Motherload of Russian "what-ifs"

[Joe C-P]

Interestingly, Sukhoi received full details of the A-10 design in 1971 (before the first flight, and briefly flirted with the idea of copying its layout but decided that to much work was invested in their existing design.

Also interesting was the alternate design to the A-10, the A-9, which looks much like an Su-25!    

[overscan]

The basic configuration of the Su-25 was defined as early as 1968, before they got the AX details.  Sukhoi looked at OV-10A Bronco, SAAB 105, A-4, A-7 and Il-40 when refining their basic ideas. Of course, they were probably pleased that Northrop were thinking along the same lines...

[elmayerle]

The basic configuration of the Su-25 was defined as early as 1968, before they got the AX details.  Sukhoi looked at OV-10A Bronco, SAAB 105, A-4, A-7 and Il-40 when refining their basic ideas. Of course, they were probably pleased that Northrop were thinking along the same lines...

I rather imagine Northrop's designers felt much the same.  Biggest difference is engines, Sukhoi used "off the shelf" while Northrop used a turbofan derived from an existing turboprop/turboshaft engine.  Trivia Bit:  After the competition the spare engines for Northrop's entry were used to power NASA's LSRA.

[overscan]

Well the Su-25 wasn't considered high priority so it wasn't possible to commission a new engine.

[elmayerle]

As I understand it, the A-9's engine was a spinoff of work Avo-Lycoming was already doing rather than a dedicated new engine.  This work evolved into the ALF502 enignes on the BAe146 and others.

[Matt_S]

Here's a fictious A-10/Su-25 hybrid- looks quite nice, but I'm not sure about scaling...

Now THAT looks cool. B)

Matt  

[redstar72]

Here are A-10, A-9, Il-102, and Su-25 in the same scale.

[Taiidantomcat]

That is supremely gorgeous  Thanks for sharing all these Overscan 

[redstar72]

Biggest difference is engines, Sukhoi used "off the shelf"

It isn't quite right - the Tumansky R-95Sh engine was designed in 1979 specially for Su-25, although it was derived from R-13F-300 engine used on MiG-21 and Su-15 (R-95Sh was, in fact, R-13F-300 without afterburner).