Watch A Su-25 Attack Jet Blast A Tu-16 Bomber Out Of The Sky With An Anti-Tank Missile

Published Mar 2, 2020 10:11 PM EST

Well, this is an interesting one! Russia’s Zvezda military channel on YouTube posted a teaser video for its upcoming special on the Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot close air support attack jet. In it there is a clip showing a Frogfoot’s weapon system engaging a Tu-16 Badger bomber with one of its 9A4172 Vikhr anti-armor missiles. These weapons are usually used to kill tanks and take out other ground vehicles and targets, not for taking down strategic bombers, which makes this video especially fascinating and remarkably spectacular.

The Vikhr missile is a relatively high-speed weapon that is traditionally mounted in packs of six or eight, mainly on KA-50 attack helicopters and Su-25 attack jets . It primarily uses ‘beam riding’ guidance via a laser designator that works in conjunction with television and infrared camera systems mounted in the nose of the aircraft. This combination allows the aircraft to make precision attacks on moving targets during both day and night.

A heavily laden Su-25TM with eight Vikhr missiles under its wing., Kobel/Wikicommons

Like some other anti-armor missiles, Vikhr does have a secondary anti-air capability. For most of these types of weapons, this mode is usually reserved for slow and low-flying helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, not lumbering nuclear-capable bombers. Vikhr’s extended range, out to nearly seven miles, and its high-speed, allows it to engage a bit faster aircraft under certain circumstances and specific engagement geometry. In this case, the bomber turned drone in question was configured with its flaps and gear down, so the flight profile was likely used to mimic a larger aircraft on approach to landing or early on during departure, where it is most vulnerable. Still, it seems like an odd and remarkably elaborate test to prove such a niche capability.

Seeing the lumbering bomber get absolutely decimated by the Vikhr’s high-explosive anti-tank warhead is a sight to behold. The video does prove just how vulnerable such an aircraft is during its terminal phases of flight to a Su-25 or KA-50 ambush using Vikhr missiles, but these slower-flying attack aircraft would have to be the very unique position to spring such a trap in the first place. Such a target could potentially present itself opportunistically, as well.

Using laser-guided air-to-ground projectiles in an air-to-air role is not a dead idea by any means. The Air Force just pitted an F-16 equipped with laser-guided rockets against an aerial drone. The concept could greatly enhance the magazine depth and flexibility of American and allied fast jets, especially those flying air sovereignty or other counter-air missions against lower-end threats.

Regardless, the test shown in the video was well worth it because it provided us with a crazy video of a Badger taking a Vikhr to the rear left engine and wing-root, sending the bomber tumbling and consequently disintegrating in spectacular fashion as a result.

Contact the author: Tyler@thedrive.com

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发布于 2020 年 3 月 2 日晚上 10:11（美国东部时间）

这可真有意思！俄罗斯“红星”军事频道在YouTube上发布了一段预告片，为其即将推出的苏-25“蛙足”近距离空中支援攻击机专题节目造势。预告片中有一段视频，展示了“蛙足”的武器系统使用9A4172“旋风”反装甲导弹攻击图-16“獾”轰炸机的画面。这些导弹通常用于摧毁坦克和其他地面车辆及目标，而不是用来击落战略轰炸机，这使得这段视频格外引人入胜，也格外精彩。

“旋风”导弹是一种速度相对较高的武器，通常以六枚或八枚为一组进行部署，主要装备于卡-50攻击直升机和苏-25攻击机上。它主要采用“波束驾驭”制导方式，通过激光指示器与安装在机头的电视和红外摄像系统协同工作。这种组合使飞机能够在昼夜条件下对移动目标进行精确打击。

一架满载的苏-25TM战斗机，机翼下挂载了八枚“旋风”导弹。（图片来源：Kobel/Wikicommons）

与其他一些反装甲导弹一样，“旋风”（Vikhr）导弹也具备辅助防空能力。对于大多数此类武器而言，这种模式通常用于攻击低速低空飞行的直升机和固定翼飞机，而非笨重的核轰炸机。“旋风”导弹射程可达近7英里，且速度较高，使其在特定情况下和特定交战几何条件下能够攻击速度稍快的飞机。在本例中，这架改装成无人机的轰炸机处于襟翼和起落架放下状态，因此其飞行姿态很可能是为了模拟大型飞机在进近着陆或起飞初期（此时最脆弱）的飞行状态。尽管如此，为了验证这种小众能力而进行的测试仍然显得有些奇怪且过于复杂。

亲眼目睹笨重的轰炸机被“旋风”高爆反坦克弹头彻底摧毁，真是令人震撼。这段视频确实证明了这种飞机在飞行末段极易受到苏-25或卡-50使用“旋风”导弹伏击的攻击，但这些飞行速度较慢的攻击机本身就必须处于极其特殊的位置，才能设下这样的陷阱。当然，这样的目标也可能伺机而动。

在空对空作战中使用激光制导空地导弹绝非过时的设想。美国空军最近就进行了一场F-16战斗机与无人机的对抗演练，该战机配备了激光制导火箭弹。这一概念有望大幅提升美国及其盟国快速战斗机的弹药储备和作战灵活性，尤其是在执行维护领空主权或其他针对低端威胁的反空作战任务时。

不管怎样，视频中显示的测试非常值得，因为它给我们带来了一段疯狂的视频，视频中一架獾式轰炸机用一枚旋风式导弹击中了左后发动机和机翼根部，导致轰炸机翻滚，并最终以壮观的方式解体。

联系作者：Tyler@thedrive.com

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