Longer Range, Heavier Payload, Larger Production Scale: How the Su-34 Strike Fighter Became the Backbone of the Russian Fleet

The Su-34 fighter has been procured in greater numbers by the Russian Armed Forces than any other class of tactical combat jet since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, with the first aircraft entering service in 2014 within months of the service’s operationalisation of the Su-35 air superiority fighter. Where the Su-35 represented the culmination of more than three decades of efforts to heavily enhance the Soviet Union’s top air superiority fighter, the Su-27 Flanker, to make it much more capable in the very same role, the Su-34 was a derivative of the Su-27 designed primarily for air-to-ground rather than air-to-air combat. Following the USSR’s disintegration, the Russian Armed Forces retired the large majority of its strike fighters including all MiG-27s and Su-17s that had long formed the backbone of its fleet, while significantly contracting its fleet of heavier twin engine Su-24Ms and retiring older baseline Su-24 variants. The Su-34 was intended to replace all these classes as Russia’s sole class of dedicated strike aircraft.

Beyond service as a strike fighter and direct successor to the Su-24M, the Su-34 was also intended to replace Russia’s primary close air support aircraft the Su-25, an analogue to the American A-10, while also potentially replacing the much larger Tu-22M3 bomber in service. It would do so while also having a significant secondary air-to-air combat capability inherited from the Su-27, which in many respects far surpassed those of the original Soviet air superiority fighter despite its design not prioritising the flight characteristics required for such combat. The Su-34 would thus emerge as arguably the most important fighter class developed by Russia since the USSR’s disintegration, rivalled only by Russia’s sole fifth generation fighter, the Su-57, in this regard. Where the Russian Aerospace Forces are currently estimated to field less than four dozen Su-57s, however, Su-34 production has more than doubled since early 2022 to facilitate deliveries of approximately 30 per year, with the fleet currently estimated at over 200 aircraft.

The Su-34 is approximately 50 percent heavier than the original Su-27, which was already by far the largest fighter fielded by Russia or by any NATO air force. This increased size combined with the integration of more fuel efficient AL-31FM2 engines, and a much higher use of composite materials to achieve a more efficient design, facilitates a much longer range which is currently estimated to be the longest of any fighter class in the world. The aircraft’s high weapons carrying capacity allows it to accommodate not only large numbers of bombs and missiles, but also particularly large munitions including Kh-47M2 ballistic missiles and FAB-3000 glide bombs, both of which have been combat tested in the Ukrainian theatre. Although the aircraft was expected to deploy missiles such as the with the Kh-65Se and Kh-SD as its primary armaments, which have 600 kilometre ranges, the need to lay down vast quantities of firepower at a low cost has led the aircraft to employ various glide bombs in the Ukrainain theatre with devastating effect. The precision guidance capabilities of many glide bomb designs allow the aircraft to use them to provide close air support to frontline units.

In May 2020 the Russian Defence Ministry placed its first order for a new variant of the Su-34, the enhanced Su-34M, which according to director general of the United Aircraft Corporation Yuri Slyusar has double the combat capacity of the original. The new variant is not only a more capable strike fighter, but also has improved air-to-air capabilities, with its situational awareness and reconnaissance capabilities being bolstered by the integration of a dedicated interface for three different types of sensors including UKR-RT pod for electronic searching, the UKR-OE camera pod and the UKR-RL which integrates a synthetic aperture radar. In July 2025 it was revealed that three variants of the Sych universal reconnaissance pod system allowed the aircraft to operate in a much wider range of roles, and collect real-time intelligence while still remaining armed for strike operations. With over 130 Su-24MR reconnaissance aircraft having been in service in 2014, the year the Su-34 entered service, it is expected that these pods will allow the newer aircraft to more effectively replace them, and potentially a wider range of other reconnaissance planes in the Russian Aerospace Forces.

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The Su-34 has been procured in much greater numbers by the Russian Armed Forces than any other tactical combat jet since the disintegration of the USSR, with production having risen sharply both to replenish wartime losses and to facilitate a more rapid expansion of the Russian combat aviation fleet in the face of rising tensions with NATO. The fighters are expected to outlast other fourth generation aircraft in production to continue to be procured into the late 2030s alongside the new Su-57 and are likely to integrate a growing number of common technologies with the Su-57 to enhance their capabilities. The possibility of the Su-34 eventually integrating the AL-51F next generation engine developed for the new Su-57M1 aircraft has been raised in the past, and would further widen the gap between the Su-34’s range and weapons carrying capacity and those of other fighter classes, while lowering maintenance needs and increasing power available to onboard systems. As Russia remains the only country in the world to still produce dedicated strike fighters, rather than focusing on more balanced and less specialised aircraft, the Su-34 stands out from other 21st century combat jets in its design priorities. Its capabilities and numbers make it a close contender with the MiG-31 for the title of the most indispensable single class of combat jet in Russian service, with its importance in the fleet having far surpassed that of the Su-27, Su-30 and Su-35.