can lurk and do a few strikes if needed
- ECM: 10% is poor, expect all AA to hit
- Armour: 2/1/1/1 front armour reduces HE by 50%
Note: 2 Front armour is the useful point here. ‘1’ armour, doesn’t protect you from AA HE. Infantry, ‘0’ Armour & ‘1 Armour’ all receive 100% of He damage. ‘2’ Armour reduces the amount of damage the unit receives by HE weapons by 50%*
Armament
Note All Weapons can be fired at the same time on a strike run.
Auto-cannon
One of the significant features of this plane is the Auto-cannon that shoots [HEAT] and it is possible to target; ground, helicopters and airplanes with it (Fig.). The Auto-cannon is most effectively utilised against ground targets, it can shred infantry & destroy armour units. Against helicopters, it can can destroy a 4 hp helicopter in a single strike. The Auto-cannon is it’s only offensive weapon to combat planes although it will be rare that the opportunity will arise.
So how good is the auto-cannon against armoured units?
In an informal test against a M1A2, I decided to do an Auto-cannon only strike, front on & side on to see how effective it is using a Veteran Su-25K (Fig.). Even front on it can it can inflict a significant amount of Damage (7 in this instance) and destroyed the side on target.
Missile
The Primary method of destroying armour will be through the use of the AT Missiles. The Kh-25ML (Fig.) is a decent missile. It is Semi-Active [SA] so it requires sight of the enemy till the missile hits. The Range is decent at 3150m, the other longer ranged AT missiles are 3325m & 3500m. The Su-25K is quite efficient with it’s missiles , it can launch 2 in a row direct strike. 4 missiles in total allows you to strike multiple targets. Letting the plane circle & launch missiles is fine as long as the target isn’t too close.
Rockets
The S-24B Rockets (Fig.) is excellent at eliminating infantry and panicking a blob of targets. The Rockets are 11 HE each, so it can hurt armour too, especially APC’s & IFV’s.
Usage
Low speed, bad ECM & only ‘good’ air detection, means you can’t waltz around the map like a Su-27M/ F-16A MLU. Effective usage requires:
- Recon: so you know what enemies are in the area & that you have a visual on target to strike.
- ASF: to protect you from enemy Planes & to provide Exceptional Air detection so you can EVAC early and safely.
- SEAD: to suppress or identify an Radar AA in the area.
Common enemies
Awareness is needed to know what units are trying to shoot you down. (Fig.)
Main categorises are;
- Planes (ASF/Interceptor): Planes have very long range on their missiles so if you rely on the Su-25K air dectection you will be destroyed. That is why need exceptional Air detection for an early warning.
- Long Range Radar AA: these are hard to detect exclusively through recon, they are usually behind enemy lines and it is hard to get a visual, So SEAD is required to make sure they remain turned off, during a strike run.
- SPAAG: Although short ranged against planes, they can shred if within range, A lot of SPAAG platforms are RADAR so SEAD can take them out.
- IR AA: SEAD can’t help you here, Good recon is needed to spot other enemy AA. Most IR AA has very short range, so just be very cautious of forests & towns near where you want to strike.
The Pocket
To give better context and a real example (Fig.). I was playing a game where the enemy had a significant presence in OLGA. My Grenzer were in great place to provide near by recon, although I wanted to get a unit/recon in the forest between, SIGN & CONSTANTINE to feel safer about strike runs. So I notice the enemy makes a quick dash from OLGA road to CONSTANTINE ridge with a VBL Mistral, AMX-10 RC & Leclerc. The enemy Leclerc clobbered a few of the units in CONSTANTINE before attempting to hide in the forest, the VBL is lurking behind. I call out my ASF, SEAD, Thermo-MiG-29 & Su-25K. ASF provide early Air detection, SEAD was to check, What/If any Radar AA near? Thermo-MiG-29 bombed the LeClerc to burn it out of the forest so I could get a visual. The Su-25K Attacked the VBL Mistral as it is a threat, did a circle back toward spawn then had a visual and destroyed the Leclerc. I let the plane fly forward a bit after for an opportunistic strike on something else where it destroyed a VAB.
Team mate: “I need Close Air Support” (Fig.). Similar set up, enemy was doing an aggressive armoured push against a teammate without any noticeable/significant AA presence, I made sure the Su-25K was striking from left to right for maximal effect where I was able to destroy both Challenger 2’s in a single strike run.
Alternative Eastern Bloc units
Su-25K isn’t the only Eastern Bloc plane capable of AT duties (Fig.). Not going to into depth here in comparison but just note the alternatives have low ECM (10 or 20), have a large turn radius (400), and none have Exceptional Air detection.
Conclusion
Su-25K is a versatile unit as it can strike an array of targets. To be used effectively it requires assistance from other units. Low ECM and bad Air detection means you need need optimal conditions to perform a strike safely. However if the opportunity does arise it can devastate an opponent as it can attack multiple targets before rearming.
Previous: MiG-29K