The Russian Air Force has received the latest batch of Su-34 strike fighters from the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant, with an undisclosed number of new airframes delivered on June 1 built to the enhanced new Su-34M standard. “UAC (United Aircraft Corporation) has delivered a new batch of Su-34 front-line bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces. These excellent aircraft are manufactured at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant in Chkalov. The aircraft have undergone a series of ground and flight tests, and has been delivered to the Russian Ministry of Defense,” the United Aircraft Corporation’s press office reported, adding: “The Su-34 has extended combat capabilities that allow it to use advanced air-launched munitions at increased range against ground and naval targets, Expand bombing conditions and accuracy.” It summed up the importance of the delivery, “Su-34 front-line bombers are an important part of Russia’s front-line aviation strike force.” The latest delivery came after the Air Force announced that it had received the last After a batch, before that was in early July.
The Russian Ministry of Defense placed its latest Su-34 order in August 2022, although unconfirmed reports emerged in June 2020 that the ministry had ordered 76 Su-34M jets. It was not immediately clear which order was delivered in the latest batch. The Su-34s delivered since July 2022 were apparently built to enhanced standards of the Su-34M variant, with specialized variants for electronic warfare or reconnaissance delivered in addition to the baseline Su-34M fighter. Yuri Slyusar, director general of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, claimed that the Su-34M’s combat capability is twice that of the original Su-34, which entered service in 2014. Its standout new feature is its dedicated three different types of interface sensors to maximize situational Perception. These include the UKR-RT electronic search pod, the UKR-OE camera pod and the UKR-RL with integrated synthetic aperture radar. The EW variant is a lighter EW model modification of overseas aircraft such as the Chinese J-16D or the US E/A-18G, but integrates the L700 Tarantul ECM pod as the primary armament.
The Su-34 is the world’s longest-range fighter, comparable in range to light strategic bombers such as the Tu-22M. Post-Soviet Russia has purchased more aircraft than any other class, delivering 14 aircraft per year since 2014, but has reportedly increased since 2022 due to operational needs in Ukraine. The Russian Air Force’s conservative use of stand-off air-to-ground weapons has often forced the Su-34 to deploy gravity bombs for bombing, which makes the aircraft vulnerable to Ukrainian air defenses, especially its easily concealed handheld surface-to-air missile launchers, Does not emit a radar signal, cannot be jammed, and has proven dangerous at low altitudes. Due to the nature of the mission, the result was heavy losses for this class and very low losses for other fighter classes deployed differently, such as the Su-35 air superiority fighter. The Su-34 is heavily relied upon in several theaters, including Syria and the Arctic, and benefits from limited stealth, a frontal radar cross-section comparable to cruise missiles, and strong air-to-air combat capabilities, although it is Attack the main character of the fighter.