Battle record of Su-22 aircraft

The Su-22 is not a weak fighter, but some of the countries that own it do not use it well, resulting in many unfortunate failures.

Reveal the combat profile of Su-22 aircraft

Magic wings

Su-22 is the name of the export version of the Su-17 fighter-bomber (NATO identifier is Fitter - Fitter). This is one of the memorable products of the Sukhoi Design Bureau (Soviet Union).

Speaking of Su-22 aircraft, its most special feature is the flap wings design . That is, when the aircraft is heavy, flying at low altitude, the wing will spread 38.5m2 wide to increase the leverage length of the aerodynamic balancing force. On the contrary, when flying at high speed, the wing will be reduced to only 34.5m2 into a triangle-shaped wing like the MiG-21 fighter, to make the aircraft more stable and convenient for aerial combat.

This design was the right solution for the 1960s, when the automatic plane balance by computer was quite new. However, the penguin wing structure was quite heavy, making the Su-22 soon to be disadvantaged compared to the highly automated new generation fighters. Especially this wing type is not suitable for the air combat mission.

Su-22 aircraft took off with weapons.

Su-22 attack aircraft equipped with Lyuka AL-21F3 turbojet engines allow to reach a maximum speed of 1,860km / h above a high altitude, a combat radius of more than 500km, a ceiling of more than 14km, transport Speed ​​climbing 230m / s.

In terms of firepower, the Su-22 attack aircraft was designed with 2 30mm guns (80 rounds of ammunition) placed in 2 wings, 2 under-wing mounts carrying 2 R-60 air-to-air missiles (range 8km) and 10 racks (6 placed under the wings and 4 on the fuselage).

In ground attack, the Su-22 can carry bombs and rockets . Particularly the Su-22M4 variant carries both controlled weapons including: Kh-23 air-to-air missiles; anti-ground missile / anti-Kh-25 radar; Kh-28 anti-radar missile; Kh-29 / land-to-air missiles and laser-optical, optical bombs.

The Su-22 aircraft was officially introduced by the Soviet Union in 1970, went into production from 1969 to 1990 at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Union with a total of 2,867 units. More than half of these are exported as well as free aid to about 20 countries around the world in Asia, Africa and Europe. Therefore, it soon began to have its first experimental battles.

Empty bombs in Afghanistan

First was the war in Afghanistan, the Soviet Air Force dispatched Su-17 aircraft (known as the domestic variant of Su-22) to fight Mujahideen rebels.

In the harsh conditions of the tropics, with airports located at high altitudes, high temperatures, dusty sand . About 100 Su-17s in many versions had to operate continuously, with a level of availability. fight over both Su-25 attack aircraft and armed helicopters. In the summer, Su-17's density increased by half. Many airplanes landed on their tires because of high temperatures.

Su-17 of the Soviet Air Force.

In Afghanistan, the Su-17's role is to attack the ground with unarmed weapons such as rockets or bombs , while the Su-25 will take charge of the attack accurately. This is reasonable because the Su-17's electronic system is generally quite weak, can only be used with limited optical-guided missiles.

However, due to lack of armor protection like the Su-25, the Su-17 is vulnerable to enemy anti-aircraft fire , especially shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles like Strela-2 and FIM-43. Redeye and FIM-92 Stinger. Su-17 aircraft had to raise the operating height to 3,500-4,000m, while carrying 12 bait traps to avoid flares.

After the Soviet Union disintegrated, Su-17M4 aircraft continued to be used for a while longer, and there were air strikes in Chechnya.In 1998, the Su-17 was officially retired from the Russian Air Force.

Reluctant mission

Although designed to take the second role - air defense with the ability to carry 2 heat-seeking air-to-air missiles R-60 or K-13. But due to the special wing structure, the Su-22 does not have high maneuverability - survival in air combat. Moreover, the absence of a radar also makes the Su-22 unable to detect enemy targets in the air. So it is not unusual for Su-22 to encounter many failures in the Middle East, Africa .

In Syria, the Su-20 and Su-22 (Su-17 export versions) of the country were defeated by the Israeli Air Force during the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and the Lebanon war 1982. Especially in the Mole Cricket 19 campaign, Israel's more modern F-15 and F-16 fighter fighters overwhelmed the Syrian Air Force completely.

Libyan Air Force Su-22.

In Libya, the two Su-22s were shot down during the battle of Gulf of Sidra on August 19, 1981.Su-22s did not guarantee the secret factor . One launched the K-13 Vympel air-to-air projectile in a position to oppose a powerful US flagship F-14 fighter, at a range of only 300 meters, but failed. Note that, although the F-14 also used a winged-wing penguin, it was more advantageous in being equipped with a stronger radar (Su-22 without radar), and short-range to long-range air-to-air weapons .

Later, in the conflict of the 'Arab Spring' movement in Libya, Su-22s were also used by loyalists to Gaddafi to attack the rebel forces. Some were shot down by shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missiles. Others were destroyed by US and allied air forces when conducting a campaign to set up a " no-fly zone ". Particularly, on February 23, 2011, two Su-22 pilot pilots dropped parachute planes when assigned air strikes.

The Air Force Su-22 was damaged by US airstrikes.

In the 1991 Gulf wars, the Iraqi Air Force continued to lose more Su-22 aircraft because of air combat with F-15C aircraft, as well as for ground attacks.

In Angola, during the period of 1987-1994, Su-22 aircraft participated in UNITA rebel air strikes , and some were shot down. Until recently, the Yemeni Air Force still used Su-22 aircraft to fight rebel forces in the country. Some Su-22s were lost due to technical reasons and ground anti-aircraft fire.

In South America, Peru is the only country equipped with Su-22 aircraft. On April 24, 1992, a Su-22 attacked the US C-130H Hercules transport plane west of Lima, killing six of the 14 crew members. This incident caused serious political-diplomatic incidents in relations between the two countries.

Then, in 1995, the war between Peru and Ecuador exploded. Su-22s carried out about 45 combat missions. On February 10, 1995, two Ecuadorian Mirage F1JAs shot down two Su-22s in the Cenepa valley. After that, the Peruvian side organized a response of 20 Su-22s in El Pato, so Ecuador stopped attacking the seaports of the country.

In general, since the beginning of the Su-22 was not designed for the role of preventive fighters, it was inevitable that it was inevitable to encounter the general purpose F-15, F-16 fighter. In addition, it is impossible not to mention the error of the Arab pilots - "not yet hit".

Su-22 is not a weak fighter , it is very strong, but it needs to use the right purpose, the right role, reasonable tactics, pilots with good skills, fighting spirit to promote strength. really strong.