Sukhoi Su-34 (Fullback) Fighter-Bomber / Long Range Strike Fighter (2014)
Sukhoi Su-34 (Fullback) Fighter-Bomber / Long Range Strike Fighter (2014)
Continuation of the Sukhoi Su-34 (Fullback) Fighter-Bomber / Long Range Strike Fighter development period and operational history.
Externally, the Su-34 sports the same wing design as the Su-27 before it. These are shoulder-mounted to provide acceptable ground clearance for a bevy of munitions options. A standard fitting is the 30mm GSh-30-1 series internal cannon with up to 180 rounds of ammunition and intended for extreme close-in work. There are no fewer than 12 external munitions hardpoints to which the Su-34 can field various guided missiles and bombs, rocket pods, air-to-air missiles and specialized mission equipment as required per sortie. The Su-34 can, therefore, be called to fulfill a variety of peacetime and wartime roles including patrol, interdiction, interception, strike (including over-water maritime sorties), early warning and reconnaissance. While not a "true" dedicated fighter thoroughbred at its core, the Su-34 retains the key fighter qualities of the Flanker series to which, when the aircraft is armed with air-to-air ordnance, it can contend with incoming aerial threats such as enemy bombers and contending fighters. In keeping with its Cold War roots, the Su-34 is also a capable nuclear payload delivery system. The airframe is cleared to carry up to 17,600lbs of externally-held ordnance in various load out combinations. External jettisonable fuel tanks can also factor into the mix for extended operational ranges. At least two weapon stations are plumbed for fuel tanks.
The Su-34 is fitted with 2 x Lyulka AL-31FM1 series turbofan engines, each rated at approximately 30,000lbs of thrust and are afterburner-capable for short bursts of increased speed (these engines appear in a slightly different form on the Su-27). The twin engine arrangement allows for a maximum speed of Mach 1.8 (1,375 miles per hour) at altitude to be reached. Ferry range is out to 2,500 miles and the aircraft's listed service ceiling is roughly 50,000 feet. This provides the Russian Air Force with a long-endurance, high-altitude performer that is equally at home in the low-altitude attack level role or operating at higher altitudes when threats require it. Fuel is served through large internal cells while external fittings are supported across two hardpoints. Additionally, the Su-34 features an integrated in-flight refueling facility for near-infinite mission ranges - though a typical "long sortie" would be in the 10-hour range. Despite the new aircraft's increased weight over that of the basic Su-27, the Su-34 features performance specifications roughly equivalent to the original Flanker design.
The original Su-27IB prototype was unveiled several times over the course of a decade and appeared under various guises and project designations. The program was moved along as funding allowed though the collapse of the Soviet Empire in 1991 threatened its future existence as a viable military product - this explains the type's first flight in 1990 and its service introduction in 2014. As funding became available, so too did progression on the Su-34 project. Today (2013), some 32 aircraft have been completed - five based at Lipetsk AB and twenty at Voronezh Malshevo while the remaining seven being identified as project prototypes.
For the Russian Air Force, the Su-34 "Fullback" is intended as a direct successor to the hundreds of Cold War-era Sukhoi Su-24 "Fencer" aircraft still in operational service. Modernization programs have fortunately kept this old aircraft viable in the new century though its Cold War origination cannot be overlooked. The Su-24 will be kept on station until the Su-34 is fully ready and available in the required numbers. It is estimated that the Russian Air Force will look to procure some 200 Su-34s through an initial production run. The Su-34 may already have seen early operational combat service in the 2008 South Ossetia War where it is thought they were armed with anti-radar systems intended to suppress the Georgian anti-aircraft defensive network.
The Su-34 remains a major part of the Russian rearmament initiative currently (2013) ongoing as of this writing. The Russian military intends to regain the prominence it once held during the peak of the Cold War years. The massive military commitment - in the billions of dollars - will see all-new air force, naval and army assets added to the modernization effort under President Putin's watch.
In September of 2015, four Su-34 Fullback strike fighters of the Russian Air Force were deployed to Syria (Latakia Air base). Their first ground attacks were reported on September 30th. They joined some 600 Russian ground troops already in place.
95 Su-34 aircraft have been built to date (May 2016). ©www.MilitaryFactory.com
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Model Variants
T-10V - Original Prototype Designation
T-10V-1 - Initial Prototype Designation
Su-27IB - Project Redesignation
Su-34 ("Fullback") - Official Russian Air Force designation.
