Russo-Ukrainian War: The Sukhoi Su-24MR Fencer-E

Source: ArmyInform

     Photographed in late May 2024, the Sukhoi Su-24MR (NATO reporting name Fencer-E) “Yellow 11” rests in its revetment. The aircraft belongs to the 7th. Tactical Aviation Brigade “Petro Franko”. The Su-24MR is the dedicated reconnaissance variant of the Su-24M tactical bomber and first entered service in 1983 with production ending in 1993 after 130 examples were built.

     Externally, the Su-24MR looks much like the Su-24M upon which it is based. But, there are some visible differences which tell them apart. The first can be seen underneath the fuselage, along the centerline, a bit forward of the side intakes. In place of the Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23M rotary 23mm cannon, a fairing contains a AP-402M panoramic 90.5 focal length camera and behind it, a “Aist-M” (“Stork-M”) TV camera/reconnaissance system. Of interest, the cassette cartridge that stores the photographs taken by the AP-402M can be jettisoned, the cartridge falling to earth via parachute.

     Another external means to tell the Su-24MR apart from the Su-24M assumes it is fitted with a SRS-14 “Tangazh” (“Pitch”) ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) pod, as fitted here underneath the fuselage. The SRS-14 is designed to detect emitting radars then determine their origin point, the type of radar(s), and the mode the radars are operating in. Another specialized pod which is used is the Shpil'-2M (“Spire”) laser imager with a 25cm resolution. Altitude affects the image quality so that when flying at low altitudes, the quality improves to almost photographic levels. The “Spire” can be used day or night and the image data can be transmitted to ground stations in real time.

     On the outer pylon of the right wing looks to be a M-341 Efir-1M (“Ether-1M”) radiation detector. It measures radioactivity levels and records the data onto magnetic tape or, if desired, the pod can transmit the data to ground stations. The drop tanks are PTB-3000 models which hold 793 gallons of fuel each.

     The nose-mounted Orion-A radar suite used by the Su-24M is replaced with a RDS-BO “Shtyk” (“Bayonet”) SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar). The minimum range of the radar is .2 of a mile to a maximum range of 17 miles. The RDS-BO (sometimes designated the M-101) is a pulse-only radar, is able to classify ground targets, and is equipped with a moving target indicator. This data is compiled via the BCR-1 intelligence complex (which also assesses information taken in from other sensors).

     Because the Su-24MR is unarmed, it is fitted with extensive defensive systems, collectively called the BKO-2M Karpaty complex. It consists of the SPO-15M Bereza (“Birch”) which alerts the crew to being “painted” by radar and also homing radar as used by missiles. Against infrared homing missiles, the L-082 Mak-UL (“Poppy”) detector is fitted for alerting to missiles that utilize infrared seeker heads. Another piece of the complex is the SPS-161/162 Geran-F (“Geranium-F”) radar jammer along with the APP-50A flare dispenser. The entire complex was controlled by a Neon-F digital computer system.

     Other reconnaissance equipment include the A-100 oblique mounted camera which has a 1,000 focal length. The aperture for the camera is mounted underneath the left air intake. Finally, there is a “Zima” (“Winter”) infrared sensor system mounted beneath the right air intake and it can just be seen near the rake fitted to the edge of the intake.

     “Yellow 11” first saw combat during the Donbas War when, on July 2, 2014, a separatist fired MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense System) struck the aircraft while it was operating over Slavyansk, Donetsk Oblast. The strike caused a fire which forced the crew to shut down one of the engines. The stricken Su-24MR was able to return to base but upon landing, a new fire started which caused significant damage before it was extinguished by ground crew. It would take many months to repair the aircraft but in April 2015, “Yellow 11” was back in service.

For more information on the Su-24M, visit:

https://photosofmilitaryhistory.blogspot.com/2025/06/russo-ukrainian-war-sukhoi-su-24m.html

Russo-Ukrainian War: The Sukhoi Su-24M Fencer-D w/ Vympel Kh-29L

Source: Reddit

     A Sukhoi Su-24M (NATO reporting name Fencer-D) belonging to the 7th. Tactical Aviation Brigade “Petro Franko” sorties for a mission. This particular photograph started appearing in social media in early November 2024 though given the color of the foliage, it was taken much earlier (possibly in August 2024).

     Based on the minimal armament and lack of external fuel tanks, the mission may be a training one or a combat mission within the standard range of the Su-24M. Speaking of armament, the visible weapon is a Vympel Kh-29L (NATO reporting name AS-14 Kedge-A) air-to-surface missile. By no means is the Kh-29 missile new, having first appeared in service in 1980 with development having begun in 1975. Primarily, the Kh-29 family of missiles is used against targets such as buildings, bridges, airfields, hardened shelters, and even against large naval vessels.

     The Kh-29L is powered by a solid fuel rocket motor that pushes the missile through the air at a maximum speed of 1,400 miles per hour. The operational range is 6 miles. The missile is brought onto target by semi-active laser homing. This is accomplished using the integral Kaira-24 laser designator fitted into the Su-24M. The laser has a maximum range of 11.5 miles and so while the Kh-29L could travel further, its range is limited to that of the designator. The Kaira-24 is more of a targeting system that consists of the laser designator (called Spire) which is tied into the ILS-31 HUD (Heads-Up Display) used by the WSO (Weapon Systems Officer). The Kh-29L arms within 1.2 miles and has a flight envelope as high as 3 miles in altitude down to as low as 200 meters off the ground.

     Curiously, the Kh-29L is missing the vanes on the seeker head and the four rotating ailerons on the forward portion of the missile.

     Of interest is the yellow underside of the Su-24M. At the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, both sides used Soviet-era aircraft, to include the Su-24M and Su-24MR (of which Russia still has some 300 in service). As such, in April 2022, the 7th. Tactical Aviation Brigade painted the undersides of their Su-24 aircraft yellow to enable Ukrainian ground forces to easily identify them and avoid any further friendly fire incidents. The dragon is a rendition of the brigade's crest that consists of a heraldic black dragon. Finally, the insignia beneath the cockpit is actually the “winged archer” logo used by the Sukhoi Design Bureau (which is part of the Sukhoi Aviation Military Industrial Combine or Sukhoi AMIC) which designed and built the Su-24.

For more information on the Su-24M, visit:

https://photosofmilitaryhistory.blogspot.com/2025/06/russo-ukrainian-war-sukhoi-su-24m.html

Russo-Ukrainian War: The Sukhoi Su-24M Fencer-D

Source: ukraine_defense on Instagram

     The only tactical bomber the Ukrainian Air Force currently fields in the Russo-Ukrainian War is shown here: the Sukhoi Su-24M. Often called by its NATO reporting name, Fencer-D, the Su-24 entered service with the Soviet Union in 1974 and although production of the Su-24 ceased in 1993, it remains in front-line service with six nations of which Ukraine and Russia are included in that number. This particular Su-24M belongs to the 7th. Tactical Aviation Brigade “Petro Franko” which is the only unit within the Ukrainian Air Force that operates the Su-24. The brigade has suffered heavy losses, most occurring in the opening months of the Russo-Ukrainian War which started in February 24, 2022 with the Russian invasion. In 2022, the unit lost a total of 24 aircraft with sixteen crew killed in action and three missing in action. To date, the last confirmed loss of a Su-24 occurred on March 1, 2023 with the loss of both crew members. A report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in February 2024 gave the inventory of surviving aircraft at thirteen with five being the Su-24M and the remainder being the reconnaissance variant, the Su-24MR (Fencer-E).

     The Su-24M started to appear in Soviet units in 1983. Power comes from two Lyulka AL-21F-3A turbojets with each engine capable of 17,000 pounds of thrust. With the afterburner engaged, this increases to 24,700 pounds of thrust each. Clean and without afterburners, the Su-24M can achieve a maximum speed of 1,028 miles per hour near the plane's service ceiling of 36,000 feet. At sea level, the top speed is 817 miles per hour. At full thrust, the Su-24M has a climb of 30,000 feet per minute. For range, the average is 382 miles with a 6,614 pound load of ordnance and external fuel tanks. The Su-24M has 24,471 pounds of onboard fuel and without ordnance but with external fuel tanks, the ferry range is 1,724 miles. The Su-24M has a two man crew, the pilot and the WSO (“Whizzo” or Weapon Systems Officer), and they sit side-by-side in the cockpit. Each is provided with a Zvezda K-36D ejection seat.

     The Su-24 has variable swept wings which have four sweep settings. For take-off and landing, the wings are swept at 16 degrees while for cruising, the sweep is either 35 degrees or 45 degrees altitude depending. The final sweep setting is 69 degrees to reduce the aspect ratio and provide for maximum speed. The variable wings also allow for a low landing speed for such a large aircraft at 140 miles per hour. The original model, the Su-24 (Fencer-A), was capable of 1,440 miles per hour at 57,400 feet but since the usual mission profile was low altitude, the complex (and heavy) variable intake ramps were removed in later models such as the Su-24M to lower weight and simplify maintenance. It did, however, drop the maximum speed to what is outlined above.

     The only on-board armament is a single Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23M rotary 23mm cannon which is provided with 500 rounds of ammunition. There are eight hardpoints with four on the underside of the fuselage and two per wing. The outer wing hardpoints can swivel to remain in place as the wings change sweep angles. A total of 17,635 pounds of stores can be carried by the Su-24M, to include the full array of Soviet-era missiles, rockets, and bombs. This was one of the factors that caused the high rate of attrition of the Su-24M in 2022 as the aircraft had no munitions that could be fired at Russian targets outside of Russian anti-air defense ranges. When the Ukrainian Air Force began to receive Western aerial weapons capable of stand-off ranges (meaning, the weapon can be deployed against Russian targets without the aircraft being within anti-aircraft gun or missile ranges), the Su-24M became the primary delivery system. By consequence, there have been no confirmed Su-24M losses since March 2023.

     The Su-24M shown here is equipped with two Storm Shadow cruise missiles which have been provided to Ukraine by Great Britain. France has also provided Ukraine with the Storm Shadow though in French use, it is called the SCALP-EG (Système de Croisière Autonome à Longue Portée – Emploi Général meaning Long Range Autonomous Cruise Missile System – General Purpose). The Storm Shadow was designed by Matra BAe Dynamics and is built by MBDA with the first missiles becoming operational in 2003. At a cost of 2.5 million U.S. dollars each, the Storm Shadow is powered by a Microturbo TRI 60-30 turbojet which generates 1,200 pounds of thrust. This gives the missile a 729 miles per hour. Maximum range is 342 miles. Guidance is a combination of GPS, an inertial navigation system, infrared thermography, and TERPROM (Terrain Profile Matching). Steering is accomplished by four vertical and two horizontal tailplanes. Target data is programmed into the Storm Shadow prior to mission launch and once the missile is released, the mission profile cannot be changed nor terminated. The 990 pound warhead uses a multi-stage BROACH penetrator (Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge). It consists of a shaped charge which strikes first, punching through exterior concrete, earth, or armor, which then permits the follow-on charge to detonate inside the target. The usage of TERPROM provides the Storm Shadow with resistance to Russian GPS signal jamming. Ukrainian Su-24M launch the Storm Shadow from the inboard wing hardpoints using a pylon adapter taken from former Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4 multi-role aircraft. Underneath the fuselage is a PTB-3000 external fuel tank that holds 793 gallons of fuel. The downward pointing fins on the front of the tank ensure the tank falls away from the aircraft if it has to be detached in flight. Other stand-off munitions currently known to be used by Ukrainian Su-24M aircraft are domestically made gliding bombs, the venerable Kh-25ML tactical air-to-surface missile (NATO reporting name AS-10 Karen), U.S. supplied JDAM-ER (Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range) guided bombs, and French supplied AASM HAMMER guided bombs.

     Other equipment on the Su-24M include the Puma navigation/attack suite (consisting of two Orion-A radars which permit day/night capability), Relyef terrain clearance radar (allows for automatic piloting at low altitudes), Orbita-10-58 computer, Shchel helmet-mounted sights for the crew, multi-function displays, digital moving-map generator, Sirena radar-warning receiver, active ECM (Electronic Countermeasure) suites (which can be seen as the triangular protrusions at the top of the vertical stabilizer and on the intake sides), capability to carry chaff and flare dispensers, inflight refueling capability, PNS-24M inertial navigation system, Tekon track/search system for guided munition use, and a Kaira-24 laser designator with TV-optical display.

Russo-Ukrainian War: The Sukhoi Su-25M1 Grach

Source: UKR_Air_Patrol on Instagram

     Another Soviet-era aircraft seeing heavy use in the Russo-Ukrainian War is shown here, the Sukhoi Su-25 Grach (“Rook”; NATO reporting name Frogfoot). Currently, all of the Su-25 aircraft in the Ukrainian Air Force are operated by the 299th. Tactical Aviation Brigade “Vasyl Nikiforov”. The particular aircraft in the photograph (which is not recent) is “Blue 08”, a Su-25M1, that was flown by Captain Vladyslav Voloshyn until the aircraft was shot down on August 29, 2014 by a MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense System) or a SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile) system during the Battle of Ilovaisk which ran from August 7 to September 2, 2014. Voloshyn successfully ejected and it took him four days to make his way back to Ukrainian lines. The Su-25M1, and variants of it, remain the mainstay of the brigade's attack aircraft. The Su-25 is a dedicated ground attack/close air support aircraft, analogous to the U.S. Air Force's Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. Production started in 1978 with the first Soviet Air Force units fielding the Su-25 beginning in 1981. The last Su-25 rolled off the manufacturing line in 2017.

     The Su-25M1 (which is a Ukrainian modernization of the standard Su-25) is powered by two Tumansky (Gavrilov) R95Sh axial-flow, non-afterburning turbojets with each engine providing a maximum of 9,037 pounds of thrust. This is enough to provide the Su-25M1 with a maximum speed of 590 miles per hour at sea level. Maximum range is around 620 miles though with 9,700 pounds of war load and two external fuel tanks, a combat range of 470 miles can be achieved. The engines provide for a rate of climb of 11,400 feet per minute and the Su-25M1 has a service ceiling of 23,000 feet.

     Befitting a ground attack/support aircraft, the Su-25 has a number of features to enable it to survive and operate. In the nose is a Kylon-PS laser rangefinder/target designator, a DISS-7 Doppler speed/drift sensor beneath the cockpit (paired to the KN-23-1 [see below]), SSP-2I fire warning system with two UBSh-4-2 fire extinguishers, ASO-2V chaff/flare dispensers, SPO-15 Beryoza (“Birch”) radar homing warning system, AKS-5 gun camera, SO-69 transponder, SRZO-2 Khrom-Nikel IFF (Identification, Friend or Foe) interrogator with a SRO-2M Khrom IFF transponder, KN-23-1 navigation suite (which includes the RSBN-6S short-range radio navigation system, ARK-15M automatic direction finder, RV-15 radio altimeter, UUAP-72 angle-of-attack indicator/accelerometer, SVS-1-72-18 air data computer, PVD-18G-3M and PVD-7 pressure probes, and a MRP-56P marker beacon receiver), R-862 transceiver, R-828 VHF transmitter-receiver, and a ASP-17BTs-8 computing gun sight.

     The pilot sits within a tub made of ABVT-20 titanium alloy armor plates which range between 10mm to 24mm thick. The pilot is provided with a K-36L ejection seat and just behind the headrest is a 6mm thick plate of steel armor secured to the bulkhead. The canopy windshield is made of 65mm thick TSK-137 triplex bulletproof glass. To see behind him, the pilot has a rear facing periscope (atop the canopy) and two rear-view mirrors in the canopy frame. Because the Su-25 is not meant for high altitude flight, the cockpit is not pressurized. The cockpit is, however, NBC (Nuclear Biological Chemical) protected by an overpressure system and dust filters. The pilot wears a KP-52M oxygen mask, the aircraft's oxygen system providing a oxygen mix at altitudes of 1.2 to 4.3 miles and over that, up to the Su-25's ceiling, the pilot breathes pure oxygen. In case of ejection, the seat includes a BKO-3VZ emergency oxygen system.

     Other protective systems in the Su-25M1 include 20mm thick protective material around the fuel tanks while the fuel tanks themselves are fitted with explosion-suppression polyurethane foam. The Su-25M1 has two independent hydraulic systems that operate flight controls, braking, and the landing gear and this provides for redundancy in case of damage. The engines are capable of surviving, and will continue to operate, after taking a direct hit from a 23mm cannon shell. Despite this, armor plating is fitted on the underside of the aircraft, forward of the engine cowlings, as well as around the engine exhaust zone and rear parts of the engine nacelles. Armor is also added to the rear fuselage sides as well as armor fitted to the underside of the main service fuel tank within the fuselage. Flight controls, namely the elevator control rods, are duplicated to enhance survivability. In the tailcone are two PTK-25 cruciform brake parachutes.

     The main weapon of the Su-25M1 is the VPU-17A cannon installation that consists of a single Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-2-30 twin-barrel 30mm cannon which is provided with 250 rounds of belted ammunition. The cannon has a maximum rate of fire of 3,000 rounds per minute with a range of 1.1 miles. There are eleven hardpoints (four on each wing and three centerline) on the Su-25M1 which enables the aircraft to carry up to 8,800 pounds of stores. Common weapons carried include the S-5 55mm unguided rocket, the larger S-8 80mm unguided rocket, FAB-250 (550lb.) and FAB-500 (1,100lb.) free-fall bombs, and more recently, French-made AASM HAMMER guided bombs. If available, the Su-25M1 can utilize the SPPU-22 cannon pod which is equipped with a Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-23 twin-barrel 23mm cannon and 260 rounds. Auxiliary fuel capacity can come from either the PTB-800 (176 gallons) or PTB-1150 (253 gallon) drop tanks. Up to four tanks can be carried.

     Specifically, the Ukrainian modernization program was carried out by MiGremont and included adding a new GPS receiver, upgrading the radio communication systems, enhancing the gun sight, and adding a digital flight data recorder. The modernization has allowed the Su-25M1 to fire the S-13 122mm unguided rockets.

     The 299th. Tactical Aviation Brigade started the Russo-Ukrainian War with twenty-four Su-25 of various models (to include two-seat trainers) operational. Since April 2023, mothballed Su-25s have been withdrawn from storage and refitted to replace losses. Another two Su-25 were obtained from Macedonia. Speaking of losses, there have been 10 confirmed Su-25 losses (based on their fuselage numbers) with nine pilots killed and one captured by Russian Federation forces. Another ten aircraft have also been reported lost (though what their fuselage numbers are isn't known) in combat and on the ground with the loss of four pilots as confirmed killed with another two pilots probable KIA. One pilot, Roman Vasyliuk, was shot down on March 14, 2022 and captured but later released on April 24, 2022 in a POW swap.

     As for Russian losses, to date, the Russian Air Force has lost thirty-eight Su-25 aircraft as confirmed by the Oryx website.