Georgia has offered Russia 13 Sukhoi Su-25T Frogfoot tactical strike fighters, from the newly privatised Tbilisi Aircraft Manufacturing (TAM), in exchange for a substantial national debt reduction.
Most of the new aircraft are likely to be manufactured from 12 airframes in storage at the facility, formerly known as the Tbilisi Aircraft Association. TAM upgraded a number of mothballed Su-25s for Turkmenistan during 2000. Russian media reports quoted in 1998 an $8.3 million flyaway price for the batch of 12 Tbilisi-built aircraft.
While the precise Su-25 variant on offer is not known, at least eight Su-25Ts had been built in Tbilisi when work at the plant was suspended.
The Russian air force is known to want to upgrade the aircraft to the more advanced Su-25TM (Su-39) standard, based on the airframe of the two-seat Su-25UB trainer, but using the rear cockpit space for additional avionics. The Su-25 has been the mainstay of Russian air force operations in Chechnya, where the service has lacked all-weather tactical air capability.
The conversion work would take place in Ulan Ude, where Su-25 assembly was relocated when Georgia declared independence in 1991. Georgia has itself eight Su-25s.
Source: Flight International
