On December 14, the Russian Defense Ministry revealed that an American F-22 got close to a pair of Su-25s and hampered them from escorting a humanitarian aid convoy near the Syrian city of al-Mayadin. Following it, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet “rapidly approached” the F-22 from the rear and the US jet left the area.
The Sukhoi Su-25 [NATO reporting name: Frogfoot] is a signle-seat close air support jet aircraft developed in the USSR. A maiden flight of the first prototype was on February 22, 1975. The jet went into series production in 1978. In Syria, Russia operates the Su-25SM version of the warplane. The Su-25SM programme was conceived by the Russian military in 2000. The upgrade included avionics enhancements and airframe refurbishment.
