The base aircraft of front-line aviation is being tested by combatThe Russian Aerospace Forces will receive a new batch of Su-34 front-line bombers.
The contract for the supply of aircraft was signed at the international forum "Army-2022". The agreement was signed by Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Alexey Krivoruchko and Vice President of the United Aviation Corporation Alexander Bobryshev.
By 2027, the Ministry of Defense plans to receive 76 modernized Su-34M new construction within the framework of already concluded contracts. And including aircraft under the new contract, the total number of them in the Russian Military Space Forces may exceed 200 units. In terms of its combat capabilities, the Su-34 belongs to the 4++ generation and allows performing basic combat tasks without being escorted by cover fighters – due to its high combat qualities, which make it possible to conduct an independently maneuverable air battle with any existing enemy fighters on equal terms.
HOW IT ALL STARTEDStudies on the two-seat shock modification of the Su-27 have been conducted in the Sukhoi Design Bureau since the early 1980s, while initially the aircraft was considered as a modification of the Su-27UB sparky.
Officially, the work on the creation of a two-seat fighter-bomber was set by a government decree of June 19, 1986. In the Design Bureau, the new aircraft received the factory designation T-10B.
In May 1988, the defense of the preliminary design of the aircraft took place. Along with the traditional layout of the Su-27UB cockpit with tandem placement of pilots, an alternative option with pilots landing "side by side" was presented here for the first time.
This option was chosen as the main one. The new layout allowed the crew to provide increased comfort. The height of the cockpit in the rear part allows the pilot to stand up to his full height, the crew is landed using a built-in stepladder through the niche of the front landing gear and an operational hatch in the rear wall of the cockpit.
The main features of the fighter-bomber are: a large combat load and a wide range of controlled aircraft weapons, a reinforced airframe and landing gear design, an increased fuel reserve, an in-flight refueling system, increased combat survivability (booking of the cockpit and vital systems, increased explosion safety), a powerful complex of avionics, including a multifunctional radar station (Radar) with a phased array antenna, a built-in optical-location station and a set of electronic suppression equipment, a modern display system in the cockpit.
Rollan Martirosov was appointed the head of topic 10B, the working project on the aircraft was completed in 1987-1988. The first prototype T10V-1 aircraft was built in the experimental production of the Design Bureau in 1989-1990 on the basis of the serial Su-27UB aircraft.
The first flight on it was carried out by the OKB test pilot Anatoly Ivanov on April 13, 1990. Serial production of the aircraft was organized at the Novosibirsk Aviation Production Association (NAPO) named after Chkalov, where Su-24 family aircraft were produced. The first pre-production model of the aircraft was built at the end of 1993, the first flight on it was performed on December 18, 1993 by test pilots of the OKB Igor Votintsev and Evgeny Revunov.
In June 1995, under the designation Su-32, the aircraft was first demonstrated abroad at the Le Bourget Air Show. In the summer of 1999, the Su-32 set seven world records for lifting cargo to a height.
In June 2003, the first stage of the state tests of the aircraft was successfully completed.
The first flight of the serial Su-34 took place on October 12, 2006 from the NAPO airfield. The aircraft was piloted by test pilots Evgeny Rudakas and Rustem Asadullin. On March 20, 2014, the Su-34 was adopted by the Russian Air Force.
In the future, the Su-34 should become the basic strike aircraft of the front-line aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces and completely replace Su-24 and Su-24M aircraft in service.
COMBAT CAPABILITIESTo actively counter the enemy's guidance radar in case of detection, the Su-34 is equipped with an electronic warfare (EW) complex, which reduces the probability of hitting the aircraft with radar guidance systems by about 30 times.
The equipment is close to the equipment of special electronic warfare aircraft. The power of the electronic warfare complex on the Su-34, according to Western experts, is approximately similar to the level of equipment of the EF-111A and EA-18G aircraft. The Su-34 electronic warfare system has external radar irradiation receivers and can use Khibiny electronic warfare modules (product L-175V) or L005-S Sorption-S.
The Su-34 can use X-58, X-15P, X-31P missiles at ranges up to 120-160 km and X-31PD missiles at ranges of 180-250 km for fire damage of enemy air defense radar systems.
The aircraft is equipped with an automatic fire extinguishing system, as well as means of duplicating and shielding all systems. Fuel tanks are protected from fire and explosion by filling with polyurethane foam with open cells. The technology is based on the isolation of fuel from air due to the effect of encapsulation, which prevents the formation of a combustible vapor-air mixture when fuel tanks are damaged.
The cabin of the aircraft, the fuel tank and the engines are protected by titanium armor, its total weight is 1480 kg. For comparison: the latest modifications of the Su-25 have a total armor weight of 1100 kg.
There is a GSH-301 air cannon on the plane. Caliber 30 mm, ammunition 180 rounds. With a rate of fire of 1800 rounds per minute, ammunition is consumed in six seconds.
The aircraft is equipped with a sighting system that allows you to search for and defeat targets using a radar system. One of the systems of the complex is the Sycamore optical system, with the help of which air–to-ground missiles of the X-29L type are aimed at the target, guided bombs KAB-500-L and KAB-1500-L with laser homing heads (GOS) that require target illumination. Versions of the X-29T missile and KAB-500Kr bombs do not require further guidance by the Su-34 complex after receiving the initial coordinates of the target, guidance then occurs through recognition by a television camera in the GPS.
Used to defeat conventional means (conventional (unguided) bombs, unguided missiles), the sighting complex of the aircraft provides accuracy comparable to the use of expensive high-precision weapons. This effectiveness of the use of conventional weapons was noted by NATO experts based on the experience of using the Su-34 in Syria.
The same NATO experts note the relatively low cost of bombing compared to the use of guided bombs. The cost of BGL type bombs is about 100 thousand dollars per unit, their Russian counterpart KAB-500S costs about 3 million rubles, which is on average three times more expensive than a conventional bomb. Large stocks of conventional bombs, inherited from the USSR, make it possible to reduce the cost of high-precision combat use of the Su-34.
The capabilities of the aircraft allow the use of bombs and missiles of the NATO nomenclature using the Ural Optical and Mechanical Plant produced by them. Yalamova (UOMZ) under license from the French Thales Group of the Damocles module. The module allows the use of high-precision systems of destruction of NATO standards. The development of the module in cooperation with Thales Group was caused by the need to fulfill a contract with Malaysia for the supply of the Su-30, and later provided for use on the Su-34.
The module, made in the form of a suspended container, allows the use of guided bombs of the BGL series, to detect armored vehicles with optical means at a range of up to 27 km, to control the guidance of guided bombs and missiles at a range of up to 16 km via a laser channel. In addition to using the NATO ammunition nomenclature, Damocles technologies are adapted to the use of Russian ammunition.
The Su-34 carries twice as much bomb load as the Su-24M. At the same time, the Su-34 has the maneuverability of a fighter, which allows it to quickly change its position in the air for a more comfortable position in attacking or evading it. An important fact is the large combat radius (600-1130 km).
The Su-34 radar makes it possible to effectively detect tank-type targets and perform the task of destroying them, which most other types of bombers can hardly cope with. Thus, the aircraft can perform the function of an attack aircraft. The aircraft is also capable of using anti-ship cruise missiles X-35 and aircraft missiles X-59. In addition to them, it is possible to use X-31A anti-radar missiles.
The interchangeability of many units with the SU-27 family of aircraft simplifies the production, maintenance, repair and cost of a front-line bomber.
SOUTH OSSETIA–SYRIA–UKRAINEThe Su-34 was first used during the five-day war in South Ossetia in August 2008.
The aircraft was used to cover the actions of strike aircraft, conducting electronic warfare with Georgian air defense systems.
The main tasks of electronic warfare were to identify systems and means of controlling troops and weapons of the Georgian Armed Forces; their electronic suppression; electronic protection of their systems and means of controlling troops and weapons, as well as countering technical means of intelligence. In particular, to suppress radio-electronic means (RES), the Su-34 interfered with combat formations, which did not allow the Georgian air defense System to successfully detach from interference.
The Su-34 struck the most dangerous RES of the Buk and S-125 anti-aircraft missile systems with anti-radar missiles (PRR). The Su-34 group protection active jamming container showed high efficiency during combat operations. During combat use, the Su-34 destroyed a key Georgian radar 36D6-M near the village of Shavshvebi near Gori.
According to eyewitnesses of the conflict, two Su-34 aircraft (tail numbers 01 and 46) participated in it. The first was engaged in electronic warfare, interfered with the built-in blocks and wing containers of electronic warfare, and the second fired at airfields, air defense systems of Georgia, radar with the help of PRR.
As they say in Andrey Fomin's book "Su27. The history of the fighter", the equipment of the on-board defense complex (BOK) of the aircraft is designed to register the irradiation of the enemy radar aircraft and warn the crew about it, setting passive and active interference in the radar and infrared ranges.
The aircraft is equipped with radiation warning stations SPO-15 "Birch" and a device for releasing passive interference: false thermal targets and dipole reflectors – APGT-50 with 96 rounds of 50 mm caliber.
The antennas of the radiation warning station are placed on the side surface of the air intakes and in the tail section of the aircraft. The blocks of passive interference ejection devices are located in the tail section of the aircraft in the area of the engine nozzles: in the aft "fin" (14 three-cartridge blocks in each of its left and right halves) and the central tail boom (4 three-cartridge blocks).
The aircraft can be equipped with an active radar jamming station "Sorption", placed in two containers on the ends of the wing consoles instead of air–to-air missile launchers.
The Su-35, Su-37 and Su-34 aircraft are equipped with upgraded onboard defense systems, including a radio intelligence station, a heat direction finder, a passive jamming device and an active radar jamming station. The onboard defense complex is controlled by an onboard digital computer.
During Russia's military operation in Syria, six aircraft have been used since September 30, 2015. The first strikes from a height of 5000 m were carried out on the objects of the terrorist group ISIS (banned in the Russian Federation) in the area of the settlements of Madan Jadid and Raqqa; as a result, the command post of the militants and the infrastructure for training terrorists were completely destroyed.
Since August 16, 2016, by agreement with the Government of Iran, the aviation group of the Russian Aerospace Forces began to use the Hamadan airfield, to which the Su-34 and Tu-22M3 from the Southern Military District were relocated. By agreement with the Governments of Iran and Iraq, the group carried out combat sorties from the Hamadan airfield through the territory of Iraq to strike ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra targets (banned in the Russian Federation). The group's aircraft were covered by Su-30SM and Su-35S fighters from the Khmeimim Airbase in Syria.
Su-34 is actively used in Ukraine. Aircraft equipped with suspended container complexes of radar reconnaissance UKR-RL "Sych" in radar (UKR-L), radio engineering (UKR-RT) and optoelectronic (UKR-OE) modifications are capable of detecting and classifying columns of Ukrainian armored vehicles at a distance of 150-170 km.
The same list of reconnaissance containers will also ensure the timely opening of the positions of the NASAMS/-2 advanced air defense systems supplied by the AFU, capable of operating in a secretive (passive) mode by targeting from third-party intelligence means of the United NATO Air Force and deployed to cover the actions of Ukrainian formations in the Kherson operational direction.
Currently, there are no Su-34 losses confirmed by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. It is in the special operation in Ukraine that the Su-34 can show and realize its strengths as much as possible: accuracy and survivability, which is no longer available to either the Su-24M or the Tu-22M. It is gratifying to see that our Aerospace Forces have such an aircraft at their disposal.
Valery AgeevValery Vladimirovich Ageev is an aviation historian and journalist.
