Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer Supersonic Attack Aircraft

Efran Syah       Fighter Aircraft    Comment   

(@I30mki / Twitter.com)

The Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union.

Over 900 Su-24s have been delivered, and the aircraft is in service with the Russian Air Force and Navy, and the air forces of Azerbaijan, Algeria, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Libya, Syria and Ukraine.

(Jenyk / Wiki Common)

The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin-engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its crew of two. It was the first of the USSR's aircraft to carry an integrated digital navigation/attack system.

 (Via airwar.ru)

The Su-24 has a shoulder-mounted variable geometry wing outboard of a relatively small fixed wing glove, swept at 69°. The wing has four sweep settings: 16° for take-off and landing, 35° and 45° for cruise at different altitudes, and 69° for minimum aspect ratio and wing area in low-level dashes.

The variable geometry wing provides excellent STOL performance, allowing a landing speed of 230 kilometers per hour (140 mph), even lower than the Sukhoi Su-17 despite substantially greater take-off weight. Its high wing loading provides a stable low-level ride and minimal gust response.

(Mikhail / Pinterest)

The Su-24 has two Saturn/Lyulka AL-21F-3A after-burning turbojet engines with 109.8 kN (24,700 lbf) thrust each, fed with air from two rectangular side-mounted intakes with splitter plates/boundary-layer diverters.

 (Via tokkoro.com)

In early Su-24 "Fencer A" aircraft these intakes had variable ramps, allowing a maximum speed of 2,320 kilometers per hour (1,440 mph), Mach 2.18, at altitude and a ceiling of 17,500 meters (57,400 ft).

Because the Su-24 is used almost exclusively for low-level missions, the actuators for the variable intakes were deleted to reduce weight and maintenance. This has no effect on low-level performance, but absolute maximum speed and altitude are cut to Mach 1.35 and 11,000 meters (36,000 ft).

The earliest Su-24 had a box-like rear fuselage, which was soon changed in production to a rear exhaust shroud more closely shaped around the engines in order to reduce drag. The revised aircraft also gained three side-by-side antenna fairings in the nose, a repositioned braking chute, and a new ram-air inlet at the base of the tail fin. The revised aircraft were dubbed "Fencer-B" by NATO, but did not merit a new Soviet designation.

(Via nevsedoma.com.ua)

The Su-24's fixed armament is a single fast-firing GSh-6-23 cannon with 500 rounds of ammunition, mounted in the fuselage underside. The gun is covered with an eyelid shutter when not in use. The armament includes various nuclear weapons. Two or four R-60 (NATO AA-8 'Aphid') infrared missiles are usually carried for self-defence by the Su-24M/24MK.

(Андрей / Yandex collection)

Initial Su-24s had basic electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment, with many Su-24s limited to the old Sirena radar-warning receiver with no integral jamming system. Later-production Su-24s had more comprehensive radar warning, missile-launch warning, and active ECM equipment, with triangular antennas on the sides of the intakes and the tip of the vertical fin. This earned the NATO designation "Fencer-C", although again it did not have a separate Soviet designation. Some "Fencer-C" and later Su-24M (NATO "Fencer-D") have large wing fence/pylons on the wing glove portion with integral chaff/flare dispensers; others have such launchers scabbed onto either side of the tail fin.

(@Ranger0111 / Twitter)

The Su-24M front-line bomber is designed to penetrate hostile territory and destroy ground and surface targets in any weather conditions, by day and night. Variants of the Su-24 have also been produced, designed for reconnaissance and electronic countermeasures.

 (Via digitalcombatsimulator.com)

400 Russian Air Force Su-24M were upgraded to M2 standard with navigation and weapons systems to enable launch of new versions of Kh-29 and other missiles. Upgrades include a new SV-24 computer, liquid crystal displays, ILS-31 head-up display, digital moving map and global positioning system. In 2010 the Russian Air Force began replacing the Su-24 with the Su-35 with deliveries scheduled through to 2015.

 (Via fyodor-photo.livejournal.com)

Variants

• Su-24. The first production version. Manufactured 1971–1983.
• Su-24M ('Fencer-D'). Work on upgrading the Su-24 was started in 1971, and included the addition of inflight refueling and expansion of attack capabilities with even more payload options.
• Su-24M2 ('Fencer-D'). Next modernization of Su-24M introduced in 2000 with the "Sukhoi" program and in 1999 with the "Gefest" program. The modernized planes are equipped with new equipment and systems.
• Su-24MK ('Fencer-D'). Export version of the Su-24M with downgraded avionics and weapons capabilities.
• Su-24MR ('Fencer-E'). Dedicated tactical reconnaissance variant. First flight 25 July 1980 as T-6MR-26, 13 April 1983 as Su-24MR.
• Su-24MP ('Fencer-F'). Dedicated electronic signals intelligence (ELINT) variant.

 (Via defpost.com)

Current operators

• Algeria: Algerian Air Force
• Azerbaijan: Azerbaijani Air and Air Defence Force
• Iran: Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
• Libya: Libyan Air Force
• Russia: Russian Air Force and Russian Naval Aviation
• Syria: Syrian Arab Air Force
• Sudan: Sudan Air Force
• Ukraine: Ukraine Air Force

Former operators

• Angola: National Air Force of Angola
• Belarus: Belarus Air Force
• Iraq: Iraq Air Force
• Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan Air Defense Force
• Uzbekistan: Uzbekistan Air and Air Defence Forces

(Rob Schleiffert / Wiki Common)

Specifications (Su-24MK)

General characteristics

Crew: 2 (pilot and weapons systems operator)

Length: 22.53 m (73 ft 11 in)

Wingspan:

• 17.64 m (57 ft 10 in) wings spread
• 10.37 m (34 ft) wings swept

Height: 6.19 m (20 ft 4 in)

Wing area: 55.2 m2 (594 sq ft)

Empty weight: 22,300 kg (49,163 lb)

Gross weight: 38,040 kg (83,864 lb)

Max take-off weight: 43,755 kg (96,463 lb)

Fuel capacity: 11,100 kg (24,471 lb)

Performance

Powerplant: 2 × Lyulka AL-21F-3A turbojet engines, 75 kN (17,000 lbf) thrust each dry, 109.8 kN (24,700 lbf) with afterburner

Maximum speed:

• 1,654 km/h (1,028 mph, 893 kn) / M1.6 at high altitude
• 1,315 km/h (817 mph; 710 kn) / M1.06 at sea level

Combat range: 615 km (382 mi, 332 nmi) lo-lo-lo attack mission with 3,000 kg (6,614 lb) of ordnance and external tanks

Ferry range: 2,775 km (1,724 mi, 1,498 nmi)

Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,000 ft)

Rate of climb: 150 m/s (30,000 ft/min)

Wing loading: 651 kg/m2 (133 lb/sq ft)

Armament

Guns: 1 × internal 23 mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23M rotary cannon with 500 rounds

Hardpoints: 9 hardpoints with a capacity of up to 8,000 kg (17,635 lb),with provisions to carry combinations of:

• Rockets:
• S-5
• S-8
• S-13
• S-24B
• S-25-OFM/LD
• Missiles:
• Air-to-air missiles:
• 4 × R-60MK
• 4 × R-73E
• Air-to-surface missiles:
• 4 × Kh-23M
• 4 × Kh-25ML
• Kh-59ME
• Kh-29L/T/D
• Anti-ship missiles:
• Kh-31A
• Anti-radiation missiles:
• 2 × Kh-28
• 2 × Kh-58E
• Kh-25MP
• 2 × Kh-31P
• Kh-27PS
• Bombs:
• KAB-500KR TV-guided bomb
• KAB-500L laser-guided bomb
• KAB-500OD guided bomb
• KAB-500S-E satellite-guided bomb
• KAB-1500KR TV-guided bomb
• KAB-1500L laser-guided bomb
• ODAB-500PM bomb
• RBK-250 cluster bomb
• RBK-500 cluster bomb
• 2 × BETAB-500 bomb

Avionics

• SVP-24 targeting system