On 25th Sep, Russian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov tweeted a video that
shows a Su-30SM being shot down reportedly by a Stinger.
He stated that the jet was downed in the Kharkiv region. As per available
information, the hit was carried out by Ukrainian 25th Airborne Brigade.
This comes on a day when Ukrainian forces managed to take out multiple fighter jets
and other aerial assets, possibly marking one of the bloodiest days for Russia in the skies.
In this video Defense Updates reports how 4-decade-old Stinger is managing to take out
the modern Su-30SM fighter of Russia? Let's get into the details.
The Sukhoi Su-30 is a twin-engine, two-seat supermaneuverable fighter aircraft developed
in the Soviet Union by Russia's Sukhoi Aviation Corporation. It is a multirole
fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and air-to-surface deep interdiction missions.
Su-30SM is an advanced derivative version developed for the Russian
Air Force and has a NATO reporting name Flanker-H.
The Su-30SM is considered a 4+ generation fighter jet.
The aircraft has been upgraded according to Russian military requirements for radar,
radio communications systems, friend-or-foe identification system,
ejection seats, weapons, and other aircraft systems.
It is equipped with the N011M Bars radar with a maximum detection range of 400 km
or about 250 miles and a search range of 200 km or 125 miles using a phased array antenna.
The multirole Su-30SM can be deployed in counter-air strikes,
counter-land and counter-sea missions.
The aircraft can be used to gain air supremacy as well as for targeting adversaries on the ground
using a wide range of weapons including air-to-air, air-to-surface and guided and
unguided bombs with total weapons weight up to 8,000 kg or around 17,630 pounds.
It can conduct electronic counter-countermeasures and early warning tasks. The aircraft also acts as
a command-and-control platform within a fleet of combat aircraft performing joint missions.
The FIM-92 Stinger is a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that
operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It has been adapted to fire
from a wide variety of ground vehicles and helicopters (Air to Air Stinger).
Developed in the United States, it entered service in 1981 and is used
by the militaries of the United States and 29 other countries.
It is principally manufactured by Raytheon Missile Systems and is produced under license
by EADS in Germany and by ROKETSAN in Turkey, with 70,000 missiles produced.
The missile is 5.0 ft or 1.52 m long and 2.8 in (70 mm) in diameter with 3.9 in (100 mm) fins.
The missile itself weighs 22 lb (10.1 kg),
while the missile with its launch tube and integral sight, fitted with a grip
stock and Identification friend or foe (IFF) antenna, weighs approximately 34 lb (15.2 kg).
It has a targeting range of up to 4.8 km or 3 miles and can engage
low altitude enemy threats at up to 3.8 km or 2.35 miles.
The Stinger is launched by a small ejection motor that pushes it a safe
distance from the operator before engaging the main two-stage solid-fuel sustainer,
which accelerates it to a maximum speed of Mach 2.54.
The warhead contains 1.02 kg (2.25 lb) of HTA-3 (a mix of HMX, TNT, and aluminum powder)
explosive with an impact fuze and a self-destruct timer that functions 17 seconds after launch.
The weapon could be used to take out Russian helicopters if needed.
The problem for Russia is that even after more than 200 days of the war,
it has not been able to destroy the Ukrainian air force or the ground-based air defenses.
So, Russian fighter pilots often fly low to avoid detection.
Low flight altitude also helps in bombing missions when deploying free-fall bombs,
Russia is known to have limited stocks of Precision Bombs.
But the problem with this tactic is that the aircraft becomes vulnerable to MANPADS.
Importantly, it is very hard to eliminate MANPADS in the enemy territory since they can be operated
by a group of 1-2 people moving from one place to another and easily hidden when required.
It is unclear why no flares or chaffs were used, most probably,
the pilot couldn't take the action since the low attitude reduced reaction time.