Most modern tactical fighters are multipurpose aircraft, thanks to which they do an excellent job not only with the tasks of gaining air superiority, suppressing air defense, anti-ship defense or delivering pinpoint strikes against the enemy, but also adapted to carry out assault operations over a land theater of operations. The only exceptions are such highly specialized aircraft systems as the MiG-31BM long-range interceptor, which is not intended for patrolling over the battlefield with full suspensions of tactical missiles, or the F-117A Nighthawk stealth bomber, designed for limited precision strikes. But what can I say, even the MiG-31BM has in the armament range the Kh-31P and Kh-25MPU anti-radar missiles, as well as the Kh-31A anti-ship missiles and the Kh-59M multipurpose missiles.
But which tactical fighter-bomber can become the most expedient as a worthy alternative to the aging Su-25 attack aircraft, which have low speed, great vulnerability and an average range of about 550 km? Of course, the unique Su-34. This was announced on June 25 by the commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev. He clarified that first the 34th will completely replace the exhausted Su-24M, and later the Rooks. These aircraft run out of service life of the airframe, and the outdated avionics do not allow to safely perform strike and assault operations over the theater, saturated with modern air defense systems and enemy fighter aircraft, more than half of which are aircraft of the 4 ++ generation. The project of the Su-25T high-precision attack aircraft has been closed, and its more advanced younger brother, the Su-39, although it continues, but the continuation is "sluggish" and does not provide for serial production. Although the avionics of the updated Frogfoot, including the Sukhogruz optical-electronic jamming station, the Irtysh REP complex and the Shkval-M optical-electronic sighting system, are quite consistent with the transitional generation of ground attack aircraft of the 21st century.
The Su-34 remains the only favorite as an additional role for the attack aircraft of the future. Manned subsonic assault vehicles in a network-centric war are losing their value: they are easy prey for operators of modern MANPADS, air defense systems and other military air defense systems, but they need very solid service personnel and become not very profitable in the Air Force, which was confirmed by the situation with the American attack aircraft A -10A, instead of which the "green light" was given to a larger number of "Reapers", capable of circling at low speed, similar to the "Thunderbolt", inflicting missile strikes at a ground enemy, as well as the latest F-35A, equipped with a powerful radar with AN / APG- 81 for work on ground targets in any meteorological conditions, which was not implemented in the A-10A (it is strange that a container suspension radar, similar to our "Spear", for the "Warthog" was not developed, and this could seriously change the views on "flying tank "US Air Force). The Su-34, on the other hand, is a true standard of any type of strike aircraft: a crew of two pilots seated side by side is protected by a welded titanium armored capsule with a sheet thickness of 17 mm, a glider from the Su-27 and 2 TRDDF AL-31F-M1 with a total thrust of 25600 kgf allow heavy shock "tactics" maneuvers with overloads up to 8 units,develop a speed of 1, 8M, conduct close air combat with such "turtles" as the F-35A; and not only the neighbor.
On board there is a multi-mode radar with PFAR Sh-141, designed to work on land, sea and air targets. The air-to-air mode here, although not ultra-long-range, can certainly meet modern standards of air combat beyond visual visibility. A target of the type "F / A-18E / F with a suspension" (EPR about 2 m2) can be detected and fired at at a distance of about 90-100 km with R-27ER and R-77 missiles. Equipping with new RVV-SD / BD missiles will make it possible to destroy even those targets that will be outside the detection limits of the Sh-141. Target designation will be carried out with the help of its own open source software "Beryoza", or the means of electronic warfare used in the container station of the electronic warfare "Khibiny".
We have long heard about the Su-34's strike and assault capabilities, and the air-to-ground weapons range, too, so seeing them above the theater of operations, destroying tanks, suppressing military air defense, and at the same time fighting a pair of F-16Cs, can become absolutely real event in the near future. In addition, such a moment as interchangeability in a mixed air tactical grouping will be strengthened in the Russian Aerospace Forces. "Thirty-fours" will be able to temporarily replace both the MiG-29SMT and the Su-30SM without any problems, which was not previously observed in the Air Force.
