ISTANBUL

Yuri Ivashechkin, the creator of the Su-25 fighter jet and the first chief designer of the SSJ-100 passenger aircraft, has died at the age of 91, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) announced on Wednesday.

“One of our company’s outstanding employees, Yuri Viktorovich Ivashechkin, a wonderful person, a highly qualified specialist and mentor, has died suddenly. We will keep the memory of Yuri Viktorovich in our hearts,” Tass news agency quoted a UAC statement as saying.

Ivashechkin played a key role in the design of the Su-25 close air support aircraft, widely used since the 1980s, and later spearheaded the early stages of Russia’s SSJ-100 regional jet program.

The Su-25, known by its NATO designation Frogfoot, was extensively deployed in conflicts from Afghanistan to Ukraine. The SSJ-100, launched in the 2000s, was Russia’s first modern passenger aircraft project after the Soviet era.

The Su-25, first tested in 1975 and introduced into service in 1981, became one of the most recognizable Soviet aircraft for its rugged design and ability to operate in harsh battlefield conditions.

His later work on the SSJ-100 aimed to restore Russia’s place in the global civil aviation market after years of decline.