Turkish TUSAS Transforms Azerbaijan's Su-25 Fighter to Carry Gliding Bombs, Cruise Missiles

Turkish Aerospace firm, TUSAS, has modified a Su-25 aircraft to carry gliding bombs and cruise missiles so that it can operate from a stand-off distance.

The Soviet era ground attack aircraft, in service of the Azerbaijan Air Force, will supplement the JF-17 Block III recently acquired from Pakistan.

The Soviet-made Su-25s can now carry precision-guided munitions such as Teber-82 guided bombs, KGK-83 glide bombs, QFAB-250 LG laser-guided bombs, and SOM cruise missiles.

The modernization stems from a contract signed between the Azerbaijani Air Force and the Turkish aerospace company TUSAS, announced at the IDEF'23 defense industry exhibition in Istanbul in July 2023.

Due to the relatively small number of aircraft in the Azerbaijani Air Force and the high costs of acquiring new jets from Russia or other countries, Azerbaijan opted to upgrade its existing Su-25 fleet. Turkish specialists from TÜBITAK-SAGE demonstrated how the KGK wing guidance kit could be integrated into the Su-25, allowing the use of Mk-82/83 unguided bombs as long-range air-to-surface guided munitions.

Further modernization enabled the Su-25 to be equipped with advanced missile systems, enhancing its combat capabilities.