The Russian Air Force (RuAF) will take delivery of 30 new Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft from Sukhoi by the end of 2014, the country’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) has revealed.
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RIA Novosti reported the MoD as saying in a statement that, ”the current [2013] year plan on the delivery of 14 [Su-34] aircraft under the state defense order will be fulfilled, and the plant has promised to deliver another 16 fighter-bombers next year.”
Citing a report by the Novosibirsk plant, the ministry also noted that a total of 124 Su-34 fighters are scheduled to be handed over by Sukhoi to the air force under two contracts by 2020.
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The Russian military has to date taken delivery of 29 series-production Su-34 aircraft, according to official data.
Manufactured by the Novosibirsk aircraft plant, the Su-34 is a 4+ generation aircraft and can engage a range of land-based, sea and airborne targets in all weather conditions and any visibility levels, using a range of airborne munitions, including high-precision types.
The aircraft is a two-seat derivative of the swing-wing Su-27 fighter, retaining its basic layout and construction, and also features increased takeoff weight and an advanced multimode-phased array radar with terrain following and terrain avoidance modes. Additional features include a long-range aiming system, a modern on-board communication and an information exchange system, a complex survival system, an armoured cockpit and an active safety system, as well as new computers to manoeuvre and perform accurate bombing when under enemy attack. The twin Lyulka AL-31FM1 turbofan engine-powered aircraft is eventually scheduled to replace the Russian Air Force and Navy’s ageing Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft fleet.
Image: A Russian Air Force’s Su-34 fighter-bomber from Lipetsk airbase. Photo: courtesy of Vitaly V. Kuzmin.
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