The United Aircraft Corporation (OAK) published photos of Su-25 attack aircraft flying over Moscow. During the air parade in honor of the 81st anniversary of Victory, pilots painted the sky of the capital in the colors of the Russian tricolor.
The Su-25, known by the nickname "Grach" (Rook), is a Soviet and Russian armored subsonic attack aircraft designed for close air support of ground forces over the battlefield. The aircraft made its first flight in 1975 and remains in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces to this day.
The attack aircraft is 15.36 meters long, has a wingspan of 14.36 meters, and a height of 4.8 meters. Its maximum takeoff weight reaches 17,600 kilograms. Two R-95Sh turbojet engines accelerate the aircraft to 950 kilometers per hour, and its practical ceiling is 7,000 meters. The combat radius without external fuel tanks is 400–500 kilometers.
The Su-25 can carry up to 4,400 kilograms of combat load on ten hardpoints – from guided and unguided missiles to bombs and an integrated aircraft cannon. The main feature of the attack aircraft is its high survivability. An armored capsule protects the pilot, and vital systems are duplicated. It is for this invulnerability that the Su-25 was nicknamed the "flying tank".