Su-34 Fullback: Russia's Hottest Bomber

               Su-34 Fullback

The Su-34 is a state-of-the-art Russian fighter bomber, developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau in the mid-1980s.

The two-seat Su-34 is primarily designed to destroy a variety of ground and naval targets. It is capable of performing solo and group missions in daytime and at night, under favorable and adverse weather conditions and in a hostile environment.

Russia Approves Deal For 92 Su-34 Fighter Bombers

Russian Sukhoi Su-34 Strike Fighter Bomber

Russian Sukhoi Su-34 Strike Fighter Bomber

Russia's defence ministry signed a deal for 92 Sukhoi Su-34 strike aircraft on 1 March, marking the biggest deal for a single aircraft type for the nation's air force in more than 20 years.

To cover deliveries until 2020, the deal was signed by defence minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Sukhoi general director Igor Ozar. The Su-34s will replace all the Su-24 bombers in service, Serdyukov said. A source quoted by Russia’s Interfax news agency put the value of the deal at around 100 billion roubles ($3 billion).

The defence ministry had previously said 70 Su-34s would be delivered by 2015. Six aircraft are in service at Russia's test and evaluation centre at Lipetsk, with a further 10 due to be delivered this year.

The Russian air force will eventually field a total of about 120 Su-34s in five squadrons of 24 aircraft each, its commander Col Gen Alexander Zelin said at last year's MAKS air show near Moscow.