Ukraine is “Shooting Down” Russia’s Fighter-Bomber Su-34

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

Russia is losing some of its fleet of “fighter-bomber” Su-34s in Ukraine, as they are likely being shot down by Ukrainian air defenses. While Su-34 does appear to be a uniquely threatening and capable aircraft, its size and relative lack of stealth may make it vulnerable to ground based anti-aircraft weapons. Russia’s Su-34 “fighter-bomber” mix presents unique and potentially unparalleled threats as the aircraft is both somewhat modern and aligned with cutting-edge 4th-generation fighter jet upgrades.

In terms of external appearance, the Su-34 very much resembles its similar fighter jet variants such as the Su-27 and Su-35. However, its much larger size makes it capable of operating with eight tons of precision bombs and cruise missiles, according to an interesting 2017 write up on the aircraft from Russia Beyond. The largest difference is perhaps found in its payload capacity as the Su-34’s maximum take-off weight is just about 100,000 pounds, something which represents an ability to operate with a massive amount of weapons.

The Su-27 max take-off weight, by comparison, is only 67,000 pounds. To add perspective, a max take-off weight of 99,000 pounds does give new mission options to the Su-34, it is still less than four times the 414,000-pound max takeoff weight of large Russian bombers such as the well-known Tupolev Tu-95.

Su-34 Fighter-Bomber Hybrid

Apart from an ability to carry and deliver a large bomber-like arsenal of precision weaponry, what distinguishes the Su-34 would seem to be its ability to simultaneously operate in a maneuverable, air-to-air, and air-to-ground fighter jet capacity. The aircraft would be more vulnerable than its much faster, lighter, and more maneuverable counterparts such as the Su-27, as its speed is listed as only Mach 1.8. Yet, it nonetheless does seem to introduce air combat capabilities not typically associated with bombers.

A dual-mission scope of this kind clearly opens up operational possibilities as the Su-34 could shift from air-to-ground attacks to higher-altitude precision-bombing campaigns, therefore reducing the overall number of airframes needed for a given attack mission.