Sukhoi Su-34
The Sukhoi Su-34 is a Soviet-origin Russian twin-engine, twin-seat, all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber/strike aircraft. It first flew in 1990, intended for the Soviet Air Forces, and it entered service in 2014 with the Russian Air Force.
Based on the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter, the Su-34 has a wider, armoured cockpit with side-by-side seating for its two pilots. The Su-34 was designed primarily for tactical deployment against ground and naval targets on solo and group missions in daytime and at night, under favourable and adverse weather conditions and in a hostile environment with counter-fire and electronic warfare counter-measures deployed, as well as for aerial reconnaissance. The Su-34 is planned to eventually replace the Su-24 tactical bomber and the Tu-22M long-range bomber.
Development
Beginnings (1980s)
The Su-34 had a murky and protracted beginning. In the mid-1980s, Sukhoi began developing a new tactical multirole combat aircraft to replace the swing-wing Su-24, which would incorporate a host of conflicting requirements. The bureau thus selected the Su-27, which excelled in maneuverability and range, and could carry a large payload, as the basis for the new fighter-bomber. More specifically, the aircraft was developed from, the naval trainer derivative of the Sukhoi Su-27K. The development, known internally as T-10V, was shelved at the end of the 1980s sharing the fate of the aircraft carrier Ulyanovsk; this was the result of the political upheaval in the Soviet Union and its subsequent disintegration.Prototypes (1990–1993)
In August 1990, a photograph taken by a TASS officer showed an aircraft making a dummy approach towards the aircraft carrier Tbilisi. The aircraft, subsequently and erroneously labelled Su-27KU by Western intelligence, made its maiden flight on 13 April 1990 with Anatoliy Ivanov at the controls. Converted from an Su-27UB with the new distinctive nose, while retaining the main undercarriage of previous Su-27s, it was a prototype for the Su-27IB. It was developed in parallel with the two-seat naval trainer, the Su-27KUB. However, contrary to earlier reports, the two aircraft are not directly related. Flight tests continued throughout 1990 and into 1991.In 1992, the Su-27IB was displayed to the public at the MosAeroshow, where it demonstrated aerial refuelling with an Il-78, and performed an aerobatic display. The aircraft was officially unveiled on 13 February 1992 at Machulishi, where Russian president Boris Yeltsin and the Commonwealth of Independent States leaders were holding a summit. The following year, the Su-27IB was again displayed at the MAKS Airshow.
The next prototype, and first pre-production aircraft, T10V-2, first flew on 18 December 1993, with Igor Votintsev and Yevgeniy Revoonov at the controls. Built at Novosibirsk, where Su-24s were constructed, this aircraft was visibly different from the original prototype; it had modified vertical stabilizers, twin tandem main undercarriage and a longer "stinger", which houses an APU in order to balance out the weight from the cockpit.
Standard Su-34 (1994)
The first aircraft built to production standard made its maiden flight on 28 December 1994. It was fitted with a fire-control system, at the heart of which was the Leninets OKB-designed V004 passive electronically scanned array radar. It was different enough from the earlier versions that it was re-designated the "Su-34". However, at the 1995 Paris Air Show, the aircraft was allocated the "Su-32FN" designation, signalling the aircraft's potential role as a shore-based naval aircraft for the Russian Naval Aviation. Sukhoi also promoted the Su-34 as the "Su-32MF".Budget restrictions caused the programme to stall repeatedly. Nevertheless, flight testing continued, albeit at a slow pace. The third pre-production aircraft first flew in late 1996.
Further development (2016–present)
Russia's Ministry of Defence planned to modernize the Su-34; according to the deputy head of the military department, Yuriy Borisov, "We are planning to modernize the aircraft: prolong its service life, increase the number of airborne weapons. Plane is in great demand in our armed forces, and it has a great future."Russia developed two new versions of the aircraft: one for electronic warfare and one for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.
Su-34M modernised version features a new electro-optical infrared targeting pod, a Kopyo-DL rearward facing radar that can warn the pilots if missiles are approaching, combined with automatic deployment of countermeasures and jamming.
Orders and deliveries
Su-34 (2004–2021)
An initial batch of eight aircraft was completed by the Novosibirsk factory in 2004. In March 2006, Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Ivanov announced the purchase of the first five pre-production Su-34s for the Russian Air Force. In late 2008, a second contract was signed for delivery of 32 aircraft by 2015. A total of 70 aircraft were to be purchased by 2015 to replace some 300 Su-24s in service at the time, which were then undergoing a modernization program. Ivanov claimed that as it is "many times more effective on all critical parameters", fewer of these newer bombers are required than the old Su-24 it replaces. In December 2006, Ivanov stated that approximately 200 Su-34s were expected to be in service by 2020. This was confirmed by Russian Air Force chief Vladimir Mikhaylov on 6 March 2007. Two Su-34s were delivered in 2006–2007, and three more were delivered by the end of 2009.On 9 January 2008, Sukhoi reported that the Su-34 had begun full-rate production. The final stage of the state tests were completed on 19 September 2011.
The Russian Air Force received another four Su-34s on 28 December 2010, as combat units in airbases first received six Su-34s in 2011. Delivery came in the form of two contracts, the first in 2008 for 32 aircraft and the second in 2012 for a further 92 aircraft, totaling 124 to be delivered by 2020.
In December 2012, Sukhoi reportedly delivered five aircraft under the 2012 State Defence Order.
On 6 May 2013, the first Su-34s under the 2013 defence procurement plan were delivered. On 9 July 2013, three more Su-34s were delivered in an official acceptance ceremony held at the Novosibirsk Aircraft Plant. By the end of 2013, Sukhoi completed the 2008 contract and started deliveries of aircraft under the 2012 contract.
In August 2013, Sukhoi ordered 184 identification friend or foe transponders for the Russian Su-34s from the Kazan-based Radiopribor holding company, to be delivered by 2020.
On 10 June 2014, a further delivery of Su-34s was made to the 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment at Morozovsk Air Base. Another three aircraft were delivered on 18 July 2014. In total, 18 aircraft were delivered in 2014, with 20 planned to be delivered in 2015.
Sukhoi delivered the first batch of Su-34s under the 2015 defence procurement plan on 21 May 2015. On 16 July 2015, the Sukhoi Company handed over another batch of Su-34 frontline bombers to the Russian Defence Ministry. The transfer took place in the framework of the Unified Military Hardware Acceptance Day in the Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association Plant.
Algerian deal: after eight years of negotiations, Rosoboronexport received official request to supply the Su-34 to the Algerian Air Force.
The last two Su-34s of the 2012 contract were delivered to the 968th Fighter Aviation Regiment at the Lipetsk Air Base in December 2020. This brought the total number of operational aircraft delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces to 131. Apart from this, also seven pre-production units were built under previous contracts.
On 25 August 2020, the Russian Defence Ministry signed a third contract for a further 24 Su-34 aircraft for the Russian Aerospace Forces. The deliveries will stretch over three years. By December 2021, the Russian Aerospace Forces received six new aircraft of the third order.
Su-34M (2022–present)
In June 2022, the Russian Aerospace Forces received another four aircraft of the third order. These were the first aircraft built under the new "Su-34M" standard. They became part of the 277th Bomber Aviation Regiment.In August 2022, the Russian Ministry of Defence signed a new contract for supply of Su-34 bombers.
In November 2022, Russia received a new batch of Sukhoi Su-34s of the modernized Su-34M variant; the number is yet unknown but it is safe to assume it was at least four units. Another batch of modernized Su-34Ms was handed over to the Russian Aerospace Forces in late December 2022. At this point, the total number of Su-34s produced under all contracts, including seven prototypes and pre-production units, reached at least 153 units. New batches were delivered in June, October and November 2023 and in April, June, September, October, November and December 2024 with at least 10 aircraft delivered in total throughout the year. The first batch for the 2025 was delivered on 18 April, the second in July, the third in August, the fourth in September, the fifth in October, the sixth in November, and the seventh in December.
Design
The Su-34 shares most of its wing structure, tail, and engine nacelles with the Su-27/Su-30, with canards like the Su-30MKI, Su-33 and Su-27M/35 to increase static instability and to reduce trim drag.The Su-34 is powered by a pair of Saturn AL-31FM1 turbofan engines, the same engines used on the Su-27SM, giving the aircraft a maximum speed of Mach 1.8+ when fully loaded. Although slower than the standard Su-27, the Su-34 can still handle high G-loads and perform aerobatic maneuvers. When equipped with a full weapons load, the Su-34 has a maximum range of, or further with aerial refueling. The airframe is cleared to perform maneuvers of up to +9 g. The noise level of the Su-34 is two times lower than the level of its predecessors.
The Su-34 is a three lifting surface design having both a conventional horizontal tailplane at the rear and a canard foreplane in front of the main wings. The foreplane provides both additional lift and greater maneuverability. It has twin tail fins like those of Su-27 from which it is derived. The Su-34 has 12 hardpoints for of ordnance, intended to include the latest Russian precision-guided weapons. It retains the 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon of the Su-27 and Su-30, and the ability to carry six R-77 or R-73 air-to-air missiles, with these being primarily for defense against other fighters. The maximum weight of any single munition carried is. Its stand-off weapons have a range of up to. A Khibiny electronic countermeasures system is fitted as standard.
Compared to other members of the Flanker family, the Su-34 has an entirely new "Duckbill" nose and forward fuselage designed to increase cabin room and maximize crew comfort and safety, giving the Su-34 the nickname "Duckling", "Hellduck" or "Platypus". The two pilots sit side-by-side in NPP Zvezda K-36DM ejection seats: the pilot-commander on the left with the navigator and weapon operator on the right. An advantage of the side by side cockpit is that duplicate instruments are not required for each pilot. Since long missions require comfort, the pressurization system allows operation up to without oxygen masks, which are available for emergencies and combat situations.
The crew members have room to stand and move about the cabin during long missions. The space between the seats allows them to lie down, if necessary. A hand-held urinal "toilet" and vacuum flask "kitchen" are provided. A ladder attached to the nose landing gear and a hatch in the cockpit floor is used to enter the cockpit. The cockpit is a continuous capsule of armour.
The multifunctional Leninets V004 main radar has terrain-following and terrain avoidance modes. Maximum detection range for the passive electronically scanned array radar is against large surface targets. The main radar can simultaneously track ten air targets and attack four targets. The radius of detection for fighter-sized targets is up to 120 km, the range of the survey is +/- 60 degrees. The Su-34 reportedly has a frontal radar cross-section that is an order of magnitude smaller than prior generation fighters.
A new 4th generation radar Pika-M of the complex BKR-3, having a range up to 300 km, passed state tests in 2016. As of 2021, several aircraft of the RuAF have passed modernization with special equipment that increases capabilities in detecting air and ground targets and expand the types of weapons used.