Sukhoi Su-34 (NATO reporting name: Fullback) is a Soviet-origin Russian twin-engine, twin-seat, all-weather supersonic medium-range fighter-bomber/strike aircraft. (Credit: Aleksandr Markin / Wiki Common)
It first flew in 1990, intended for the Soviet Air Forces, and it entered service in 2014 with the Russian Air Force. (Credit: Aleksandr Markin / Wiki Common)
Based on the
Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker air superiority fighter, the Su-34 has an armored cockpit for side-by-side seating of its two-man crew. (Credit: Aleksandr Markin / Wiki Common)
Su-34 is designed primarily for tactical deployment against ground and naval targets (tactical bombing/attack/interdiction roles, including against small and mobile targets) on solo and group missions in daytime and at night. (Credit: Dmitry Terekhov / Wiki Common)
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. (Credit: Dmitry Terekhov / Wiki Common)
Su-34 shares most of its wing structure, tail, and engine nacelles with Su-27/Su-30, with canards like the Su-30MKI, Su-33, and Su-27M/35 to increase static instability (higher manoeuvrability) and to reduce trim drag. (Credit: Alex Beltyukov / Wiki Common)
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. (Credit: Vitaly V. Kuzmin / Wiki Common)
The multifunctional Leninets V-004 main radar has terrain-following and terrain avoidance modes. Maximum detection range for the passive electronically scanned array forward radar is 200–250 km (against large surface targets), to cover the rear a second aft-facing radar is mounted. (Credit: Евгений Пурель / Wiki Common)
In July 2010, several Su-34s and Su-24Ms conducted a 6,000 km non-stop flight from air bases in European Russia to the Russian Far East. The exercise included aircraft carrying weapons at full load, simulated delivering them on targets and first shown the Su-34's long-range capability. Su-24Ms were refuelled three times, while the Su-34s were refuelled twice. (Credit: Dmitry Terekhov / Wiki Common)
In September 2015, six Su-34s arrived at Latakia airport in Syria, for attacks against rebel and ISIL forces. Russian air attacks in Syria started on the 30 September, in the Homs region. (Credit: IRONHIDE / Wiki Common)
EmoticonEmoticon