Russia launches fire-spouting ‘flying tank’ in most advanced weapons test ever 

The Russian military published a video of their latest variant of armoured aircraft to date on their official channel, TV Zvezda. The Vladimir Putin-led state is upgrading its fleet of Sukhoi Su-25 attack planes, some fear in preparation for World War 3. The Su-25, known as the “flying tank”, is among the most-used Russian aircraft.

In a video filmed from the cockpit, viewers watched as the aircraft took off from the ground to make combat manoeuvres.

The footage also showers fiery test weapons being launched from the side of the flying tank.

The test missiles are shot forward into the sky, leaving a long stream of white smoke behind them.

Another view of the aircraft is shown from underneath as it passes ahead, demonstrating its speed in real-time.

The Su-25 has been used in over a dozen armed conflicts since the Russian intervention in Afghanistan.

It is known as the “flying tank” because of its heavy armour plating and overall resilience.

The aircraft’s main aim is to provide close air support for ground forces, taking out high-value enemy targets on the battlefield.

The test flight released specifically shows a pair of Su-25SM3s.

Originally, the military weapon was designed in the 70s and developed as a slow-flying heavy hitter to identify and take out the enemy in one go while withstanding enemy fire head-on.

However, with the advances in technology, precision bombs and missiles require less time for deployment.

This placed the model in danger of being retired in the modern world.