Aircraft & UAVs

Su-34

Also known as
  • Fullback

The Su-34 Fullback is a Russian two-seat fighter-bomber from the Sukhoi Su-27 family, built in Novosibirsk for long-range strike, interdiction, and reconnaissance. Its armored cockpit, 12 hardpoints, and 8,500 kg combat load have made it a main Russian strike platform in Syria and in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Su-34, Two-seat fighter-bomber / strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Sukhoi Su-34 air-to-air (1).jpg

Role in Conflicts

2008 Russo-Georgian War
Side
Russia and South Ossetian forces
Role in conflict
Electronic-attack support aircraft

Russian forces used early Su-34 airframes during 2008 combat trials against Georgia, with reporting describing Khibiny electronic-countermeasure employment to jam Georgian air-defense radars.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Soviet Union / Russia
Built in
Russia
Type
Two-seat fighter-bomber / strike aircraft
Service note
Maiden flight in 1990; entered Russian service in 2014; still in serial production
Designer
Sukhoi Design Bureau
Designed
First flight in 1990
Produced
Serial production
Developed from
Sukhoi Su-27 family

Specifications

Crew
2
Hardpoints
12
Maximum combat load
8,500 kg
Maximum action radius
1,700 km with fuel pods
Ferry range
4,250 km
Maximum speed
1,500 km/h at altitude; 1,100 km/h near the ground
Practical ceiling
15 km
Engines
Two AL-31F afterburning turbofan engines
Protection
Armored crew cabin and armor plating on critical areas
Variants

Public sources separate the Su-34E export analogue and later Su-34M modernization reporting from the baseline Russian production Su-34.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
Su-34EExport analogue

Rosoboronexport presents the Su-34E as the export analogue of the Su-34 with the same two-seat strike-aircraft role and a 12-hardpoint weapons fit.

Sources: Su-34E

Su-34MModernized Russian front-line bomber

Army Recognition, citing Russian reporting, described first Su-34M front-line bomber deliveries in 2022 as a modernized configuration for the Russian Air Force.

Sources: Army Recognition Su-34M Front-Line Bombers

Carried Munitions

Open sources most clearly tie the Su-34 to Russian stand-off weapons through Ukraine-war FAB-series UMPK glide bombs and later Kh-69 launch-platform reporting.

Carried itemItem typeCarriage evidence
FAB-250 UMPK, 250 kg glide-and-correction bomb, MunitionsFAB-250 UMPK250 kg glide bomb

JAPCC identifies Su-34 Fullbacks as Russia's primary glide-bomb launch platforms in Ukraine and lists FAB-250 among FAB-series bombs converted with UMPK kits.

Sources: Countering Russia's Glide Bomb Warfare in Ukraine

FAB-1500M-54 GPB, 1,500 kg general-purpose bomb, MunitionsFAB-1500M-54 GPB1,500 kg glide bomb

JAPCC lists FAB-1500 among FAB-series UMPK conversions and describes Su-34s as the primary launch aircraft for Russia's Ukraine-war glide-bomb campaign.

Sources: Countering Russia's Glide Bomb Warfare in Ukraine

FAB-3000M-46 GPB, 3,000 kg general-purpose bomb, MunitionsFAB-3000M-46 GPB3,000 kg-class glide bomb

The War Zone analyzed Russian footage showing a Su-34 carrying and releasing a UMPK-equipped FAB-3000 glide bomb in Ukraine-war service.

Sources: Russia's Giant 6,000lb Glide Bomb Seen Launched From Su-34 For First Time

Kh-69, Air-launched land-attack cruise missile, MunitionsKh-69Air-launched cruise missile

Defense Express reports that the Kh-69 can be launched from Su-34 tactical aircraft, a launch-platform point repeated in its coverage of the Trypilska power plant strike.

Sources: Defense Express Kh-69 Trypilska TPP

Source boundary

The bomb rows are supported by FAB-series UMPK glide-bomb sources; individual strike reports do not always identify the exact release aircraft or bomb-body subvariant.

Sources: Countering Russia's Glide Bomb Warfare in Ukraine, Russia's Giant 6,000lb Glide Bomb Seen Launched From Su-34 For First Time

Operational Roles And Source Limits

The Su-34 record has three distinct evidence lanes: early combat testing, expeditionary strike use, and Ukraine-war stand-off bombing. The table keeps those roles separate so conflict notes do not imply a single unchanged mission profile.

ContextSource-backed detailCatalog treatment
2008 Russo-Georgian WarThe War Zone describes early Su-34 airframes using Khibiny electronic countermeasures to jam Georgian air-defense radars.Added as a narrow electronic-attack support row, not as a broad bombing-campaign claim.
2011 Syrian Civil WarRAND places Su-34s in Russia's Hmeimim strike wing, and Guardian reporting documents Su-34 sorties from Hamadan during the Syria campaign.Kept as a Russian/Syrian-government-allied long-range strike role.
2014 Russia-Ukraine WarJAPCC identifies Su-34s as primary FAB-series UMPK launch platforms, while The War Zone documents Su-34 carriage and release of a FAB-3000 glide bomb.Expanded through carried-munition links to existing FAB UMPK records.
Kh-69 carriageDefense Express reports Su-34 compatibility for Kh-69 launches in its Trypilska strike coverage.Linked as a launch-platform relationship without treating every Kh-69 strike as confirmed Su-34-launched.

Key sources: The War Zone Su-34 Fullback Strike Fighter; Road to Damascus; Russia Uses Iranian Airbase for First Time in Syria Campaign; Countering Russia's Glide Bomb Warfare in Ukraine; Russia's Giant 6,000lb Glide Bomb Seen Launched From Su-34 For First Time; Defense Express Kh-69 Trypilska TPP.

Timeline

Su-34 Key Events

  1. Maiden flight

    UAC lists 1990 as the Su-34's maiden flight, marking the start of the fighter-bomber's flight-test program.

    Sources: Su-34

  2. Combat trials in Georgia

    The War Zone describes early Su-34 combat trials during the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, including Khibiny electronic-countermeasure use against Georgian air-defense radars.

    Sources: The War Zone Su-34 Fullback Strike Fighter

  3. Russian service acceptance

    UAC says the Su-34 entered service in 2014 after state joint tests were completed and the Russian government accepted the aircraft.

    Sources: Su-34

  4. Russian air campaign in Syria

    RAND describes Su-34 fighter-bombers as part of the Russian strike wing at Hmeimim, with later rotations extending support from the Syrian campaign.

    Sources: Road to Damascus: The Russian Air Campaign in Syria, 2015 to 2018, Russia Uses Iranian Airbase for First Time in Syria Campaign

  5. Primary glide-bomb launch platform in Ukraine

    JAPCC describes Russian forces as primarily using Su-34 Fullbacks as glide-bomb launch platforms in Ukraine, often carrying four bombs per sortie.

    Sources: Countering Russia's Glide Bomb Warfare in Ukraine

Media

Su-34 Images

Su-34, Two-seat fighter-bomber / strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: Sukhoi Su-34 on the MAKS-2009.jpg
Su-34, Two-seat fighter-bomber / strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 2
Source: Four SU-34 in flight (8060054018).jpg
Su-34, Two-seat fighter-bomber / strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs - view 3
Source: Sukhoi Su-34 (Simulator), Russia - Air Force AN2242851.jpg
Related Weapon Systems
Su-22 fighter-bomber, Variable-sweep-wing fighter-bomber / ground-attack aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSu-22 fighter-bomberVariable-sweep-wing fighter-bomber / ground-attack aircraftThe Su-22 is the export member of Sukhoi's Su-17 Fitter family, a Soviet variable-sweep fighter-bomber built for low-level strike, ground attack, and battlefield interdiction. Direct conflict records on this page emphasize documented combat use and losses: Libyan Su-22s over the Gulf of Sidra, an Azerbaijani Su-22 loss in the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, Iraqi Su-22/Fitter chemical-attack delivery in the Iran-Iraq War, Desert Storm losses, Peruvian Cenepa War air-support missions, and Syrian government bombing near Tabqah in 2017.
Su-27, Twin-engine air-superiority fighter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsSu-27Twin-engine air-superiority fighterThe Su-27, NATO reporting name Flanker, is a Soviet-designed twin-engine air-superiority fighter built around long range, high speed, and heavy air-to-air armament. Its combat record extends from Abkhazia and the 1998 Eritrean-Ethiopian War to Angola, Tigray, and the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, where operators used it for air superiority, air-to-air combat, and adapted strike missions that now include Western precision and anti-radiation munitions.
Kh-32, Supersonic air-launched anti-ship and land-attack cruise missile, ArtilleryArtilleryKh-32Supersonic air-launched anti-ship and land-attack cruise missileThe Kh-32 is a Russian supersonic air-launched cruise missile derived from the Kh-22 family for long-range attacks on ships and fixed ground targets. Built by the Raduga design bureau within Russia's Tactical Missiles Corporation network, it is carried by Tu-22M3-series bombers and combines a high-altitude flight profile, inertial navigation, and terminal radar homing. Russia has used the Kh-22/Kh-32 family against Ukraine, where its speed, steep terminal profile, and anti-ship design heritage make interception difficult and raise accuracy risks when fired at urban land targets.

Sources

Su-34Publisher: United Aircraft Corporation | Note: Official manufacturer background for the Su-34, including maiden flight, design bureau, service acceptance, production site, mission role, crew, engines, dimensions, range, speed, ceiling, and combat load. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Su-34EPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Provides export-version specification data including takeoff weight, maximum speed, payload, service ceiling, and hardpoint count. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Countering Russia's Glide Bomb Warfare in UkrainePublisher: Joint Air Power Competence Centre | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct use by Russian Aerospace Forces by identifying Su-34 Fullbacks as Russia's primary glide-bomb launch platforms and describing their stand-off employment in Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Russia's Giant 6,000lb Glide Bomb Seen Launched From Su-34 For First TimePublisher: The War Zone | Note: Documents 2014 Russia-Ukraine War operational use by Russian Su-34 aircraft with UMPK-family glide bombs against Ukrainian forces. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Road to Damascus: The Russian Air Campaign in Syria, 2015 to 2018Publisher: RAND Corporation | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use by Russian Aerospace Forces by documenting Su-34 deployment at Hmeimim, strike responsibilities, and later rotations in Russian air operations in Syria. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Russia Uses Iranian Airbase for First Time in Syria CampaignPublisher: The Guardian | Note: Supports 2011 Syrian Civil War direct use by reporting Su-34 and Tu-22M3 warplanes used by Russia from Iran's Hamadan air base to target ISIS in Syria. | Accessed: 2026-06-30The War Zone Su-34 Fullback Strike FighterPublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports background on Su-34 design features and 2008 Russo-Georgian War direct use by describing early Su-34 combat trials and Khibiny electronic-countermeasure employment against Georgian air-defense radars. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Army Recognition Su-34M Front-Line BombersPublisher: Army Recognition | Note: Supports background for Su-34M modernization and 2022 delivery reporting. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Defense Express Kh-69 Trypilska TPPPublisher: Defense Express | Note: Supports Kh-69 launch-platform context by reporting Su-34, Su-35, and Su-57 compatibility while discussing Kh-69 use against the Trypilska thermal power plant. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Sukhoi Su-34 air-to-air (1).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the selected Su-34 in-flight photo; the Commons file page identifies the Russian Ministry of Defence as the source and records a CC BY 4.0 license. | Accessed: 2026-06-26Sukhoi Su-34 on the MAKS-2009.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the selected Su-34 photograph; the Commons file page identifies the image as own work by Doomych and records a public-domain dedication by the copyright holder. | Accessed: 2026-06-26Four SU-34 in flight (8060054018).jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the Su-34 formation photo; the Commons file page records a Flickr-origin photograph by Aleksandr Markin and a CC BY-SA 2.0 license. | Accessed: 2026-06-26Sukhoi Su-34 (Simulator), Russia - Air Force AN2242851.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance for the Su-34 cockpit/simulator photo; the Commons file page records a CC BY-SA 3.0 license. | Accessed: 2026-06-26