Posted on 07/20/2010 9:34:11 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The Russian Air Forces in-service Su-34s designed by the Sukhoi Company have proved their superior operational capabilities and flight performance in the East-2010 military exercises held in July. In performance of the operational mission a non-stop flight was carried out from the European part of Russia to the Far East with in-flight refueling and subsequent attack as per task assigned. Soon it is planned to increase the operational capability of the aircraft by adding new aerial munitions, announced the Director General of Sukhoi Mikhail Pogosyan today at the press conference at the Farnborough International Airshow-2010.
The Su-34 frontline bomber will form the core of Russia's front-line air strike capability, and is a worthy successor to the Su-24M all-weather, day and night-time frontline bomber. Serial production of the Su-34 has been set up at the Chkalov Aviation Production Association in Novosibirsk, which is a part of the Sukhoi holding company. In 2008 a five-year contract was signed with the government to supply the Russian Defense Ministry with 32 serial-production aircraft. In time, the Su-34 will replace virtually the entire fleet of Su-24 frontline bombers that are currently in service.
The Su-34 can effectively attack land-based, sea- and airborne targets by day and night in all weathers using the entire suite of its airborne munitions, including high-precision types. In terms of operational capabilities this is a 4+ aircraft. Its active safety system, along with the newest computers, provides extra capabilities for the pilot and navigator to perform aimed bombing and to maneuver under enemy fire. The excellent aerodynamics, large capacity internal fuel tanks, fuel-efficient bypass engines with a digital control system, in-flight refueling device and add-on fuel tanks enable the aircraft to fly long distances close to those of medium strategic bombers.
(Excerpt) Read more at defpro.com ...
Sweet looking jet.
I like the design
Ping
What’s house in the Su-34’s beaver tail?
It has a large flight deck.Much of the design work went into crew comfort. The two crew members sit side by side in a large cabin.The crew members have room to stand and move about the cabin during long missions
It has a small toilet that is located behind the crew seats
Sharon Stone?
For once they didn’t steal the design from us.
It is pretty sleek. But I suspect it can’t delver the ordinance the photo depicts. There is no place to put it. The little rear-protruding pod doesn’t look like it can house them all.
This might be a good fighter but as a bomber? Meh.
More propaganda than ability IMHO.
ping
IIRC, the Fullback is based on the Flanker platform. Which is a pretty good base to start from since the Su-27/30 is (IMHO) the single best fighter design ever to come out of the former Soviet Union.
Probably to handle problems when thoughts that an F-22 might in the area..
Per Wikipedia, "The Su-34 has 12 pylons for up to 8,000 kilograms (17,635 lb) of ordnance". So I guess most of it is external.
The little rear-protruding pod doesnt look like it can house them all.
The pod can be anything from an external (refillable in flight) fuel tank to an EW or a FLIR/laser unit, or something else. I'd think it highly unlikely to ever contain ordnance, just on mechanical grounds. But an EW pod is nearly certain, at least according to www.ausairpower.net.
That protrusion is pretty bizarre but probably has a practical purpose. Let’s face it, the Soyuz ain’t very pretty but has proven itself as a useful craft that has outlasted our efforts.
But, again IMHO, 17K doesn’t make it a bomber, just and run of the mill A/F.
I think its a really good design.
Pods are extremely practical because they allow you to add a new capability to any pod-compatible aircraft in minutes.
This particular configuration places one pod into the aerodynamic shadow of the cockpit and under the less reflecting skin of the aircraft. The fact that the pod is longer than the wing surface is not a problem; in fact it's an advantage that was discovered a century ago when people tried to stabilize bullets - see the boat-tail design here.
Rear-looking radar.
Rear-looking radar.
THAT explains so much with my ex-wife!!!
LOL
The tail protrusion on the plane could be the plane’s secondary radar system. The Fullback has a rear-facing tracking/targeting radar allowing it to launch its air-to-air missiles at pursuing aircraft.
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