United Aircraft Corporation completes fourth Su-34 delivery of 2024

by Sam Cranny-Evans, 21st October 2024

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) has completed its fourth delivery of new-build Su-34 fighter-bomber aircraft to the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) since the start of 2024, according to a 9th October press release on the Rostec website. The aircraft were delivered according to the plan for the year, however, UAC and its partners are working to increase production, UAC’s CEO, Yuri Slyusar said. 

Rostec has reported four Su-34 deliveries since the start of 2024. The first occurred in April, followed by another in June, the third in September and this one. Rostec reported just three batches in the course of 2023. 

The aircraft were manufactured at the V.P. Chkalov Novosibirsk Aviation Plant, which is expected to undergo a significant modernisation and is recruiting 1,000 additional staff, the release announcing the first delivery in April states. 600 new employees had been hired by the time of the June announcement, according to Rostec. 

UAC does not reveal the quantity of aircraft provided in each batch, however one image from April appears to show the delivery of two Su-34s and a video attending the October announcement also shows two aircraft. It is therefore possible that UAC has manufactured and delivered eight Su-34s this year, potentially six in 2023.

This image shows a FAB-500 fitted with a UMPK under the wing of a Su-34. Credit: Militarnyi

The Su-34s play an important role in Ukraine as they are used to deploy the guided bombs that are increasingly used to degrade Ukraine’s defences. The guided bombs are made by combining existing dumb bombs with a unified gliding and correction module (UMPK) developed by the Bazalt Design Bureau. The UMPK consists of a set of wings and a guidance module that increases the range and accuracy of the bomb. When fitted to a FAB-250 bomb and launched at a speed of 800 km/h, the bombs can have a range of 80 km. The FAB-250 weighs 250 kg with a 99 kg high explosive payload that creates a lethal radius of 120 m.

Russia deployed 3,200 UMPK-equipped bombs in May and has maintained a high rate of usage ever since. The large explosive impact of the bombs is very effective in degraded Ukrainian defensive positions and defenders. It can cause concussions that incapacitate an entire squad and flatten a building.

The Su-34 itself is an important carrier for these bombs. It has a side-by-side armoured cockpit that uses titanium to increase the survivability of the jet. It has a take-off weight of 39,000 kg with a maximum take-off weight of 44,100 kg. It is able to carry 8,000 kg of weapons and has 12 hardpoints. It has a top speed of 1,900 km/h and a service ceiling of 14,000 m. The armoured cockpit combined with the range of the glide bombs means that the jets are often able to operate at sufficient range from the frontline to mitigate the effects of Ukraine’s available air defences.

This image is believed to show the crater left after a UMPK strike in Ukraine. The explosive blast of the bombs is having a significant effect on Ukraine’s defenders. Credit: Udachniki, via Instagram