MOSCOW. Sept 13 (Interfax-AVN) - The Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant has upgraded the first Sukhoi Su-25UBM two-seat attack aircraft, Plant Director General Leonid Belykh said.
"The Su-25UBM is a newly manufactured aircraft, made of the Su-25UBM backlog," he told Interfax-AVN.
The attack aircraft modernization was funded by the plant and the Sukhoi Attack Aircraft Consortium.
The Su-25UBM is fitted with the same avionics as the Su-25SM, he said. "The new aircraft features good prospects for further improvement of its combat capabilities," he said.
Latin America and the Middle East have shown a great interest in the Su-25UBM, Belykh said. The upgraded Su-25UBM flight test program envisions 200-220 test flights.
The Su-25UBM is a two-seat modification of the Su-25 attack aircraft, mass-produced at the Ulan-Ude Aviation Plant since 1984. The aircraft is capable of operating in adverse weather by day and night. Its armament is fully standardized with that of the Su-25.
The Su-25UB is powered by two R-95Sh engines with a thrust of 4,100 kg each. The aircraft has a maximum takeoff weight of 17.9 tons, a combat payload of 4.4 tons, a maximum speed of 950 km/h, and a ferry range of 1,800 km.