• tal@lemmy.today
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    3 months ago

    goes looking to see how hard it is for Russia to replace losses

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-25

    In early August 2008, Russian Su-25s attacked the Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing plant, where the Su-25 is produced, dropping bombs on the factory’s airfield.[49]

    Well, that sounds like it’s probably not going to be very conducive to receiving further aircraft for multiple reasons.

    https://www.scramble.nl/military-news/georgia-announced-the-restart-of-production-of-the-su-25

    24 February 2021

    Georgia announced the restart of production of the Su-25

    The candidate for the post of Georgian Defence Minister, Juansher Burchuladze, has stated that Georgia is about to restart the production of military aircraft.

    https://www.blogbeforeflight.net/2021/03/georgia-first-restored-su-25-takes-flight.html

    On March 6, 2021, Georgia’s first restored Su-25 (or Je-31 Bora) ground attack aircraft performed its maiden flight, according to the Georgian Military Department.

    The restoration and modernization of the aircraft was carried out by the local firm Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing (TAM). The aircraft will be used for combat and training missions.

    The project does not envisage the complete production of fighters, but the restoration of the platforms built at the time of the USSR. It is currently unknown where Georgia gets the components for the aircraft, as deliveries from Russia are completely excluded. Previously the nation had said it was looking to get engines from France and the United States. Rumors also say that Israel has offered its support for the project. Israeli firm Elbit already produced a prototype of a modernized Su-25, called Su-25 Scorpion or Su-25KM, in 2001.

    TAM began manufacturing Su-25s in 1978 until Moscow imposed a total ban on exports of Russian military components to Georgia following the 2008 conflict between the two nations. TAM is currently the only manufacturer to have all the technical documentation for the type and has a stock of 50 aircraft.

    So Georgia is basically doing refurbishment, and it doesn’t sound like they’re going to be exporting to Russia any time soon.

    Apparently Belarus announced early last year that they were wanting to produce it:

    https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2023/02/21/belarus-to-make-su-25-attack-aircraft-as-russia-eyes-industry-takeover/

    WARSAW, Poland — In another sign of tightening defense ties between Belarus and Russia, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has announced his country’s defense industry is ready to kick off the manufacturing of Sukhoi Su-25 ground-attack aircraft.

    Some analysts suggest the move could be related to Moscow’s plan to streamline Minsk’s defense industry capacities toward its war against Ukraine.

    The authoritarian leader made the announcement during a Feb. 17 meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow’s Novo-Ogaryovo suburb.

    “As I was informed by the [Belarusian] government, they are ready to start producing the Su-25 aircraft which has proven itself well in Ukraine as an attack aircraft, a workhorse,” Lukashenko said, as quoted in a statement released by his office. “They are ready to produce it even in Belarus with a small amount of appropriate technological support from the Russian Federation.”

    But I don’t see any news subsequent to that.