Russian Air force Su-32MF And Su-34 Fullback Strike Fighter

Sukhoi SU-32MF/Su-34

The basic configuration of the intended production Su-32MF/Su-34 aircraft is a multirole deep strike fighter, intended to perform the battlefield interdiction, close air support and deep strike roles now performed by the Su-24 in Russia, the F-15E in the US and the F-111 in Australia.

European reports claim that a production Su-32MF/34 would be fitted with the newer AL-41F engines, rated at 35,000lb (155kN) wet/SL/static thrust, rather than the AL-35F used in the demonstrators. The aircraft has an aerial refuelling probe, plumbing for three drop tanks, and can carry the UPAZ aerial refuelling pod performing as a buddy tanker.

Russian Aircraft The SU-34

 The primary aircraft sensor is the large Leninets B-004 multimode phased array radar, which uses, like all current Russian designs, passive phase shifter technology with a travelling wave tube transmitter. The radar is claimed to be highly modular with redundant components, reflecting the APQ-164 model to achieve very high mission reliability on long endurance sorties. The X-band design is claimed to achieve a 15kW peak power rating, although production radars could see the use of higher rating TWT transmitters since developed for the NIIP BARS series.

The radar is claimed to provide a range of 200 to 250km (108 to 135nm) against large surface targets, ground mapping capability to 150km (81nm), Doppler beam sharpened ground mapping to 75km (40nm) and GMTI target tracking to 30km (16nm), the latter similar to contemporary western attack radars like the APG-76. Detection performance against fighter sized aerial targets is claimed to be 90km (48nm), comparable to the N-001 series. A synthetic aperture radar high resolution groundmapping mode was planned, and given its existence in the evolved N-001/N-011M series, does not present difficulties.

The planned internal electro-optical suite appears to have vanished in more recent reports, with claims that the Sapsan-E thermal imaging and laser targeting pod will be carried externally, probably on the No 9 ventral inlet station.

Development Su-32/34s are fitted with a large circular dielectric panel on the upper fuselage, which can only be a satellite communications antenna given its size and placement. No equipment type has been disclosed.
No disclosures have been made on what digital datalinks will be fitted – for situational awareness and air-to-air combat the latest TKS-2 is the prime candidate.

The cockpit uses a single dual combiner head-up display, and AMLCD displays. The widely photographed prototype cockpits are unlikely to represent a production configuration, given the layout of the more recent Su-30MK and Su-27SKM/SKU glass cockpits.

For air combat the aircraft will be equipped to carry the same R-27 (AA-10 Alamo), R-73 (AA-11 Archer), and R-77 (AA-12 Adder) AAMs now carried by the Su-27/30. This will provide a credible BVR capability against closing fighters, and allows the Su-32MF/34 to be retasked as an air defence interceptor. The radar’s GMTI capability is likely to be exploited for cruise missile defence tasks.

Russian Aircraft The SU-34

 Like the Su-24 Fencer, the Su-32MF/34 is expected to be used for derivative roles. For tactical reconnaissance, the likely candidate pod is the recently revealed M400 centreline pod. It is equipped with a Raduga multi-band IR imaging system, AP-403 and AP-404 panoramic cameras, and optional modules with the M402 Pika SLAR radar and AK-108FM oblique camera.