Broniszew 2022-12-15
Sukhoi Su-20 nb 6256 strike aircraft.
The Sukhoi Su-20 nb 6256 aircraft No. 74416 was the 23rd of this type among 27 used in the Polish Army. The aircraft was delivered in 1976. After service, as a private exhibit, it was placed at a petrol station (Bliska / Lotos) on the S7 road, Grójec-Białobrzegi, in Broniszew 105.
The first 6 Su-20s were delivered to Poland in 1974. On 1974-04-26, the planes landed at the airport in Powidz. These planes received board numbers from 01 to 06, painted in red. Of course, they were shown to the public during the parade in Warsaw on 1974-07-22. The remaining aircraft were received by the Polish Army only in 1976. A total of 25 copies were purchased. We did not buy the training-combat version, because Su-7 U aircraft continued to play this role.
Unfortunately, even before the main delivery, on 1976-02-03, the first Su-20 aircraft was lost. The plane received nb 01. If the plane had survived until the change of side numbers, it would have received nb 4241. A painful loss, because another pilot died, major (captain) pilot. Jerzy Doliniec. The disaster occurred near the village of Kazimierz Biskupi. The cause was a technical failure of the equipment. There was an engine failure that stopped working. In addition, the entire power supply failed and there were problems with the aggregates. The failure was the fault of the manufacturer, who acknowledged his fault. Therefore, in place of the lost aircraft, the manufacturer supplied a new aircraft (1977). We received the plane on 1977-02-12. The aircraft received nb 7125.
We received the remaining 19 Su-20 machines in the summer of 1976. These aircraft received four-digit side numbers derived from serial numbers, painted in red. At that time, the side numbers of the first 6 machines also changed.
In Poland, Su-20 aircraft have become dual-purpose machines. On the one hand, they could effectively attack enemy objects in depth, on the other hand, they could conduct active photo and radio-electronic reconnaissance day and night. This is the second task using the KKR-1 suspended bunker. The containers reached Poland later. It should not be forgotten that the Su-20 used in Poland was also a potential carrier of Soviet tactical nuclear weapons.
The first joint exercises of Su-20 aircraft took place in 1976, during maneuvers under the code name "Tarcza-76". Throughout their service in Poland, Su-20 aircraft were also operated from DOL (road airport sections).
In the 1980s, three times Polish pilots saved Su-20 planes from crashing, risking their own lives. On May 18, 1984, Captain Andrzej Pawul collided with a stork during a flight. The pilot suffered facial injuries from glass shards and had limited visibility. However, the pilot managed to land safely. On 1985-09-04, Captain Krzysztof Ryniecki. After the launch of the heavy S-24 missile, the engine pumped up and the engine went out. Despite the low flight altitude, the pilot managed to restart the engine and land safely at the airport. In 1988, the Su-20 plane with the pilot, Major Krzysztof Krzysztoforski, was hit by lightning. The engine died. The pilot restarted the engine and landed safely at the airport.
In the mid-1990s, the number of machines began to decline rapidly. Airplanes crumbled due to the end of airframe life. The end of operation came in February 1997, when the last machines were transferred to Bydgoszcz for several months of maintenance (?), and then demolition. The last aircraft were removed from the state in 1998.
Written by Karol Placha Hetman