Russian Su-34s can now ‘disappear’ from enemy radars..Moscow is providing them with new anti-electronic warfare systems

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti recently claimed that the Russian twin-engine Sukhoi Su-34 “Fulpak” long-range strike aircraft has received new protection against enemy electronic warfare equipment, including protection against foreign-made electronic warfare systems, for use in the area of ​​special military operations. .

The report stated the following: “Su-34s also operate in the near vicinity, in particular, with guided bombs against the positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Therefore, it is within reach of the enemy’s electronic warfare equipment. Therefore, technical measures have been taken to protect the Su-34 systems from electronic warfare of Ukrainian and Western weapons platforms.

The combination of the Khibiny electronic countermeasures complex and the SAP-14 and SAP-518 active jamming stations provides reliable protection for the Su-34 against air defense. This has led to exaggerated claims that the Su-34 could disappear from enemy radar screens.

The Su-34 delivered since July 2022 (after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine) has been significantly upgraded to an improved standard as the Su-34M version and alongside specialized versions of the basic Su-34M fighters designed for electronic warfare or reconnaissance.

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation General Director Yuri Slyusar has claimed that the Su-34M has twice the combat capability of the original Su-34, which began entering service in 2014, with a cool new feature being its dedicated interface for three different types of sensors – the electronic search pod. UKR-RT, UKR-OE camera pod, and UKR-RL synthetic aperture radar. This increases situational plane awareness.

The Su-34 fighter jet has the longest range among its peers and is comparable to lighter strategic bombers such as the Tu-22M. These combat aircraft make up a significant part of the Russian fleet.

The Su-34 was carrying out guided bombing missions, and this made the plane vulnerable to Ukrainian air defenses at low altitudes, especially the missile launchers, which do not emit any radar signals and cannot be jammed. This led to huge losses for the Su-34.