Su-25SM3

A heavily armored single-seat close-air-support jet built around a titanium-armored cockpit tub, comparable in role to the American A-10. Upgraded Su-25SM3 aircraft remain in front-line Russian service for battlefield close air support.

In service since 1981 · 10 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

950

km/h

7,000

m ceiling

4,400

kg payload

Several performance figures for Russia-origin systems are manufacturer or state claims with limited independent verification. Treat these specs as directional, not tested values.

Pricing: No public modern unit cost

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

Russian state channel

Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.

Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)

Fielded & proven

Established · 10 operators

In service since 1981. Status: active · ~1,075 built.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.: 950 km/h

Bottom 4% of fighters
Combat radius Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.: 375 km

Bottom 1% of fighters
Service ceiling Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.: 7,000 m

Bottom 1% of fighters

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Main armament Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.: 30 mm GSh-30-2 twin-barrel cannon
Hardpoints External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.: 10

Stronger than 64% of fighters
Weapons payload Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.: 4,400 kg

Stronger than 21% of fighters

Protection

Armor, countermeasures and survivability.

Armor Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.: Titanium armored cockpit tub

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 15.53 m
Wingspan Wingtip-to-wingtip span.: 14.36 m
Height Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.: 4.8 m
Empty weight Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.: 10,740 kg
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 17,600 kg
Crew Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.: 1

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Engine Powerplant model and type.: 2x Soyuz/Gavrilov R-195 turbojets
Engines Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.: 2
Thrust Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).: 44 kN

Bottom 5% of fighters
Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Turbojet

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Units built Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.: 1,075

Stronger than 88% of fighters
Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 10

Top 8% of fighters

Specifications compiled from public Sukhoi and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

Compare with rivals