[MarkSheppard]

Speaking of A-Stan:

This is from Squadron Signal SU-25 FROGFOOT in action:

Some very interesting facts; the SU-25 was the most feared aircraft
by the mujihaddeen, even though by 1984, only 25 of them with 80 pilots
were actually flying in Afghanistan

In april of '86, Frogfoots first used Laser guided, retarded,
and cluster bombs against rebel positions, including caves.

One of the most notable strikes was a precision air strike against
the secret HQ of Ahmad Shah Massoud, one of the most
prominent muhjihadeen leaders...

From 1980 to 1989, a grand total of 23 FROGFOOTS were lost in combat,
with several more being destroyed on the ground, including 8 at once
during a rocket attack on a airbase.

During a three-day period shortly after Stingers were introduced by
the CIA to Afghanistan, four frogfoots were shot down, killing 2 pilots.

Following this, additional chaff/flare dispensers were installed and
armor plate positioned between the engines, after these modifications
were completed to all frogfoots in Afghanistan, no more Su-25s were
lost to Afghan Stingers, although several were damaged.

There was even cases where a Su-25 survived a direct hit by an
AIM-9L Sidewinder

The 23 SU-25s lost over A-Stan were 10~ percent of all USSR fixed wing
losses over Afghanistan, and the average was one loss for every 2,800
flight hours, and it was estimated it took some 80~ hits to down
a FROGFOOT, as opposed to 15-20 hits for the MiG-21 and Su-17.

There were a number of Su-25 pilots that flew several hundred
combat missions, COL Alexamir Rutskoy flew over 400 missions
and was shot down twice, while CAPT Vladislav Gontcharienko
flew 415 combat missions, was never shot down and was one
of the youngest Grach pilots to win the Hero of the Soviet Union
award.

One of the greatest Grach pilots of the Afghan war was Senior LT
Konstantin G. Pavlyukov, who.at the time, was only twenty-three.
During a mission in December of 1986, Pavlyukov managed to
destroy two Stingers launched against his formation. He shot down
the first with a burst from his AO-17A cannon, while the second was
shot down by a salvo of unguided rockets. His quick action saved the
life of the flight leader. LT A. Potchktn.

His luck finally run out during a mission against a Mujahideen position
on 21 January 1987. His Grach was hit by a Stinger missile and
although he managed to safely eject, he was wounded by Mujahideen
ground fire on the way down. On the ground, he was unable to radio
his position to rescue forces and was soon encircled by the Mujahideen.

After about an hour of attempting to evade, he killed himself and
the approaching Mujahideen with a grenade. Senior LT Pavlyukov
was posthumously awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union award.