Briefing

Russia just received a new batch of Su-34 fighter jets -- here's what they can do

Daniel Brown

Oct 19, 2017, 10:19 AM

Russian Ministry of DefenceThe Sukhoi Su-34.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that its air force has received a new batch of fourth-generation Sukhoi Su-34 bombers.

While the Russian Ministry of Defence did not say how many planes were delivered, it did say that it was slated to get a total of 16 in 2017.

The Su-34, dubbed “Fullback” by NATO, is one of Russia’s most capable aircraft — able to engage targets on the ground and in the air — and has been used extensively in Syria.

Here’s what it can do.

The Su-34 Fullback, which made its maiden flight in 1990, was built to replace the Su-24.

Russian Ministry of Defense

It was also modelled off the Su-27 Flanker, as were the Su-30, Su-33, and Su-35.

Source: Globalsecurity.org, airforce-technology.com

It's normal takeoff weight is 39 tons, and its maximum takeoff weight is 44.4 tons.

Russian Ministry of Defense

Source: The Aviationist

It runs on two Saturn AL-31F turbofan engines, each capable of about 27,500 pounds of thrust.

Russian Ministry of Defense

Source: The National Interest

Here's a shot of both afterburners in action.

Russian Ministry of Defense

It has a maximum speed of about 1900km/h and a maximum range of about 4000km. It can also reach an altitude of about 16km.

Mil.ru. via Wikimedia Commons

Source: The Aviationist

Its two-person cockpit has a nearly 0.7-inch thick armoured covering.

Russian Ministry of Defense

Source: The Aviationist

The Su-34 cockpit displays show flight parameters, tactical data, and operational status.

Alex Beltyukov via Wikimedia Commons

Sukhoi Su-34 cockpit simulator.

Source: airforce-technology.com

The cockpit even has a urinal, seen below, as well as a small kitchen.

Granilux via Youtube

Source: The Aviationist

It carries a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles. It is believed to be able to hit air targets 120km away and ground targets 95km away.

Russian Military

It carries short-range R-73 and long-range radar-guided R-77 air-to-air missiles. It also carries Kh-59ME, Kh-31A, Kh-31P, Kh-29T, Kh-29L, and S-25LD air-to-ground missiles.

Source: The National Interest, The National Interest

The Fullback can also be armed with rockets as well as guided and unguided bombs, like the RBK-500 and SPBE-D cluster bombs.

Минобороны России via Youtube

The graphic below gives a very thorough breakdown of the Flanker's capabilities, including which ordnance it carries and where it hangs on the wings.

Sputnik News via The Aviationist

Russia first deployed four Su-34s to Syria in September 2015, and Moscow is now believed to have six in the war-torn country.

Source: The National Interest, The Drive

While Russia likes to tout how many terrorists it kills in air strikes, their figures are often exaggerated and fail to mention civilian casualties.

Russian Ministry of Defense

By March 2016, after just six months of military operations in Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Russian airstrikes had killed about 5,800 civilians.