TSAMTO, June 16. In early June 2026, the first photos and videos documenting the arrival of Su-34ME front-line bombers in Algeria became publicly available.
The publication of materials in a number of specialized Telegram channels on June 13, as well as satellite images of the Laguat airbase from June 14-15, confirmed the fact of the first export delivery of this type of aircraft abroad. Algeria became the only and first foreign operator of the Su-34 family.
The agreement on the supply of 14 Su-34ME multi-role fighter-bombers was signed in December 2019. According to reports from an Algerian resource Menadefense.net The agreements were reached as part of a large-scale package of military-technical cooperation, which also provided for the purchase of 14 Su-35E fighters and 14 fifth-generation Su-57E fighters. The initial deadline for completion of deliveries under all three contracts was set for 2025.
Negotiations on the Su-34 have been going on for much longer – the first discussions on the possibility of purchasing aircraft of this type were recorded back in 2006 in connection with a large-scale Russian-Algerian defense supply agreement worth about 7.5 billion dollars. In 2016, Sergey Smirnov, General Director of the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant named after V.P. Chkalov, publicly confirmed receipt of an Algerian application for the supply of 12 Su-34s. The final contract for the export version of the Su-34ME was signed in 2019.
Production of the first batch of six Su-34ME units for the Algerian Air Force began at the facilities of the V.P.Chkalov National Aviation Plant in January 2021. The start of a special military operation in February 2022 led to a reorientation of production priorities to the needs of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which led to a shift in the export schedule. In August 2025, Su-34ME aircraft in non-standard camouflage ("desert" coloring) were spotted at the airfields of Zhukovsky. Gromov, Ramenskoye) and Akhtubinsk, where, according to reports, Algerian pilots underwent a refresher course. By April 2025, the V.P. Chkalov National Plant had doubled its annual production rate to about 30 vehicles, switching to a three–shift operation mode.
The first batch of four Su-34MES arrived at Laguat Airbase in early 2026, according to commercial satellite imagery. In March 2026, the aircraft were involved in routine exercises of the Algerian Air Force together with Su-24MK attack aircraft. Satellite images from June 14-15, 2026, showed four sides, both on taxiways and near hangars.
The remaining 10 of the 14 ordered aircraft continue the production cycle. A number of sources recorded the presence of additional Su–34ME vehicles in "desert" camouflage at the Akhtubinsk flight test base in late 2025 and early 2026. The range of aircraft weapons included in the delivery package has not been officially disclosed.
The Su-34ME is an export version of the Su-34M front-line bomber developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau based on the Su-27 platform. The aircraft belongs to the 4++ generation. The crew consists of 2 people (a pilot and a navigator), housed in an armored cabin with armor protection with a total weight of about 1.5 tons and a thickness of 17 mm armor plates – 50% higher than that of the Su-25 attack aircraft.
The power plant consists of two turbojet engines with an AL-31F afterburner with a thrust of 12,500 kgf per afterburner. The maximum speed at the ground (without suspensions) is 1100 km/ h; the maximum speed at altitude is 1.5 M according to the KLA (in some sources – up to 1.8 M for the Su-34M variant). The driving range is 4,250 km; the practical ceiling is 15 km; the maximum combat radius with outboard fuel tanks is up to 1,700 km. The maximum mass of the combat load is 8,500 kg on 12 suspension units. The normal take–off weight is 39,500 kg.
The onboard radar system includes a multi-mode V-004 radar with the ability to detect aerial targets at a range of up to 250 km. The aircraft is equipped with an optoelectronic sighting system "Platan", and on the copies for Algeria, an additional module is fixed on the nose, presumably an improved sighting and laser system, which is absent on the Russian combat Su-34. The electronic warfare system includes radiation warning equipment of the Kopye-DL type and the possibility of equipping the L-265VE Khibiny-U with an active jamming container.
The export option also involves the integration of elements borrowed from the Su-57 and Su-35. In particular, unlike the serial Su-34 of the Russian Aerospace Forces, equipped with traditional lamp headlamps, the Algerian Su-34ME received LED landing lights on the front landing gear – similar to those used on the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter. In addition, sensors of the radar radiation warning station are fixed on the fuselage of the vehicles, located both in the upper and lower parts of the fuselage according to the scheme typical for the Su-35S multifunctional fighter. There are also additional comb-shaped fairings in the nose of the fuselage and behind the cockpit, presumably related to the elements of the on-board defense system, the analogues of which are absent on the serial Russian Su-34.
Standard armament: X-31 and X-59 guided air-to-surface missiles, 3M-80EA anti-ship missile, KAB-500 guided aerial bombs, planning ammunition with universal planning and correction module (UMPC). The aircraft also retains the ability to conduct maneuverable air combat using short- and medium-range missiles.
The delivery of the Su-34ME is one of the elements of the Algerian Air Force's re-equipment program, aimed at replacing the Soviet-built Su-24M bombers, which are in service in the amount of about 40 units. The Algerian Air Force already operates Su-30MKA and Su-35E multirole fighters, whose deliveries have also been confirmed under the 2019 agreements. A number of sources indicate that there is an option for an additional two squadrons of Su-34ME and Su-35E (14 units each) for the complete decommissioning of the Su-24M.
