The Russian Air Force continues to deploySu-34 attack fighterUkrainian forces have been intensively bombing the Kursk region, with reports saying they are paying particular attention to border areas between territories and lands that Ukraine officially considers its own. The purpose of these attacks was reportedly to stem the tide of reinforcements heading toward Kursk in the event of a Russian counteroffensive. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on September 21 that a Su-34 deployed precision-guided glide bombs and destroyed Ukrainian ground forces assembled in the area. The ministry issued the following statement: “The crew of a Su-34 multi-purpose aircraft of the Aerospace Forces carried out an attack on a large number of Ukrainian manpower and armored forces in the Kursk border area.” This is about the Su-34 operations in the area The latest of several reports, the Department of Defense issued a nearly identical report on September 8 in which an aircraft used a glide bomb to attack a concentration of Ukrainian troops. Crews of Su-34 fighter jets of the Aerospace Forces attacked Ukrainian manpower and military equipment gathered in the border area of the Kursk region. The strike was carried out against reconnaissance targets using aerial bombs with universal planning and correction modules, which enabled precision strikes at a safe distance from the contact line.
The Russian Air Force continues to receive new batches of Su-34, the number far exceeds No other fighter category in the Russian Air Force since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Su-27 Flanker, but is about 50% heavier, has a longer range, and has a higher weapons carrying capacity, which allows it to optimize strike missions. The use of glide bombs allows the aircraft to provide powerful firepower to Ukrainian and allied positions while minimizing the risk of being shot down. The bombs can be launched approximately 60-70 kilometers away from the target. Deliveries of the new UMPB D-30SN glide bomb are believed to have begun in August, whichapproximately 85 km. >
The Su-34's significant payload capacity enables it to deploy FAB-3000 glide bombs with large 3000 kg warheads, which have been photographed on several occasions against targets in Kursk since early August Deploy. Another notable weapon that the fighter class can carry is the ODAB-500 500 kg glide bomb, which carries a thermobaric warhead and is fully optimized for suppressing heavily fortified enemy positions. Commenting on the use of glide bombs, multiple Ukrainian personnel told the New York Times in January 2024 that the new Russian attacks used them to exert “additional destructive power,” 500 kilograms of explosives can destroy their underground bunkers. One serviceman likened the impact of a Russian glide bomb attack to the “gates of hell,” noting that the Russian air force “will drop two, two, eight, in an hour… it will sound like a jet coming down on you.” Su-34 units suffered heavy losses in the early months of full-scale Russian-Ukrainian hostilities in 2022, but confirmed reports of losses have dropped significantly. The primary factor is the use of increasingly capable glide bombs, whose production has surged, while the secondary factor is the erosion of Ukrainian air defense systems.