Cameras mounted on the wingtips of a Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 Frogfoot close air support jet recorded the plane’s dramatic death after it was hit by a Russian long-range air-to-air missile. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a fighter jet destroyed at such close range in the Ukraine conflict. However, with Ukrainian authorities confirming the pilot’s death, the video is a sobering reminder of the enormous risks aircrews face in some of the deadliest airspace in history.
One Ukrainian Su-25 was lost. The aircraft was hit by an R-37 missile; the blame may lie with a MiG-31BM or Su-35S fighter, as these types usually patrol with such long-range missiles. The pilot was killed in action. The blue sky is coming… pic.twitter.com/lNXZPuzHXS
The video was apparently shot by a GoPro or similar camera mounted under the starboard wing of the Su-25, which was flying straight and level during the engagement. The first sign that Frogfoot had been hit was a flash of light and a shower of sparks, and suggested that the cockpit canopy might have been partially torn off. One of its external fuel tanks was then seen ruptured. The plane began to roll in the air, its fuselage apparently torn open, as evidenced by the exposed main landing gear. Wing-mounted cameras continued to record the disintegration of the aircraft, including the forward fuselage and cockpit, now separated from the fuselage, which was burning violently. The shot of the plane’s wings spirals down to the ground, ending with a plume of black smoke appearing at close range.
A bright flash was the first sign that the plane had been hit. byX
A burst of sparks can be seen in the screenshot, which also indicates that the cockpit canopy has been partially torn off by the impact. byX
It took less than 20 seconds from the first signs of impact to the wing lying motionless on the ground, suggesting that the pilot’s fate was quickly sealed. If they weren’t killed or incapacitated in the initial impact, there wouldn’t be much time to activate his Zvezda K-36 ejection seat (given the catastrophic damage, that would even be an option).
The main landing gear, still retracted, can be seen in this photo. byX
The forward fuselage section is rolled over, as shown at the bottom center of this view. byX
This Su-25 has the tactical number “21 Blue”. According to reports, on February 7, 2024, Stanislav Rykov, a pilot of the 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Force, died while flying this aircraft. Rykov is described as one of the most experienced ground attack pilots in the unit, having flown 385 combat sorties.
He posted the news on Facebook shortly after the death of Ukrainian Air Force pilot Rostyslav Lazarenko. “My heart was ripped out yesterday.” He added that Rykov “is the best pilot and commander I know.”
Ukrainian Air Force pilot Stanislav Rykov in his jet. Ukrainian Air Force
Ukraine did not report the exact whereabouts of Rykov’s loss, although a Russian Defense Ministry briefing stated that a Ukrainian Su-25 was destroyed on the same day near the settlement of Novotroitsk in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
It’s unclear why the video has only now begun to circulate publicly.
Multiple unconfirmed claims indicate that the weapon that shot down the Su-25 was the R-37M, a long-range air-to-air missile known in the West as the AA-13 Axehead. The missile is mainly used by Su-35S “Flanker” multi-purpose fighter aircraft and MiG-31BM “Foxhound” interceptor aircraft.
The R-37M is a missile we have studied in detail in the past.
Su-35S launches R-37M missile. Screenshot of the Russian Ministry of Defense Russian Ministry of Defense
It has a range of 124 miles, flies a high-altitude trajectory to its target, is controlled by an inertial navigation system with midcourse radio correction, and uses an active radar seeker for terminal attack. It has been the main threat to the Ukrainian Air Force since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
talking TWZ Ukrainian MiG-29 pilot Andrii “Juice” Pilshchykov said before he was killed in a flight accident in 2023 that the R-37M, which typically launches from Russian airspace, “limits our ability to carry out missions. Of course, if you maneuver, we can’t provide airstrikes or other attacks, so the air game is still very, very difficult and very, very risky. If you don’t know the circumstances of a missile launch, you’re dead.”
Again, we are not sure if the R-37M was involved in this incident, but it is highly likely. On the other hand, Russia has many other air-to-air missiles and land-based air defense systems, posing a very serious threat to Ukrainian tactical aviation.
The Su-25 is particularly vulnerable due to the high-risk range of its operating environment and capabilities. This is reflected in the 22 recorded losses in Ukrainian hands. This number is almost certainly higher because it only includes damage that can be visually confirmed.
Shortly after the conflict began, Ukrainian Su-25 aircraft adopted loft tactics to increase the range of their unguided rockets. The unguided rocket inventory is reportedly depleted by the summer of 2024, but the addition of the French-made Hammer rocket-boosted bomb provides greater standoff range and a more powerful weapon specifically suited to low-altitude launch profiles.
A Ukrainian Su-25 fired a Hammer rocket-propelled precision-guided munition provided by France. Ukrainian Air Force screencap
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, both sides have made heavy use of Su-25s. The number of confirmed Russian Su-25 losses reaches 41 – the most of any fixed-wing tactical type.
People look at the rear end of a Russian Su-25SM near the Kiev Military Museum. The aircraft was shot down by the Ukrainian military on March 2, 2022, in the Kiev region. Photography: Sergei Chuzavkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images sopa images
The loss of at least one Russian Su-25 was also captured on board, with the pilot’s head-mounted camera capturing dramatic footage of the incident, but the surviving pilot. You can watch the video below and read more about it here.
While videos like this may look like something from a combat flight simulation, they’re all too real. The latest report to be released reflects the harsh life and death reality of tactical aviation pilots on and around the Ukrainian front lines.
