The Su-34 Fullback is Russia's primary tactical strike aircraft, a twin-seat fighter-bomber built on the Su-27 Flanker airframe with a distinctive flattened nose housing a side-by-side cockpit with a toilet and small galley for long missions. Its Leninets V004 PESA radar provides ground mapping and terrain-following capability for low-level penetration strikes. In Ukraine, the Su-34 has become the primary delivery platform for FAB-500 glide bombs fitted with UMPK satellite-guided wing kits, enabling standoff strikes from 40–70 km — the single most destructive Russian aerial weapon of the war. Despite losing over 20 aircraft to Ukrainian air defenses, Russia has expanded Su-34 production and continues fielding the aircraft as its workhorse strike platform.
TECHNICAL SPECS
COMBAT HISTORY
Syria (2015–present): extensive precision strike operations from Hmeimim Air Base. Ukraine (2022–present): heavy use in glide bomb attacks (FAB-500M62 with UMPK kits); multiple aircraft lost to Ukrainian air defenses and friendly fire.
