On December 18, 1993, the first flight of the pre-production version of the Su-27IB (fighter-bomber. - RT ) took place. Subsequently, the car was renamed the Su-34. She gained world fame in 2008 after the military use during the armed conflict in South Ossetia, and then in the Syrian operation. At present, the aerospace forces of the Russian Federation operate over a hundred Su-34s.
Originally from the 1980s
The history of the creation of the Su-34 began with the opening of several programs to upgrade the heavy Su-27UB fighter (combat training. - RT ) in the mid-1980s. The USSR Air Force required a multifunctional strike aircraft capable of conducting bombardment of ground, surface and underwater targets in all weather conditions and at various altitudes.
Unlike other multi-purpose aircraft, the Su-34 is not used for air cover and to gain air supremacy. It is inferior in maneuverability of the Su-30SM and Su-35, but its armament makes it possible to defend itself against the attack of an enemy fighter.
Work on the project started in the framework of the resolution of the USSR Council of Ministers on June 19, 1986. The key role in the development of the Su-34 was played by the designers of the Sukhoi Design Bureau Mikhail Simonov and Rolland Martirosov. The sketch of the aircraft was prepared in 1988, the first prototype (T-10B-1, board number 42) appeared in 1990.
February 13, 1992 the car was presented to the first persons of the CIS countries at the air show in Machulishchi (Belarus). In the summer of 1995, the plane took part in the French air show at Le Bourget. However, in Russia, the Su-34 project was unclaimed due to lack of funding.
The Su-34 project was returned only in the mid-2000s. Tests of the aircraft took place in 2006-2011. Experts of the Sukhoi Design Bureau significantly improved the car, first of all updating its onboard electronic equipment (avionics). In 2014, the Su-34 was officially adopted. Serial production of the machine deployed at the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant. Chkalov.
“The Su-34 is designed to quickly transfer to a threatening area in order to support troops on the battlefield. He is able to overcome long distances and has a substantial combat load (over eight tons. - RT ). In some respects, it is close to an attack aircraft, but it differs from it in a much larger combat radius, ”retired colonel Viktor Litovkin said in a conversation with RT.
According to the expert, the Su-34 is “a truly unique vehicle” in the fleet of operational-tactical aviation of the VKS. Its characteristics make it possible to reliably defend the borders of our country and strike at the enemy even thousands of kilometers from the take-off location.
- Su-34 in the assembly shop
- RIA News
- © Vadim Savitsky
According to the United Aircraft Building Corporation (UAC), the Su-34 can perform tasks in the conditions of fire and information counteraction. According to its combat capabilities, the aircraft belongs to the 4+ generation. The presence of active security system and the latest computers provide precision bombing and maneuvering.
“The digital radio-electronic on-board equipment of the aircraft is built on the principle of open architecture, which makes it quite easy to replace its complexes and systems with newly developed ones,” the KLA materials say.
Su-34 is able to use a wide arsenal of weapons: high-precision missiles, including anti-ship and anti-radar, unguided and corrected aerial bombs, air-to-air missiles, a 30-mm cannon for close combat. Some experts suggest that the Su-34 will be one of the carriers of the hypersonic Dagger missile.
The Su-34 is deployed at 12 points of suspension (by ten at the Su-27). An aircraft can destroy both a well-fortified object and a small-sized target. The maximum take-off weight of the car is about 45 tons (against 30.5 tons at the Su-27), the maximum speed is 1.9 thousand km / h (against 2.5 thousand km / h at the Su-27).
Outstanding opportunities
The Sukhoi 34 Sukhoi design bureau is distinguished from the line by the “humped” cabin and flattened nose. Because of this feature, the car began to be called "Duck". Such unusual forms of the bomber must unconventional for combat aircraft double cabin layout on the principle of "shoulder to shoulder" (as a rule, the pilots are arranged in tandem, sitting one after another. - RT ).
Su-34 is characterized by increased comfort for the crew. The pilot or navigator-operator can rest by placing a mattress in the aisle between the chairs, warm the food (there is a microwave oven in the cabin) and use the toilet. Also the cabin is equipped with air conditioning.
- Su-34 takes off from Khmeimim airfield in Syria
- RIA News
- © Maxim Blinov
“The Su-34 provides, perhaps, the maximum level of comfort and spaciousness. For example, a pilot can stand up to warm up. A non-traditional layout facilitates the process of communication. All this is intended to reduce crew fatigue during long flights and to increase the effectiveness of interaction in battle, ”Litovkin explained.
According to the expert, the original solutions for operational-tactical aviation, which have no analogues in the world, are embodied in the Su-34. According to Litovkin, the aircraft proved to be the best in Syria, although there was no need for long flights in the Arab Republic. In the SAR "Utenok" performed the task of destroying warehouses with weapons, naval, engineering structures, militant training camps, command posts and armored vehicles clusters.
The materials of the KLA indicate that the outstanding performance of the Su-34 is provided by the highly economical AL-31F turbojet engines, the air refueling system, and the suspension of additional fuel tanks. "Duck" can be in the air for up to ten hours without loss of efficiency of the crew.
In 2018, the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant began upgrading the Su-34 in service. On bombers install more advanced aiming-navigation systems, communications and electronic warfare (EW).
“Now he (Su-34. - RT ) got the opportunity of group defense of airplanes. Also, the Su-34 crews will be able to automatically exchange information with interspecific groups of troops on the ground and other aircraft — aircraft and drones, ”said Colonel Igor Muginov, spokesman for the Western Military District, in May.
The outstanding capabilities of the Su-34 attract the attention of foreign countries. In March last year, Deputy Minister of Defense Yuri Borisov said that the brainchild of the Sukhoi Design Bureau possesses a large export potential. According to Western media reports, Algeria, India and China can acquire the Su-34.
In the domestic VKS, the Su-34 will gradually force out the front-line bombers of the Su-24M, which are also actively used in Syria, experts say. In addition, the possibility of creating a new generation ground attack aircraft to replace the Su-25SM3 Grach is currently being discussed.
“An attack aircraft will always be needed. The Su-25 was upgraded to the SM3 version, it has the most reliable airframe, a huge modernization and repair potential. I think he will fly another 10-15 years. Naturally, over time, it will have to be changed, today various options are being considered, ”said Viktor Bondarev, head of the Federation Council committee on defense and security, former commander-in-chief of the VKS, in November 2017.
- Su-34 aircraft during a training flight
- © UAC
According to the senator, the attack aircraft must be developed on the basis of the Su-34. Such a machine should receive a single cabin and engines "Duckling". Bondarev urged to begin work on the project in order to have time to create a new attack aircraft before the exhaustion of the operational resource of the Su-25.
In the expert environment, the proposal of the ex-commander-in-chief of the VKS caused a controversial reaction. Some specialists supported the Bondarev initiative. Those who do not share the senator's opinion on the future attack aircraft complained about the high cost of the Su-34 (about 1 billion rubles. - RT ).
“At the moment it is difficult to say anything about the appearance of the future attack aircraft. In my opinion, the Su-25 in the modification of the SM3 is a very successful machine that can serve Russia for a long time. In any case, the Su-34 can always replace the legendary “Rook”. The plane has an armored cockpit and can use the weapons necessary to support the troops on the battlefield, ”concluded Viktor Litovkin.