The Su25 has often been assumed to be a Soviet clone of the USAFs AX COIN aircraft, based on the losing Northrop A9 rather than the winning A10, and less agile and less armoured more as a result of Soviet incompetence than by deliberate design. The USAFs Vietnam Warinspired AX requirement was for the close air support of troops in contact and for counterinsurgency, which assumed a degree of air superiority or at least a low level of air and SAM threats. By contrast, the Russian aircraft was designed to meet a slightly later and very different requirement which stressed antiarmour and fighterbomber capabilities over the modern battlefield. Combat proven in Afghan skies, the Su25 is considerably more versatile than were its American counterparts, and is a remarkably efficient and costeffective fighterbomber.

Website: http://www.hudi.republika.pl/Su-25-1.htm