New Anti-Narcotic Roles for Peru's Sukhoi Su-25s

Eighteen heavily-armored Sukhoi Su-25 "Frogfoot" ground-attack aircraft operated by the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) are to reinforce national efforts against drug trafficking, according to President Alberto Fujimori. At an FAP anniversary ceremony on Sunday, the President said that the Su-25s were acquired for use in the border conflict with Ecuador, ended by an October 1998 peace treaty. Their change in role followed a recent Congressional block on $42 million of anti-narcotic aid from the U.S., and further threatened reductions because of fraud allegations concerning Fujimori's re-elected government.

Some 10 surplus Su-25s and eight two-seat Su-25UB combat trainers were bought by Peru from Belarus in 1998, following 21 MiG-29s and two-seat MiG-29UBs delivered from 1996. These supplemented 45-50 Sukhoi Su-22M-2K/M-3 and two-seat Su-22 "Fitter" ground-attack fighters bought by Peru, among large quantities of other arms and equipment, from the former Soviet Union many years earlier.

By John Fricker