Special Report: Su-34, Russia's enduring workhorse over Ukraine

The Su-34 is the stalwart of Russian combat operations over Ukraine where, despite suffering relatively heavy losses in the early stages of the war, it continues to provide airborne strike primarily through the use of stand-off weapons. (Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation)

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Sukhoi Su-34 ‘Fullbackʼ has been the workhorse of the Russian Aerospace Forces (Vozdushno-Kosmicheskiye Sily: VKS) in the deep strike and long-range reconnaissance roles.

Footage posted online on 28 February 2022 showed a Su-34 flying low over Ukraine's Kharkiv region, indicating that the side-by-side, twin-seat, and twin-engined strike aircraft had entered the conflict. The person filming is heard saying that this is the seventh aircraft that has flown over him, without saying which type of aircraft the others were.

Since its introduction to the theatre, the type has seen success and some failure – projecting VKS air power deep into Ukrainian territory, but at the cost of likely suffering one of the service's highest loss rates.

Fullback overview

The Su-34 was designed as a replacement for the Sukhoi Su-24 ‘Fencerʼ, being declared operational by the VKS in 2014. The supersonic strike platform is one of the most modern and capable in the VKS inventory, being the centrepiece of a Russian modernisation programme to replace much of its obsolete Soviet Union-era equipment with more than 200 new combat aircraft, attack helicopters, trainers, and transports.

It is equipped with laser- and TV-guided sighting systems and features 12 external hardpoints to carry primarily air-to-surface weaponry but some defensive air-to-air weaponry also.

Unguided, or ‘dumbʼ, weapons carried by the type comprise FAB-500T, BETAB-500ShP, ODAB-500PM, OFAB-250-270, ODAB-100-120, and P-50T bombs, as well as S-8OM, S-8BM, S-13OF, S-8KOM, and S-25OFM-PU rockets.