Su-34 Tactical Bomber: News

Some cool stuff on Su-34:

http://217.112.37.94/graph/art_full/13287407713138.jpg

Good photo, shows underbelly quad rack nicely.

http://217.112.37.94/graph/art_full/13287408256471.jpg

http://217.112.37.94/graph/art_full/13282118173088.jpg

On this pic we can see the other pylon possibilities, the double ones on the wing. Presumably these give the options of 6 pylons on each wing. That's a crapton of total pylons. 12 on wings, presumably 4 rack on each of the under body attachments (another , and that leaves the 2 pylons on the nacelles. Haven't seen any multiracks there, so I will leave it at 22!

As I know Russian air force have 15 Su-34. They have 9 Su-34 in 2010 from red 01 to red 09 in 2011 they receive 6 Su-34, four standard with red 01 to red 04 and two gray red 05 and red 10. Why they say they operate only 12 Su-34?

Probably mean they have 12 in operational units as opposed to the number delivered to the Russian AF and sent initially to the training facility at Lipetsk.

The problem is there are more than 3 Su-34s @ Lipetsk.

Just journalistic mix up IMO.

GarryB wrote:

As I know Russian air force have 15 Su-34. They have 9 Su-34 in 2010 from red 01 to red 09 in 2011 they receive 6 Su-34, four standard with red 01 to red 04 and two gray red 05 and red 10. Why they say they operate only 12 Su-34?

Probably mean they have 12 in operational units as opposed to the number delivered to the Russian AF and sent initially to the training facility at Lipetsk.

Τhere are 5 in Liptsek and 12 in Voronezh. 17 serial Su-34, excluding prototypes. There are 15 more to fulfill the order of 32 Su-34. I think that 24 will be transferred to Voronezh to complete a squadron and the 8 in the training base of Liptsek.

Orders for 4 more bases will follow. That means 4x24=96 Su-34

Do we have any information which will be the 5 bases that will receive the Su-34? One is Voronezh

Now that production is heating up Im interested in its export potential.

And what about some missiles its about to carry as was recently announced Su-34

will have some special ones designed just for it.

Now I know Su-34 will have ability to carry three of Club-S/Brahmos series and

that alone will hudge striking power at sea but anything else from stand of

armament?

Three Brahmos?!?!

Too heavy for the wings IMO, certainly in its current pylon configuration.

TR1 wrote:Three Brahmos?!?!

Too heavy for the wings IMO, certainly in its current pylon configuration.

Why not. Navalised Su-34, Su-32 could get some stronger wings and with air-launched Brahmos having reduced weight I see no problem.

Only problem would be for ships defenses attacked by squadron of 12 Su-34 caring 36 Brahmos missiles.

Thats why I dont see why China does not show interest in it. It would certainly add some weight in its Taiwan issue negotiations.

Thats why I dont see why China does not show interest in it. It would certainly add some weight in its Taiwan issue negotiations.

If that is what they are after then 24 x Tu22M3 could carry 8 missiles each... 152 missiles... from an aircraft that would have excellent range performance... especially when they order it with inflight refueling capability...

To be honest I think an Su-34 , if sold to China, would be a seriously downgraded Su-30MKK type aircraft, and I don't think they will want another flanker type.

Iran is very pleased with its Fencers, and it wouldn't surprise me if Algeria was interested too.

If Australia wasn't so enamored with the US it might realise that an Su-34 would be a much better replacement for the F-111 than the F-35.

Regarding dedicated equipment... I don't think they are developing weapons for individual aircraft any more... just too limiting.

I would think with so many Su-34s in Russian AF service that it will be a major user of the 1,500kg range of guided bombs and missiles like the Kh-59M.

Viktor wrote:Only problem would be for ships defenses attacked by squadron of 12 Su-34 caring 36 Brahmos missiles.

Thats why I dont see why China does not show interest in it. It would certainly add some weight in its Taiwan issue negotiations.

China uses a similar ASCM swarm strategy but employs the Type 022 Houbei as a missile launching platform rather than an aircraft.

GarryB wrote:I don't think they will want another flanker type.

That's not stopping them from popping out new semi-indigenous FLANKER variants all the time

The Su-34 (Su-34MKK?) would make a very good JH-7/-7A replacement a few years down the line.

Russia will not sign any new flanker deal with China until the new IP agreement is signed with China as mentioned by Ivanov and others.

That legal deal will help Russia in making sure they dont reverse engineer russian equipment illegally and russia gets the lic cost of every thing they make legally.

So dont expect any big Russia-China deal in near future till the core issue gets resolved.

I should mention here that Russia has signed such a deal even with India and as part of new agreement India will respect Russian IP and vice verse and they will pay if they incorporate each other technology in their weapons and wont illegally reverse engineer equipment ( not that india does but now they made it legal binding ). Plus Russia will get every year a 5 % rise on any equipment thats lic manuf eg Su-30MKI to take care of military inflation.

SOC wrote:

China uses a similar ASCM swarm strategy but employs the Type 022 Houbei as a missile launching platform rather than an aircraft.

For they swarm tactics China employs 022 as well as JH-7A but 12 Su-34 carring 36
3M-54/Brahmos is more potent than 12 JH-7A carring C-802 or what ever they carry.

Besides 022 can not respond that much quick than any fighter if something needs to be destroyed quick because something poped up.

GarryB wrote:

I would think with so many Su-34s in Russian AF service that it will be a major user of the 1,500kg range of guided bombs and missiles like the Kh-59M.

I was asking that because in the last month at least two articles appeared claiming Su-34 capabilities will grow due to introduction of new weapons.

If those weapons where designed for all planes in RuAF such sentence construction would not make any sense.

Like this one now.


Su-34 tactical bomber's combat capabilities to grow due to new weaponry
http://www.militarynews.ru/EMAIN.ASP

Can not read the articles but latest insight.

Austin wrote:Russia will not sign any new flanker deal with China until the new IP agreement is signed with China as mentioned by Ivanov and others.

Treu, forget about that part. I guess new large sales are not gona happen any time soon. Its interested however that EU is eager to sell some military stuff to China and would be nice to see after order from France for about 100 Rafale (for future carriers) and after first would be delivered, contract would be disbanded and after few more years China Rafale copy paste entering mass production. LOL

Su-34 tactical bomber's combat capabilities to grow due to new weaponry

Well it certainly could be dedicated new weapons, but then new weapons for the Su-34 could simply be weapons that have not been integrated yet.

For instance the new versions of older missiles with double the range like the Kh-31, Kh-58, and Kh-35 in their new models... likely have new fully digital electronics etc too.

Also there is the new Kh-38 which will be a replacement for the Kh-25 series of weapons... it is heavier but the base export model has a range of 40km and the domestic model 80km range, with choices of TV, IIR, MMW radar, semi active laser homing and of course satellite guided.

China uses a similar ASCM swarm strategy but employs the Type 022 Houbei as a missile launching platform rather than an aircraft.

SOM in understand what you mean, but i must stress that anyway strategy using so different platforms (both in type and....in capabilities) isn't similar in any way except in its the most elementary ,about semantic, acception.

I often hear questions on the utility of an aircraft like SU-34 when other Russian-built aircraft -such as SU-30M/M2/35S - are ,supposedly, capable of the same or almost comparable weapon load also in the air to ground department and why Russian military insiders appear to put so big emphasis on its quick introduction in Russian Air Force .

In reality Su-34 when introduced into service will represent, by a very long margin ,the most advanced and specifically optimized very-low altitude intruder and tactical bomber operative worldwide.
Its airframe ,with an unique "compressed" design with fully blended canard and forward LERX for pitch stabilization and control, allowing outstanding stability and manoeuvrability with heavy ordnance’s s weight at great speed in the very low altitude turbulences, avionic suit , with its radar purposely designed for ground clutter rejection with vastly reduced upward primary emissions and sidelobes (also thanks to its shape) Low Probability of Intercept and simultaneous procession of the full spectrum of Nav/Trak modes for low altitude missions ( TA -Terrain Avoidance- TF-Terrain Following- NOE -Nap Of the Earth - etc..etc..)or the critical ABDS-Automatic Buffeting Dampening System - and AFSS- Active Flight Safety System- developed specifically for its optimized airframe, allowing to conduct types of high speed low altitude missions and follow flight pacts simply impossibles for any other aircraft worldwide or its Sat/Nav and real time weapon satellite update and , for finish, its secondary features such as the heavily armoured cockpit , wing root and engine ducts, and the extensive top-view aimed RCS reduction effort (allowing SU-34 ,only when flying at low altitude, and illuminated from high altitude from long range...cough..cough...AWACS...cough..cough...to have an RCS comparable to those of a modern cruise missile) all are aimed to obtain the perfect low altitude intruder and pop-out missile delivering platform .

A simialr design is obviously "son" of the type of military structure characterizing Russian main opponents .
Only to provide an example taken from the specific role in discussion (ASCM saturating attacks against advanced carrier battle groups) is sufficient to image at what range an E-2 flying at, let put, 10000 meters of altitude, would be capable to track two groups of SU-34 incoming from two different directions at high speed and ultra low altitude ,in perfect stability, and if the time necessary for those SU-34 to gain quickly altitude (someone remember what are...incidentally... the class of record that SU-34 achieved ? ) deliver theirs load of supersonic ASCM and evade at full speed would be compatible with the scrambling (alarm, take-off and reach of an useful interception range) of the aircraft present of the carrier.....

Now ,i believe, is more clear the motivation for the great impatience ,by part of Russian Air Force operators, on the quick and extensive introduction of Su-34 .

I share your view Mindstorm, regarding the Su-30 vs Su-34 argument.
Good post.

Su-34 serial aircrafts at the bottom of the page

http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-8.html

http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20120301/171667714.html

Russian air force ordered 92 more Su-34, so now they have contracts for 124 Su-34 planes.

medo wrote:http://en.rian.ru/mlitary_news/20120301/171667714.html

Russian air force ordered 92 more Su-34, so now they have contracts for 124 Su-34 planes.

I was hoping for more by 2020 but I guess thats oke too.

Becaus if they pull out 70 Su-34 by 2015 by 2020 they intend to produce 54 Su-34 and that a slowdown, I wonder why.

On the other hand there might be more fresh orders by 2020.

I wonder what are this new weapons they keep saying all the time.

“Work is continuing to integrate modern air-to-surface weaponry now in development in Russia on the Su-34, with trials being carried out at the air force test center at Akhtubinsk.”

I think the 70 by 2015 is optimism at best. 32 is the number expected by the end of 2013. So 2 more years, 38 airframes? Big boost over current rate, not sure it will happen.

124 through 2020 is achievable though, around 13 yearly.

TR1 wrote:I think the 70 by 2015 is optimism at best. 32 is the number expected by the end of 2013. So 2 more years, 38 airframes? Big boost over current rate, not sure it will happen.

124 through 2020 is achievable though, around 13 yearly.

Well 70 is optimistic yes but still last year Russia produced 6 of them and
this year intends to produce 10 witch is almost 70% increase in comparison with 2011

Now if they keep on rolling with such pace ... LOL

Larger orders means they have larger money injections, which means they can save money by buying materials in larger batches.

They have produced a few aircraft now and should be getting better at making these aircraft through improving and refining the production method.

I would think the pressure on producing lots of Su-34s is reduced because the PAK FA and Su-35 will have air to ground capabilities.

Keep in mind the previous aircraft structure was Mig-29s, Su-27s, Mig-31s, and lots of single engine fighters like Mig-23, Mig-21, Su-17, Su-24 and Mig-27.

Most are single role aircraft that specialised in a particular role, while others had very basic swing capabilities... which mainly meant the fighters like the Mig-21, Mig-23, Mig-29, and Su-27 could carry dumb bombs when the enemy airpower had been defeated or didn't exist.

The Su-27, Mig-29, and Mig-31, Mig-23, and Mig-21 were pretty much fighters and interceptors only, while the Su-17, Su-24 and Mig-27 being ground attack only with minor self defence capability.

Even the Mig-35 is better than any of the previous generation aircraft with its AESA radar and 11 weapon stations ablet to carry sophisticated and capable weapons in the air to air and air to ground role.

With the Pak fa and Su-35 and perhaps Mig-35 all packing punches in air to air and also very very capable air to ground capability the need to replace the Su-24s on a one for one bases no longer exists.

I would expect an eventual fleet of 150-200 Su-34s will be quite capable of doing its job.

In fact 192 aircraft would be an ideal number for the 4 military districts as that means 48 aircraft each.

And I realise the previous generation could have been much more capable than they were if they had had upgrades and more importantly sophisticated weapons actually put into service in numbers so they mattered... that is only just happening now.

So in the future we will have 3 air-defense fighters. MiG-35, Su-35, PAK-FA

Any info for the next batch of Su-34s?