Posted on 12/17/2006 12:30:29 PM PST by lizol
Russian Air Force receives first advanced bombers -1
12:01 | 15/ 12/ 2006
MOSCOW, December 15 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Air Force received Friday its first two newly built Su-34 Fullback bombers.
Designed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the Su-34 will replace the Su-24 Fencer frontline bombers. Experts said the new bomber has the potential to become the best plane in its class for years to come.
A ceremonial handover of the Su-34s took place at the Chkalov Aircraft Production Association in Novosibirsk, in West Siberia. In attendance were Russia's Air Force commander, Army General Vladimir Mikhailov, and Sukhoi holding Director General Mikhail Pogosyan.
The $36 million Su-34 fighter-bomber is a two-seat strike aircraft equipped with twin AL-31MF afterburning turbojet engines. It is designed to deliver high-precision strikes on heavily defended targets in any weather conditions, day or night, and fields weaponry that includes a 30mm GSh-301 cannon, up to 12 Alamo or Archer AAMs, ASMs, and bombs
Mikhailov said Russia's Air Force needs about 200 Su-34s, which will be on active duty in the next 30-40 years along with modernized Su-24s, which are expected to be gradually replaced over the next 20 years.
"In all, we need about 200 [Su-34] aircraft," he said, "But at the same time, we do not want to replace the modernized Su-24[M] in the next two or three years, as the aircraft can be in service for 10-15 years. All of the Su-24s will be replaced with Su-34s in around 20 years."
The commander said the Su-34 has been modernized twice since the late 1980s, when it was designed, and will be further modernized after 10 years in service.
Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said earlier that Russia's Air Force will buy 58 Su-34s by 2015.
I doubt that it's a linear bombay like the Vig. Seems too small in diameter to carry one.
Fullback? I didn't know they played US style football in Russia.
A target...
I cannot make out any attach points under the wings for racks.
The Su-34 has 12 stores pylons for up to 8,000 kilograms (17,635 pounds) of ordnance, intended to include the latest Russian precision-guided weapons. It retains the Su-27/Su-30's GSh-30-1 30mm cannon.
It is precision-strike aircraft like Su-24, most of its ordonances are guided missiles and bombs.
largest guided bomb is 3,000 kilo laser guided, it carrys 1 beneats the fuselage.
Modern Russian planes have modular attacc points, that can dettach themselvec to attach different ones, for various bombs/missiles.
Wing Area: 666 sqr ft...
It looks pretty sleek and fancy but this thing is a very big plane.
WQe need a size comparison to a B-1 and an F-18 for some quality reference.
Enter and exit through the bottom? I wonder what the ejection system is like? A "pod" like the F-111 or do you have to "go down with the ship" when you get smoked by an F-14, 15, 16, 18 or 22?
The Su-27 that this is based from is fairly similar in size to an F-15 or F-14, maybe a touch bigger.
I'd never seen a side shot of one before...from the front it's a good-looking airplane, but that hugely-expanded two-man cockpit is just bizarre-looking from the side. They've obviously designed it for fairly long-range missions, considering the large amount of internal fuel and the cockpit features.
}:-)4
Bunkbed? So the pilot and copilot can sleep at the same time?
Clint Eastwood can tell you, but you have to think in Russian...
That would be the B.O.N.A.R. ECM pod.
All those clocks and none of them have the correct time.
I'd imagine it's for shooting up tanks like the A-10 does. How effective it would be at that role I have no idea, but Ivan does things his way.
Good looking bird.
I agree with you, since Russian Engines tend to burn very hot, I would guess a dual ECM and Countermeasures Package for flares and chafe.
I highly doubt she has any stealth, it is looks like a heavy fighter-bomber and she is nothing more than a souped up verison of the SU-27, bigger airframe for heavier loads.
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