NEWTOWN, Conn. - An unnamed source within the Russian defense industry says flights trials of the upgraded Su-25UBM are expected to start later this year.
Sukhoi is working on a heavily modernized variant of the Su-25 dubbed the Su-25UBM. The aircraft will be capable of both training duties and strike missions and will be fitted with new radar, more powerful and accurate weapons, an automated mission system, and increased battlefield survivability and reliability. It will also be day, night, and poor-weather capable. The aircraft will eventually replace the older UB version in service with the Air Force.
The aircraft will be equipped with the entire set of new instruments and weapons during the flight tests, the source said. Series manufacture of the Su-25UBM will take place at the Ulan-Ude aviation plant starting in 2014-2015, he added.
