The Su-34: The Most User Friendly Fighter Bomber Ever Built

[Ryan Ruck]

The Most User Friendly Fighter Bomber Ever Built

March 28, 2006: The Russian Air Force is buying 24 new Su-34 fighter bombers. This is the latest variant of the Su-27. The Su-34 is somewhat like the American F-15E, a high performance fighter modified to act as a very effective bomber. Aside from it's similarity to the F-15E, the Su-34 has one very distinguishing characteristic. The cockpit for the two man crew not only allows for side-by-side seating, but is spacious enough for the pilots to stand up and, standing behind their seats, stretch a bit. There is also a toilet and cooking facilities back there as well. The cockpit itself is protected with 17mm lightweight armor. The canopy does not open, as the pilots enter via a hatch near the front landing gear. The cockpit is pressurized for operations under 33,000 feet (above that, they have to wear the usual flight gear). Although the Su-34 looks like a fighter, it's as heavy as a bomber (44 tons max) and can carry up to eight tons of weapons. It's 77 feet long, with a wingspan of 48 feet. By comparison, the F-15E is 36 tons, 64 feet long and with a 43 foot wingspan. An even more lavishly equipped (with sensors) version is in development, to replace the Su-24 (for long range precision bombing.)

I disagree with their assessment that the Su-34 is most akin to the F-15E. I see it as being more similar to the F-111.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Air Force To Get New Su-34 Fighter-Bombers

Russia's Air Force will receive a regiment of new Su-34 fighter-bombers by 2010, its head said Tuesday.

"Under a three-year state contract, the Chkalov Aircraft Production Association [in Novosibirsk] ...will manufacture and deliver a regiment of Su-34 [NATO designation Fullback] fighter-bombers to the Russian Air Force," Air Force Commander Vladimir Mikhailov said.

Mikhailov said the Su-34 would replace the outdated Su-24 (NATO designation Fencer) frontline bomber.

"Test flights of Su-34 fighter-bombers started at the beginning of 2006," Mikhailov said. "We have about 10 [Su-34s] in the Air Force at present."

The Su-34 fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft equipped with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbojet engines. It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes at heavily guarded targets in any weather conditions, day or night.

Its armament includes a 30mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs.

"[The plane's] variable payload makes the Su-34 a unique aircraft capable of destroying almost any target," the Air Force Commander said.

Various sources put the number of planes in a Russian fighter-bomber regiment at 25-30.

[Ryan Ruck]

New Russian Fighter-Bomber In Final Test Stages

A new Russian fighter-bomber capable of delivering high-precision strikes has started its final test flights, a senior official said Wednesday.

"We have practically completed the tests [of Su-27IB fighter-bomber]," said Yury Tregubenkov, director of the Chkalov center in Siberia. "Only a few of them are left and we are planning to complete them in a year to 18 months."

He said that the aircraft could be officially given the designation Su-34 after the tests were completed.

The Su-34 (NATO reporting name Fullback) fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft equipped with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbojet engines. It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes at heavily guarded targets in any weather conditions, day or night.

Its armament includes a 30mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs.

Air Force Commander Vladimir Mikhailov said yesterday that Russia's Air Force would receive a regiment of new Su-34s by 2010.

The Chkalov center is also conducting tests of several warplanes and the Mi-28 Night Hunter and the K-52 Alligator attack helicopters.

[Ryan Ruck]

Introduction Of Su-34 Will Create Export Potential – Official

The introduction of Russia's latest fighter-bomber into active service with the country's air force will make the plane more attractive on global export markets, the head of the corporation producing the aircraft said Thursday.

"Widespread use of the Su-34 following its purchase by the Russian Air Force will boost sales on external arms markets," Sukhoi holding Director General Mikhail Pogosyan said.

Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov earlier said his ministry planned to purchase 18 Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in 2006-2008, and equip an air force regiment with 24 of the new aircraft by 2010.

Pogosyan also said the introduction of the Su-34 would play an important part in the future of the Chkalov Aircraft Production Association in Novosibirsk, West Siberia, where the new plane is being manufactured.

"Annual production of 15-20 Su-34 will see the enterprise working at optimal capacity," he said, adding that production could ensure stable sales and lower the plane's production costs.

The $36-million Su-34 fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft equipped with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbojet engines. It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes at heavily guarded targets in any weather conditions, day or night, and fields weaponry including a 30mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs.

It is designed to replace the Su-24 Fencer frontline bombers in the Air Force.

Exported to China no doubt.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Air Force To Receive Unique Bomber Soon

Army General Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the Russian Air Force, recently said that the latter would receive the first batch of Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers by late 2006.

Officials at the Novosibirsk-based Chkalov Aircraft Production Association, which builds these warplanes, and the Sukhoi Design Bureau, which developed them, confirmed Mikhailov's statement.

The Russian Air Force has been waiting for the Su-34 for a long time.

The Su-34, crewed by test pilots Igor Votintsev and Yevgeny Revunov, performed its maiden flight in April 1990. At that time, it was called the Su-27-IB Flanker fighter-bomber and was, in fact, a revamped version of the Su-27 Flanker air-superiority fighter. The warplane was, first of all, intended to fly short-range and tactical combat missions and to hit ground and naval targets, including small, mobile ones, at any time of day or night and in any weather conditions. Although the Su-34 could also destroy enemy aircraft, it was conceived primarily as an attack plane.

Chief designers Rollan Martirosov and Oleg Sobolev coordinated the Su-34 project. Mikhail Simonov, general designer of the Sukhoi Design Bureau and Su-34 project supervisor, used to say back then that the new warplane was intended to repel a possible invasion and to replace the Su-24 and Su-24M Fencer tactical bombers, which had served for nearly 20 years by that time.

The Su-34's standard drop tanks give it a 3,000 km range, which can be extended to over 4,000 km with the help of additional drop tanks. Unlike other similar bombers, this warplane, which can refuel in mid-air, has a virtually unlimited range. It can therefore be promptly re-deployed to potential conflict areas.

Simonov said it usually takes a warplane in the Russian Far East seven days to reach Tajikistan because intermediate airfields are often closed due to bad weather, fuel is not delivered promptly and pilots do not have enough time to rest. But the crew-friendly Su-34 has eliminated all these problems.

Unlike other Sukhoi warplanes, including combat trainers, the Su-34 features two parallel K-36DM ejector seats. Its cockpit is therefore similar to an Ilyushin Il-96 Camber jumbo jet or an Airbus A310 jetliner. Consequently, the pilot or the navigator/systems operator can stand up and stretch their muscles or even take a nap in the aisle (while the plane is on autopilot or is steered by one man). They can even eat borsch from a vacuum flask or microwave meat. The plane also has toilet. In fact, the Su-34 resembles a comfortable airliner to some extent.

But are all these innovations necessary?

Simonov said that a prototype Su-27UB commanded by Nikolai Sadovnikov had completed an experimental flight from Moscow to the Okhotsk Sea and back during tests. The plane spent 16 hours in the air and refueled four times from air-force tankers. All systems functioned without a hitch, but the gray-faced pilots looked very tired after they climbed out of the cramped cockpit. They did not look capable of engaging the enemy after such a long haul.

The Su-34 offers enhanced crew comfort for more effective combat missions. The pilots can use a new-generation digital computer (weapons-control system) and other duplicated radio-electronic equipment. These devices ensure impressive bombing accuracy with an error margin of just several meters, regardless of the weather. The plane's eight-metric-ton ordnance load, which includes subsonic and supersonic homing missiles and glider bombs, can destroy hardened and well-camouflaged targets at a range of up to 250 km.

The Su-34, due to enter service with bomber squadrons soon, has an active-safety system with artificial-intelligence elements. This system enables the plane to execute just about any stunt and combat maneuver and to fly at treetop and ground level at a maximum speed of 1,400 kph. The Su-34 can also fly in TERCOM (Terrain Contour Matching) mode, bypassing unexpected obstacles and streaking through ground air-defense zones.

Simonov said the Su-34 is just as difficult to detect as a supersonic cruise missile.

The above-mentioned digital computer and a front horizontal empennage behind the cockpit ensure in-flight stability at treetop level. Such an empennage, which is clearly seen in the photo of the bomber, handles the air pockets that plague any high-speed aircraft at low altitudes. The plane's crew can therefore conduct effective bombing runs, take evasive action, destroy enemy weapons and steer clear of missiles and anti-aircraft shells.

Just like the Su-25 Frogfoot ground-attack jet, the Su-34 features a 17 mm armored cockpit. Its cockpit reliably shields the crew and avionics from bullets, small-caliber shells and missile fragments. The ejector seats can be activated at any speed and altitude, even when the plane is on the ground.

Experts have analyzed all recent small wars and armed conflicts involving supersonic aircraft, ECM (Electronic Counter-Measures) systems, heat-seeking, radar-seeking and combined missiles. Along with a study of air-crash causes, their conclusion shows that the integrated Su-34 crew-protection systems are 400% more effective than those of other similar warplanes. The Su-34's combat efficiency and safety has therefore increased by the same 400%.

The Su-34 supersonic fighter-bomber has a relatively low top speed of Mach 1.8. In fact, it is even slower than the Su-30MKI Flanker. This is hardly surprising because the Su-34 is not designed to intercept foreign fighters and attack planes. In the aircraft industry, high speeds and high prices go hand in hand. A high-speed warplane requires additional fuel and equipment, as well as special air-flow control devices for air intakes. This spells considerably higher costs for aircraft manufacturers, customers and maintenance personnel. In this respect the new aircraft is very cost-effective.

The Su-34 is meant to deliver a sufficiently large ordnance load to a predetermined area, hit the target accurately and take evasive action against pursuing enemy planes. Its AL-31FM1 power plant, built by the Moscow-based Salyut Company, generates a thrust of up to 13.5 metric tons and has a 1,000-hour service life in between repairs. Consequently, the Su-34 can fly fast enough to accomplish its objectives. This is a remarkable achievement for an aircraft in this class.

Simonov said one should not envy officers and men subjected to a low-altitude attack by Su-34 warplanes. They would suffer a real psychological shock similar to the one caused by rumbling and fire-belching tanks.

Simonov recalled a line from Alexander Tvardovsky's poem mentioning a terrifying tank riding into battle with its gun aimed at the human soul. He said the sturdy, maneuverable and formidable Su-34 resembled a flying tank.

It is hard to disagree with the legendary aircraft designer. A fully loaded Su-34 weighs an impressive 45.1 metric tons, or just as much as a T-90S or T-80U main battle tank.

While the Su-24, also designed by Mikhail Simonov, resembles the USAF F-111, its main rival, the Su-34 is unique in its appearance. This smart hard-hitting warplane is intended to defend Russia, not to threaten anyone.

Unlike many other warplanes, the Su-34 is not advertised or sold in other countries.

[Ryan Ruck]

The SU-34 : Russia's New Bomber In Service

Twenty years after the programme was officially launched, Russia's air force has taken delivery of the first Su-34 bombers to emerge from series production. A two-seater equipped with the latest systems, the Su-34 will supersede the Su-24 and remain in service with planned improvements for many decades.

For Russia's air force, 15 December 2006 was a significant day: for the first time since 1992 it took delivery of a newly built warplane – having had to make do in the years following the collapse of the Soviet Union with prototypes and the modernisation of existing aircraft. Air force boss Vladimir Michailov came to Novosibirsk for the event, where the Sukhoi Su-34 bombers with the serial numbers “01” and “02” were exhibited in front of the Chkalov plant (NAPO, Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association).

General Michailov, who had been urging the acceleration of the programme since 2002 or otherwise cancelling it, announced that the first regiment of the new tactical bombers, likely to consist of 20 aircraft, will be deployed by 2010. By 2020 the Russian air force intends to buy 200 of them at a price currently standing at 860 million rubles (25m euros). In June 2006, defence minister Sergei Ivanov announced plans to buy 58 Su-34 bombers (NATO code: “Fullback”) by the year 2005 as part of the national armament programme (GPW-2015). Sukhoi revealed it had received an initial order for 18 aircraft, six of which are to be completed this year and ten in the year 2008.

The differing statements provide evidence that Russian armament programmes are still beset by uncertainties. The delivery of the first two aircraft was also something of a propaganda event: the “02” was still not fully equipped and is likely to remain in Novosibirsk for another six months. Meanwhile, the “01” is heading to the military test centre at Aktyubinsk (Astrakhan) and subsequently to the 4th CBPiPLS combat training and retraining centre in Lipetsk. The first two aircraft in the production series will be used to support the two prototypes and five pre-series aircraft in the second phase of the field exercises, although some systems, such as the rear radar system and navigation and targeting pod are still not available.

Nevertheless, technically the Su-34 represents the pinnacle of Russian achievements in terms of warplane development. A tactical bomber weighing up to 39 tonnes, it is based on the aerodynamic configuration of the Su-27, although it has completely different systems, which were updated twice to reflect technical advancements and the changing requirements of the air force in the course of the lengthy development process. The Sch141 Kishchnik mission system is integrated by Leninetz Holding of St. Petersburg. This includes:

1. The W004 radar system with passive electronic scanning. This can capture targets on the ground or in the air. In navigation mode it displays a radar map and allows automatic low-level flying.

2. The W004 radar system in the long tail boom between the jet engines. This surveys the area behind the aircraft for enemy aircraft.

3. The Kibiny system (L175W) for electronic combat management. It is made by Kaluga-based KNIRTI and works with radar warning receivers to accurately localise threats, an infrared-based rocket warning system, active jammers and chaff/flare dispensers (each with eight cartridges).

4. The K102 system made by Ramenskoje-based RPKB for controlling the aircraft's electronic systems, including the navigation system, the displays and the KSS-2 communication system.

5. The Platan homing system with a TV camera and laser target illuminator made by Yekaterinburg-based UOMZ. Geofizika in Moscow was brought in to develop an electronic optical navigation and targeting pod.

For its role as an interdictor against high-value targets far behind enemy lines even when there are powerful anti-aircraft defence systems, the Su-34 is expected to make use of the entire arsenal of Russian air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons. A total of eight tonnes of external load can be slung from twelve points. The R-73, R-27 and RVV-AE missiles are there for self-protection. The aircraft also has guided and unguided bombs and the X-29, X-31 and X-59M air-to-ground missiles as well as future developments such as the X-36, X-38, X-41 and X-SD. In its brochures Sukhoi has also shown the Su-34 with two Moskit or three Yakhont anti-ship missiles.

In the 90s, Sukhoi tried to market the aircraft, which was originally known as the Su-27IB (Istrebitel Bombardirovchik = fighter bomber), internationally as a naval aircraft. At the air shows in Paris and Farnborough it was therefore presented as the Su-32FN naval fighter or Su-32MF multi-role fighter. Although its sales efforts have so far been unsuccessful, Sukhoi is still hoping for 100 to 200 orders from abroad. For the time being, however, the Russian air force takes priority. The plan is to further develop the systems for the air force, for example by installing a radar antenna with active electronic scanning. There are also plans to use more powerful jet engines with a thrust of 142 kN. Moreover, additional pods will allow the aircraft to be used for reconnaissance and to jam enemy systems.

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Su-34: a long history Sukhoi began investigating the possibility of an attack version of the heavy Su-27 fighter in the early 80s. Initially it was to be based on the two-seater trainer, but in the course of time more and more changes became necessary. The most important decision was the change to a large cockpit with adjacent ejector seats behind which there is even a toilet and a small kitchen. A pressurised cabin like in an airliner allows the crew to work without an oxygen mask. All the measures taken in the “comfort” development programme served to prevent the crew from getting tired during operations, which were expected to be long (ten hours or more with air refuelling). Protection was also given a great deal of attention, with 17 mm of armour plating around the cockpit.

Today's configuration of the aircraft, which was initially called the Su-27IB (Istrebitel-Bombardirovchik), dates back to 1987. The programme officially started on 19 June 1996 and was worked on by a team managed by Rollan Martirosov on the basis of the technical-tactical demands of the Soviet air force.

The first prototype of the project, which was named internally T10V, was developed at the Sukhoi test centre at Ulitza Polikarpova in Moscow on the basis of a Su-27UB cell. Anatoly Ivanov took the T10V-1 for its maiden flight in Shukovski on 13 April 1990. However, this aircraft was only used for the purpose of aerodynamic testing. The first published photograph showed it approaching the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, which is why it was initially speculated in the West that it would be used for marine purposes.

The second Su-27IB was built at the Chkalov plant in Novosibirsk, where the Su-24 was also built. It had a more voluminous body behind the cockpit and a larger tail boom. The new fuselage had a 30 percent greater tank volume than the Su-27. The greater weights required stronger landing gear with dual tyres on all units. The maiden flight of the T10V-2 took place on 18 December 1993 with Igor Votintsev and Yevgeny Revunov in the cockpit.

A test cell for tests to destruction (T10V-3) was followed by the pre-series T10V-4 (maiden flight: 26 December 1996), T10V-5 (maiden flight: 28 December 2004) and TV10V-6 (maiden flight: 27 December 1997). The V-5 (board number 45) was the first aircraft to have the Leninetz mission system, which was tested as of 1996. The V-4 (board number 44) was flown from the end of 1996 with the Sch141 system. In 1999 the optical Platan system was installed in this aircraft. Thus equipped, it took part in exercises near Ashuluk in April 2000, where it escorted Su-24 fighter bombers. One of the primary aims was to carry out tests with the electronic combat management system. In 2000 and 2002 the Su-34 was also deployed in trials over Chechnya.

The T10V-6 was equipped with new computers belonging to the BtsWM-386 series in 1999 that replaced the old Argon machines. Leninetz also used a Tu-134 as a test carrier for the V004 radar system. The other pre-series aircraft, the T10V-7 and T10V-8, flew on 22 December 2000 and 20 December 2003. In the meantime, testing proceeded very slowly until General Vladimir Michailov became commander-in-chief of the Russian air force in January 2002. After 150 test flights in the year 2002, around 130 missions were flown in the first six months of 2003 alone.

Although the first phase of the government's trials came to an end in June 2003, the air force insisted on further improvements that Sukhoi introduced first in the V-8 (board number 48). On 30 September 2006 the repeated government trials with the new standard were concluded. In this phase, GPS-guided bombs of the KAB-500 series were also tested for the first time. The first series aircraft took off for the first time on 12 October 2006 in Novosibirsk and was delivered to the air force in December. The second phase of the service tests began in the same month, focusing on the testing of further weapon system operating modes and the qualification of additional weapons and weapon combinations.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia's Air Forces to get first Su-34 Fighter-Bombers

The Air Forces of Russia will get first Su-34 fighter-bomber on Tuesday, RIA Novosti reported with reference to Colonel Alexander Drobyshevsky, aide to the Air Forces commander-in-chief.

The solemn ceremony for accepting the first Su-34 will be held in the Lipetsk Center of Combat Use and Flight Crew Transition on July 31, Drobyshevsky specified.

The start of Su-34 development dates back to the mid.-1980s. The distinctive features of this plane that was designed based on Su-27 fighter are the two-seat cockpit, armoring, long range of action, up-to-date computers, color LCDs, satellite navigation receiver and new digital devices for communication.

The aircraft is armed by the 30mm air gun with 150 shells, guided air-to-air missiles of four types, guided air-to-surface missiles, air bombs, including the adjusted one-time bomb cells and unguided shells. Su-32 is the export variant of the plane.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia To Equip Two Air Regiments With Su-34 Strike Planes Soon

Two regiments of the 16th Air Army will be equipped with new Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers in the near future, the army commander said Thursday.

Designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the Su-34s will replace the Su-24 Fencer frontline bombers. Experts said the new bomber has the potential to become the best plane in its class for years to come.

The $36 million Su-34 fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft equipped with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbojet engines. It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes on heavily-defended targets under any weather conditions, day or night, and fields weaponry that includes a 30mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs.

The first serial-production SU-34 has been procured by the Defense Ministry and will soon be deployed at the Lipetsk pilot training center for practical training of military pilots.

The 16th Air Army, headquartered at Kubinka, is essentially a tactical air force component of the Moscow Military District, with zone of responsibility of up to 1.3 million square kilometers, including the country's capital, Moscow.

[Ryan Ruck]

Flying High

Russia's rearmament program, approved in 2006 for a period until 2015, provides for supplying modern weapons to its armed forces. One of them is the Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber, which will replace the Su-24 Fencers.

The process has begun, but some say the replacement is taking too long.

The new fighter-bomber is said to be very good. An improvement on the Su-27 Flanker, it has cutting-edge equipment, including a modern crew and equipment protection system. The Su-34 is effective against personnel and military hardware on the battlefield and also against targets behind enemy lines. It can also be used for surveillance missions and against naval targets.

The Su-34 will replace the Su-24M aircraft (about 400 planes), the Su-24MR surveillance aircraft (over 100 planes), and the MiG-25RB aircraft (about 70). Russia will have to produce between 550 and 600 Su-34s to replace these obsolete aircraft within 10-15 years.

However, the Defense Ministry plans to buy only about 58 such planes by 2015, and a total of 300 by 2022.

Many experts say that if the Su-24 and MiG-25RB aircraft are scrapped by 2020, Russia will be left without fighter-bombers and surveillance aircraft. Others argue that this number will be enough for the Air Force's new concept.

The concept is focused not so much on the combat characteristics of the Su-34, as on its long range, the ability to refuel in the air (including by other Su-34 aircraft with additional fuel tanks under their wings), and its comfortable cabin allowing the crew to make long-distance flights without becoming overtired.

Units armed with such aircraft can be used in the so-called pendulum operations, when an Air Force unit bombs a terrorist base in Central Asia today, delivers a strike at a missile base in Europe the next day, and three days later flies to the Indian Ocean to support a combined group of the Northern, Pacific and Black Sea fleets, with flights from a base in Russia.

The Su-34 aircraft has long-range precision weapons, can fly hugging the earth, and has a high level of protection, which should cut losses during lightning operations, while the use of a relatively small number of such aircraft allows training crews to perfection.

This is not a new concept. Elite units of top-class aircraft manned by superbly trained crews formed the core of the German air force during World War II, and Japan's Imperial Navy had a similar concept.

However, such elite units can be quickly weeded out by swarms of ordinary aircraft in a global war of attrition, such as World War II. From this viewpoint, Russia's new concept looks vulnerable, but then this country has the nuclear triad for a global war.

In a war of attrition, it will not matter how many such smart aircraft Russia will have - 200, 600 or 1,500. What will really matter is the yield of a nuclear bomb they will be able to drop on the enemy.

But in the event of a small war involving one or two adversaries, or a chain of local conflicts, the existence of such high-speed, highly protected and well-armed aircraft can be the decisive factor. Even 58 Su-34 fighter-bombers, used at the right time in the right place, would be a powerful force. A group of 200-300 such aircraft, divided into several units for use in key areas of the battlefield, will be able to fulfill the most complicated tasks.

Apart from the Su-34, the Russian Air Force will also receive other new planes, whose technical characteristics will maintain the force's combat potential at the requisite level. New units, set up for the fulfillment of specific tasks, will consist of fighters, bombers, early warning and command planes, flying tankers, and unmanned aerial vehicles.

These will be highly mobile units, which means that its aircraft can be quickly dispatched to the area in question. In fact, Russia's new concept is not unlike the United States' Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF), a flexible and powerful instrument of air warfare capable of quickly delivering strikes in any part of the world.

As for surveillance aircraft, industrialized countries intend to replace them with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The world is changing, and the new world will wage new kind of wars.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russia Finally Gets Its F-15E

December 24, 2009

Three years after deciding to start production, the Russian Air Force received the first two production models of the Su-34 fighter-bomber. The original plan was to put 24 aircraft into service by 2010. It was hoped that they would eventually be able to buy a hundred. Apparently one goal of undertaking serial production was to encourage foreign purchases. No luck there yet.

The 45 ton Su-34 is a replacement for the 43 ton Su-24 bomber, which is beginning to show its age (over twenty years). There are 300 Su-24s on the books, but most of these are not fit for service. The Su-34 is most similar to the U.S. F-15E (a two seat fighter bomber version of the 31 ton F-15C.), and is yet another variant of the 33 ton Su-27. The Su-34 has a full set of defensive and offensive sensors (radars, targeting cameras, laser designators) and electronic warfare gear, and can carry eight tons of missiles and smart bombs. The aircraft can be refueled in the air.

By 2013, Russia now plans to have 32 Su-34s in service, at a cost of $36 million each (less than half the cost of an F-15E). Meanwhile, some of the more recently built Su-24s are being upgraded as the Su-24M2. Most of the 1,400 Su-24s built are over 25 years old, and many have been grounded several times recently because of age related problems. Prototypes of the Su-34 has been in the air for several years, and earlier versions of two seater Su-27 bombers were known as the Su-32.

[Ryan Ruck]

Su-34 Frontline Bombers Proved Their Superior Operational Capabilities And Flight Performance

July 20, 2010

The Russian Air Force’s in-service Su-34s designed by the Sukhoi Company have proved their superior operational capabilities and flight performance in the East-2010 military exercises held in July. In performance of the operational mission a non-stop flight was carried out from the European part of Russia to the Far East with in-flight refueling and subsequent attack as per task assigned. Soon it is planned to increase the operational capability of the aircraft by adding new aerial munitions, announced the Director General of Sukhoi Mikhail Pogosyan today at the press conference at the Farnborough International Airshow-2010.

The Su-34 frontline bomber will form the core of Russia's front-line air strike capability, and is a worthy successor to the Su-24M all-weather, day and night-time frontline bomber. Serial production of the Su-34 has been set up at the Chkalov Aviation Production Association in Novosibirsk, which is a part of the Sukhoi holding company. In 2008 a five-year contract was signed with the government to supply the Russian Defense Ministry with 32 serial-production aircraft. In time, the Su-34 will replace virtually the entire fleet of Su-24 frontline bombers that are currently in service.

The Su-34 can effectively attack land-based, sea- and airborne targets by day and night in all weathers using the entire suite of its airborne munitions, including high-precision types. In terms of operational capabilities this is a 4+ aircraft. Its active safety system, along with the newest computers, provides extra capabilities for the pilot and navigator to perform aimed bombing and to maneuver under enemy fire. The excellent aerodynamics, large capacity internal fuel tanks, fuel-efficient bypass engines with a digital control system, in-flight refueling device and add-on fuel tanks enable the aircraft to fly long distances close to those of medium strategic bombers.

The aircraft features an outstanding flight performance, maintainability and maneuverability. It has long-range aiming systems and modern onboard devices for communications and information exchange with on-land control posts, ground troops, surface ships and in-flight aircraft. The Su-34 uses highly effective long-range air-to-surface and air-to-air guided weapons enabling multi-channel operational employment. It is fitted with a smart anti-radar defense system. The Su-34 has a sophisticated survival system, including an armored cockpit. The aircraft can perform missions at a low altitude in by-pass and fly-by modes.

In 1999, the Su-34 frontline bomber set eight world records, including one in a horizontal flight with a payload of 5,000 kg.

[Ryan Ruck]

Russian Air Force Receives New Su-34 Fighter-Bombers

December 28, 2010

Russia's Air Force received four new Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers on Tuesday as part of its current modernization program, an Air Force spokesman said.

Russia started full-scale production of Su-34s in 2008 at a Novosibirsk-based aircraft-manufacturing plant, a subsidiary of the Sukhoi Aircraft Holding.

A total of 70 aircraft will be delivered by 2015 to replace outdated Su-24 Fencer fighter- bombers, which are currently undergoing modernization to prolong their service life.

Designed by Sukhoi, the $36-million Su-34 fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft fitted with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbofan engines.

It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes on heavily-defended targets under any weather conditions, day or night, and is equipped with a 30-mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs.

[AGEUSAF]

Have to hand it to the Russians they do build some nice looking aircraft...at least I think so.