The Su-39 assault fighter is, in essence, a flying complex of a whole military arsenal for hitting enemy targets.
The main purpose of the aircraft can be divided into three tasks:
- destruction of armored ground equipment (tanks, Armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, self-propelled guns) at any time of the day in various weather conditions.
- the destruction of surface ships of the enemy (destroyers, frigates, amphibious ships and rocket-artillery boats).
- destruction aviation enemy groups and aircraft in the sky and on the ground.
The Su-39 aircraft is a continuation of the development of the Su-25T project, and since before the 1996, the aircraft was called the Su-25TM, now you can find both names in the attack aircraft description.
Most recently, there were only two truly good attack aircraft in the sky, the Soviet Su-25 and the American A-10. But with the advent of the Russian Su-39 attack aircraft, the situation is changing, according to the tasks solved by the opponents, the attack aircraft simply do not have at this time, and surpass Western analogs in characteristics.
A unique feature of the attack aircraft is an increased combat survivability, which comes from equipped fire and armor protection of the engine compartments, fuel tank treatment with polyurethane foam and protection, and a cabin with titanium armor and a windscreen armored block. All these improvements minimize getting the pilot's defeats and damage to the main control systems of small-caliber shells, large-caliber bullets and missile fragments.
The attack aircraft can independently determine and identify targets, select the priority of the target and the type of weapons. Each wing contains 5 suspensions, on which are installed: 16 of Whirlwind missiles, 4 air-to-air missiles, air-to-air missiles, eight 160 unguided rockets, air bombs of any caliber, incendiary tanks mixture, four suspended guns. The weight of the lifted ammunition 6000 kilogram.
Extensive use of a multi-purpose attack aircraft in the Armed Forces will lead to a significant reduction in the fleet and support personnel and military spending - the attack aircraft will be able to replace the 2-3 narrow-focus aircraft.
The main features of the Su-39 attack aircraft:
- APK "Shkval" - sighting complex allows accurate aiming at a distance of 10 kilometers with an accuracy of 0.6 meter;
- ATVU "Whirlwind" - is able to destroy up to 14 modern tanks with armor up to 10 cm, and enemy helicopters;
- The Pastel airborne station provides accurate information about ground and airborne radar systems. This allows you to use X-58UE, X-31П missiles against them or destroy them with the help of X-25ML missiles or the Whirlwind missile;
- Radar PC "Spear" is designed to guide high-precision weapons at small mobile and stationary targets in any conditions and with the opposition of enemy air defenses;
- Television low-level system “Mercury” allows launching laser-guided missiles and bombarding enemy targets at night and in poor visibility;
- Ability to continue the flight on one engine.
It is the possession of the Vortex complex that builds the Su-39 attack aircraft into the category of multi-purpose aircraft. The highest accuracy of destruction, supersonic flight to the target, a sufficiently large range of action allow the use of the Whirlwind missiles on air, surface and ground armored objects.
The Su-39 attack plane can take off and land on an almost unprepared unpaved runway 1200 meters in length.
The aircraft can fly into the sky on diesel fuel of unlimited resource, does not need highly qualified technical specialists, is easy to learn and is available to pilots of different qualifications.
The first factory test flight on the Su-39 "Т8ТМ-1" prototype was made on February 4 of the year 1991. A total of about 3000 test flights and about 40 launches of combat missiles of the Whirlwind complex were completed. The configuration of the “Squall” - “Whirlwind” complexes has been fully completed, the linkage of the RLPK “Kopye” and missile complexes has been completed.
The cost of one Su-39 assault aircraft is 180 million rubles.
In the event of a military conflict, the main task of the defending side is the destruction of enemy aircraft, armored ground equipment, surface ships of the enemy. Multifunctional attack aircraft Su-39 solve these problems at a distance of 900 kilometers.