October 15, 2013:
Another Russian Su-25 ground attack aircraft crashed on September 23rd, killing the pilot. All Su-25s were immediately grounded until the cause of the crash could be found. This is the 17th Su-25 lost in the last decade, which is not unusual for a Russian military aircraft that has been in service since the 1980s. Despite these losses, the Su-25 is still a popular aircraft. When well maintained, the Su-25 is very effective. Over a thousand have been produced since 1978, and the aircraft is still in production and older models are being upgraded. In 2006, after 7 years of work, Russia put the first 2 Su-25SM upgrades into service. 6 more were delivered within a year. Russia still finds export customers for the Su-25, both cheap used models or high end versions like the new or refurbished Su-25SMs.
Russia still maintains a force of Su-25s. As long ago as 1999, Russia decided to upgrade 80 of their Su-25 aircraft to the SM standard. In addition to extending service life by 10 years or more, the Su-25SMs have new electronics that permit the aircraft to use smart bombs and missiles. The navigation system has been upgraded, to include GPS and more automation. Many improved components were installed, to reduce maintenance manpower needs by a third. Currently, Russia plans to keep 80 or so SU-25s in service until the 2030s. This will probably require one more round of refurbishment.
The Su-25 is a 17 ton aircraft that carries a 30mm twin-barrel rotary cannon (with 250 rounds) and up to 5 tons of bombs and missiles (including air-to-air missiles). The twin-engine, one seat aircraft has a combat radius of 380 kilometers and a top speed of 900 kilometers an hour. It's the Russian equivalent of the U.S. A-10, which has received similar upgrades to prolong its service life.
The Su-25 design is actually more similar to the 19 ton American A-9, a competing design with the 23 ton A-10. The Su-25 and A-9 both are about 14 percent faster than the A-10. But the A-10 is a more stable aircraft and much more resistant to battle damage. Absent lots of ground fire, both the A-10 and Su-25 are very effective against ground targets. The A-10 also has an edge with its unique 30mm autocannon, in addition to 7 tons of bombs. The A-9 could carry 8 tons, in addition to the same 30mm autocannon.