The Su-34, developed in the latter stages of the Cold War, is one of the best aircraft produced by the USSR and designed for the Soviet Air Force – National Interest.
This two-seat, all-weather, medium-range supersonic aircraft is designed for use as a fighter-bomber and strike aircraft.
Like many other programmes of the late Soviet period, the Su-34 was shelved after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the economic crisis in Russia. The programme was revived only in the early 2000s, when eight pre-production aircraft were constructed for testing and evaluation.
The Su-34 entered service in 2014, although there have been reports of it being deployed during the Russian-Georgian war in 2008. A total of about 155 aircraft have been produced, including prototypes and production aircraft.
The aircraft, originally designated Su-27IB, is based on the Su-27 (NATO-classified Flanker) and is designed primarily for offensive strike purposes to replace the Su-24 (NATO-classified Fencer) and the Tu-22 single-platform bomber (NATO-classified Blinder).
The Su-34’s surface design includes a duckbill-shaped nose cone, two tail fins, canards for manoeuvrability, and a side-by-side cockpit engineered to improve communication between the two pilots.
Capable of ground, surface and air attacks, this combat aircraft was deployed to Syria, where it was used to target rebel and ISIS forces, and could probably be used to defend Moscow’s interests in the Arctic region.
The Su-34 is able to reach a maximum speed of Mach 1.8+ (almost 2,160 km/h) when fully loaded, has a maximum range of 4,000 km (2,500 miles; 2,200 nautical miles) or more with aerial refuelling. It is also equipped with counter-fire and electronic warfare (EW) counter-measures systems.
Typically, the Su-34 carries 4,000kg of armament, but it has a maximum payload of 8,000kg.
Russia’s fighter-bomber design has undergone a thorough overhaul and modernisation, resulting in the Generation 4+ two-seat supersonic strike fighter. The Kremlin has reportedly developed two versions: one for electronic warfare, equipped with an L700 Tarantul ECM pod that can provide electronic cover for a group of aircraft; and another for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
According to the open-source intelligence website Oryx, 20 visually confirmed cases of Su-34s lost, damaged or abandoned by Russian forces have been reported as of May this year. Moscow has confirmed the loss of more than a dozen of Su-34s.
In October, the Russian Defence Ministry reported that the Novosibirsk Chkalov Aviation Plant of the United Aircraft Corporation had produced and delivered the “second batch” of new Su-34 aircraft to the ministry. It follows a previous batch announced at the end of May this year, however, it remains unclear how many aircraft were in each batch.
Our aircraft makers are successfully fulfilling the most important task of providing the Russian Ministry of Defence with new high-performance aircraft systems.
