==Development==
The Su-25's design goes all the way back to the late 60's, and the first prototype flew in February of 1975.<ref>''The Vital Guide to Military Aircraft'', ed. by Sophearith Moeng, Airlife Publishing, 1994</ref>
Like its American counterpart, the [[A-10 Thunderbolt]], the Su-25 was designed to be tough. Priority was given to simplicity, ease of maintenance, and survivability. In pursuit of the last, the plane had an inch of [[titanium]] all around the cockpit, an armored canopy, armor protecting every vital system, and reticulated foam in the fuel tanks (the modern day equivalent of self-sealing) to minimize the risk of fire or explosions. In addition, the plane’s plane's two engines were spaced as far apart as possible without hurting performance, so that a lucky shot wouldn’t wouldn't take them both out at the same time. The plane proved its durability in [[Afghanistan]], where the Frogfoot had the lowest loss rate of any jet in the theater.<ref>''The Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft'', ed. by Paul Eden, Aerospace Publishing, 2004</ref>
The Frogfoot has ten wing-mounted pylons for a wide variety of weapons, external fuel tanks, and jamming pods, as needed, and is equipped with an internal 30 mm cannon, with 250 rounds.
==Operational History==
In the late 80s, the Marxist government of [[Angola]] obtained fourteen Frogfoots, which were used extensively against the [[UNITA]] rebels.<ref>[http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_195.shtml African MiGs, Part 1]</ref>
[[Ivory Coast]] acquired four Frogfoots from [[Belarus]] in late 2002, and they were used in that country’s country's civil war, carrying out bombing missions against the rebel capital and military headquarters. After one of the planes rocketed a camp of [[France|French]] peacekeepers, killing ten, a French counterstrike with [[Anti-Tank Guided Missiles|anti-tank missile]]s damaged two Su-25s on the ground.<ref>[http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_463.shtml Cote d’Ivoire, since 2002]</ref>
===Gulf War===
===Georgia-Russia War over South Ossetia===
Both [[Georgia]] and Russia operated Su-25s in the 2008 conflict. According to a Russian report, Georgian Frogfoots flew bombing missions over [[South Ossetia]] during Georgia’s Georgia's initial incursion.<ref>[httphttps://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-ossetia11-2008aug11,0,5485712,full.story As Georgia Retreats, Russia Presses On]</ref><ref>[http://www.interfax.com/3/417133/news.aspx Interfax]</ref> Georgian losses were at least one Sukhoi from anti-aircraft fire [httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ny4Fau-m6U], and Russian bombing raids targeted air bases,<ref>[http://www.kommersant.com/p1009540/r_527/War_in_South_Ossetia/ The First Peace-Keeping War]</ref>, so other planes may have been destroyed or damaged on the ground. The Russian air force lost at least four aircraft in the conflict, three of them Su-25s.<ref>[http://lenta.ru/news/2008/08/11/planes/ Lenta.ru: General staff recognizes aircraft losses]</ref>
==References==
<references/>
==External Linkslinks==*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgLxwEsRy54 Footage of a Georgian Air Force Su-25]*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4CLqwLxroQ&feature=related Footage of a Russian Su-25]*[httphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idnLqPr8zVc&feature=related Footage of Ukrainian Frogfoots]
==Further Readingreading==
*''Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot'', by Yefim Gordon, 2008
[[Category:Military Aircraft]]
[[Category:Cold War]]
[[Category:Soviet Union]]