The Russian Air Force receives a new batch of Su-34s, and why did the plane fail in Ukraine?

United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), part of Rostec, has delivered a new batch of Su-34 (NATO: Fullback) fighter-bombers to the Russian Air Force.

“UAC has delivered a new batch of Su-34 front-line bombers to the Russian Air Force. This amazing aircraft was manufactured at the Chkalov Novosibirsk Aviation Plant. The aircraft underwent a series of ground and flight tests and was handed over to the Russian Defense Ministry.

In addition, the Su-34 has expanded combat capabilities, enabling it to use advanced air-launched munitions.

The range of its land and sea attacks has also been expanded, as has its bombing accuracy.

“The Su-34 front-line bomber is the main part of the striking force of the front-line aviation of Russia,” the press service stressed.

The Su-34 multi-role supersonic fighter-bomber is designed to effectively engage enemy ground and air targets day and night in a variety of weather conditions.

The Su-34 carries an arsenal of long-range air-to-surface and air-to-air missiles with multi-channel capability.

The aircraft has a range of 4,000 km and can reach a top speed of 1,900 km per hour. With a load capacity of 8 tons.

Why did the Russian Su-34 fighter fail in Ukraine?

The Russian Air Force is struggling to perform the tasks assigned to it over Ukraine.

Some reports show that Russian fighter jets suffer from basic problems with navigation systems. British military sources claimed that Su-34 pilots affix civilian GPS devices to the cockpit controls of the aircraft. Moreover, no fewer than four Su-34s that the Russians believed would dominate the battle skies in Ukraine have been shot down.

Ukrainians who inspected the crashed Su-34s found commercial GPS systems “installed on the dashboards of these aircraft,” British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace said in comments released May 9. It shows, Wallace said, that “their own systems are lousy.”

And in another embarrassing development, Ukrainians are selling parts for the destroyed Su-34s, which people can buy online for $1,000.

Presumably, it’s a modern plane

Before the start of the war, the Su-34 was considered one of Russia’s most valuable warplanes. Able to fly in any weather, day or night, the Su-34 is a fighter-bomber with a range of 600 miles and can carry a payload of 12 tons of ordnance. The Su-34 can be compared to the F-15E Strike Eagle.

The Su-34 is operated by two crews, the pilot and co-pilot sitting side by side. The co-pilot also handles navigation and weapon systems. It has a large cockpit, and the crew can even stand inside and lie down in a rest area complete with toilet. The $50 million twin-engine Su-34 is a variant of the Su-27. The Su-34 is famous for dropping precision-guided munitions, but Western experts believe that the Su-34 only uses low-altitude dumb bombs in Ukraine. They are risky maneuvers that expose them to the Ukrainian air defenses.

What is going on with this plane?

The Su-34 is a fairly recent aircraft, and the Russians bought it in batches starting in 2008. These aircraft were considered innovative. It can carry out bombing missions with speed and agility that allows it to outpace even enemy fighters and avoid surface-to-air missiles. So the Russians might be surprised at the performance of the Su-34 in Ukraine where it has run into a lot of trouble.

It is not clear why a fighter, which was supposed to transform the capabilities of the Russian Air Force into a new era, was equipped with a civilian GPS system.

This is what made Russia fail to perform modern air operations capable of achieving air dominance. Just hovering over the target and dropping dumb bombs is a simple tactic that will not challenge the Ukrainian side. The Su-34 was a blatant disappointment as the Russian Air Force still struggles a lot.