MOSCOW. Oct 17 (Interfax-AVN) - Joint state tests of the first upgraded SU-25SM Frogfoot attack plane will start in November this year, Vladimir Babak, director general of the Shturmoviki Sukhogo (Sukhoi's Attack Planes) consortium, said on Thursday.
"We are planning to start joint state tests of the first modernized SU-25SM attack plane next month. Factory tests of the plane are nearing completion," Babak told Interfax-Military News Agency.
The first upgraded Frogfoot has made 25 test flights, which amounts to about 60 percent of the total volume of test flights envisaged by the factory test program.
"Joint state tests will continue for about one year. The total volume of test flights in the framework of the joint state tests will exceed the number of flights in the framework of the factory test program by more than 10 times," Babak said.
The second upgraded attack plane is to be built and perform its maiden flight in November or December this year.
Four attack planes in service with the Armed Forces are to be modernized at the Kubinka aircraft repair plant in 2003. Among them is the SU-25UB combat and training plane that will be transformed into a two-seater modernized SU-25UBM.