The newly delivered modernized Su-34M bombers will significantly increase the combat power of the Russian Air Force.
Recently, the Russian Aerospace Forces received the new batch of Su-34M bombers. They are made at the United Aircraft Corporation’s Novosibirsk Aviation Plant VP Chkalov, which is located in the city. Denis Manturov, the Russian Federation’s deputy prime minister and minister of industry and trade, claims that the military-industrial complex in his nation continues to supply the armed forces with all of the necessary military hardware.
It’s interesting to note that the final number and calibre of aircraft delivered to the Aerospace Forces and Russian Naval Aviation were unaffected by Western sanctions. The Su-34M is a special machine with tremendous performance that has demonstrated itself very well in actual warfare, as Mr. Manturov remarked. The Su-34 bomber will serve as the foundation for Russia’s frontline aviation’s offensive capability in the future. The plane has cutting-edge aviation weapons. This will improve bombing conditions and accuracy by extending the range at which ground targets can be destroyed. Beginning in early July 2022, just over two years after the 76-aircraft order was signed in May 2020, the Russian Air Force received the first upgraded Su-34M bomber. When 124 Su-34s are put into service at the end of 2021, the Russian Air Force and Navy want to expand their fleet to almost 200 aircraft, despite the fact that at least 6 of these aircraft have been shot down while flying over Ukraine.
In the last eight years, more Su-34s have entered service than any other type, including the multirole fighter Su-35 and the Su-30, making it the most widely used fighter class in the Russian Ministry of Defense. This is partly attributable to the platform’s distinctive characteristics, which have allowed it to replace the nation’s outdated fleet of Su-24M attack aircraft—which numbers in the hundreds—as well as certain Tu-22M bombers. Despite being significantly smaller, the Su-34M in this instance has a comparable range. The Su-34 Fullback (also known as the Platypus) is a variation of the Su-27 Flanker design, like other Russian fighters now in production, but it has undergone the greatest modifications because of its extremely different mission.
The original fuselage was built for air superiority, but engineers converted it into a bomber with secondary air capabilities for long-range bombing, anti-aircraft suppression, cruise missile attack, and anti-ship defense.
The fighter incorporates powerful electronic warfare tools that increase its survivability over most other Flanker family variants, as well as a reduced forward radar cross-section. The Su-34M has twice the combat capability of the original Su-34, according to United Aircraft Corporation General Director Mr. Yuri Slyusar. It also has a dedicated interface for three different types of sensors, which helps to maximise situational awareness. The UKR-OE and UKR-RL camera boxes with integrated synthetic aperture radar, as well as a UKR-RT pod containing electronic warfare gear, are all included with the Su-34M. Additionally, air combat capabilities have improved, making it easier to integrate modern weaponry like the Su-57 fighter’s K-77M missile.
An electronic attack aircraft with the L700 Tarantul ECM is a slightly altered specialised variant of the Su-34M. In addition, variants for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance are anticipated to join the squadron. Additionally, according to some reports, the upgraded Su-34M bomber will include Kopyo-DL rear-facing radar. This weapon has only recently been used, despite initial rumours that it would have been mounted on the original Su-34 in the early 2010s.
