Sukhoi Su-25
The Su-25 (NATO reporting name Frogfoot) was designed by Sukhoi as a result of studies in the late 1960s on an aircraft to fill the Shturmovik ground attack role (so-named after the famous Ilyushin Il-2 of World War Two renown). It is comparable to the A-10 Thunderbolt II, although it more closely resembles the Northrop YA-9, which lost the USAF competition that produced the A-10.
The Su-25 made its first flight in 1979. The Frogfoot is heavily armed, with a 30mm cannon and various air-to-ground munitions; it can carry more than 4,000 kg of weaponry in the ground-attack role. It is also very tough, and provides the pilot with a lot of protection.
The Su-25, which is called Grach (rook) in CIS service, was heavily used by the Soviet Union during its operations in Afghanistan in the 1980s. Many were lost to shoulder-launched SAMs in combat. A more advanced variant, the two-seat Su-39, was developed based on the lessons learned in Afghanistan, but did not go into major series production.
The Su-25 is flown by the air forces of Afghanistan, Angola, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Republic of Macedonia, North Korea, Peru, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine