Reporters and military stuff. They can never seem to get it right. The Su-25 isn’t a fighter jet, it’s a close air support aircraft. Kind of a dim Russian attempt at an A-10. The Iraqis had a few and they didn’t fare well.
To be clear, pilots that fly the A-10 are ‘fighter pilots,’ just as much as any pilot that flies the F-16. F/A-18, F-15, F-22, etc. Go into a bar full of fighter pilots and tell everyone that Hog Drivers are not fighter pilots and you will won’t get any back-up from the F-16/F-15/F-22/F/A-18 guys.
It is the Navy that makes a distinction between “attack” and “fighter.” The Air Force does not and besides, the A-10 carries heaters and has achieved A/A kills, too include one with a LGB.
All jets that drop bombs are CAS/’attack’ aircraft.
CAS is a mission not an aircraft type. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&sqi=2&ved=0CDIQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffas.org%2Firp%2Fdoddir%2Fdod%2Fjp3_09_3.pdf&ei=yoSwU6LmCIuqyATa1ILAAg&usg=AFQjCNFKlMriw2PpW-BG2_Z4gZ2UrlXVmA&bvm=bv.69837884,d.aWw
B-1’s fly CAS in Afghanistan, as do the F-15E and F-16, and F/A-18.
CAS is the close application of air power while under positive control. Low flying has to do with the threat, A/A threat, mostly. If we control the skies (no enemy air) and the SAMs are shut-down, why fly low to the ground when any Haji on the ground can shoot you? Don’t need to when you have accurate weapons.
I remember an article from years past and found it: http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2001/052001/05062001/271306
Cheers.
Enjoy.
“The Iraqis had a few and they didn’t fare well.”
For information, this is true because they never entered the fight, never attacked anybody. US troops on the ground were never under attack by ANY enemy air. Last time that US troops came under enemy aircraft fire was in Korea.
~Reporters and military stuff. They can never seem to get it right. The Su-25 isn’t a fighter jet, it’s a close air support aircraft. Kind of a dim Russian attempt at an A-10. The Iraqis had a few and they didn’t fare well.~
It did perfectly well for Iraqis during their war with Iran, the problem is they had only a handful of these.
It did a good job for the Russians too in both Afghanistan and Chechnya, greatly outclassed more expensive faster afterburning jets in CAS roles.
BTW, it is not that much similar to A-10, more like A-4 but heavily armored and more firepower.
You can actually find numerous videos of it’s operation on youtube, filmed by jihadis or Georgian military with an aircraft getting missile hits and still attacking targets after that.
You can also find videos uploaded by Russian ground crews with Frogfoots shredded to bits by 23 mm and at the same time missing an engine after manpad hit which actually made it back to base.