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| The new Russia Su-34M fighter |
Moscow - The Russian Air Force received the first units of the new Su-34M fighter. Russia expects to have nearly 200 aircraft with 124 Su-34s in service by the end of 2021.
As is known, the Su-34 is now the mainstay of the Russian Air Force. In fact, the Su-34 has already tested the battle on Ukrainian territory.
Quoted from ukrinform.net, the anti-aircraft missile unit of the Air Force of the Ukrainian Armed Forces has shot down a Russian Su-34 bomber in the Kharkiv Region. The relevant statement was made by the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Telegram, a Ukrinform correspondent reported. "At approximately 10:00 am, June 12, 2022, an anti-aircraft missile unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Air Force hit a Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber near Izium, Kharkiv Region," the report said. The plane crashed in a temporarily occupied area.
Quoted from Military Watch Magazine, however, the Su-34 has unique capabilities. It is also what has allowed it to replace not only the aging fleet of several hundred Su-24M fighters but also several Tu-22M bombers.
The Su-34 is a derivative of the Su-27 Flanker design. Like most Russian fighters produced today, the Su-34 represents the most modified variant. This is because their roles are very different. Wherein the air superiority fuselage is modified into one for long-range bombardment, air defense, suppression, cruise missile attack and anti-ship missions with insignificant secondary air-to-air capabilities.
The fighter also benefits from a reduced frontal radar cross section which is as low as that of a cruise missile. In the end, it will be more enduring than most Flanker breeds.
According to the director general of Russia's United Aircraft Corporation Yuri Slyusar, the Su-34M has twice the combat capacity of the original Su-34. This is because it has dedicated interfaces for three types of sensors that maximize situational awareness including the UKR-RT pod.
Air-to-air combat capabilities will also be enhanced which could potentially facilitate the integration of new weapons such as the K-77M missile from the Su-57 fighter. Lightly modified special variants including electronic attack jets equipped with L700 Tarantul ECM pods, and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance variants, will also reportedly join the fleet.