Profile
- Type
- Twin-seat fighter-bomber / strike aircraft
- Conflict side
- Russia
- Origin
- Soviet Union / Russia
- Service note
- Entered Russian service in 2014; in serial production and wartime use during the Russia-Ukraine War
Aircraft & UAVs
Su-34
The Su-34 Fullback is a Russian twin-seat fighter-bomber derived from the Su-27 family and built for long-range strike, interdiction, and reconnaissance missions. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Russian forces have relied on Su-34s as key launch aircraft for stand-off glide bombs, allowing heavy ordnance delivery while trying to remain outside many Ukrainian short-range air-defense envelopes.
Service History
- In service
- Accepted into Russian Air Force service in 2014
- Used by
- Russian Aerospace Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- Sukhoi Design Bureau
- Designed
- First flight in 1990
- Built in
- Russia
- Produced
- Serial production
- Variants
- Su-34, Su-34E export analogue, Su-34M
- Developed from
- Sukhoi Su-27 family
Specifications
- Crew
- 2
- Maximum combat load
- 8,500 kg
- Hardpoints
- 12
- Maximum speed
- 1,500 km/h at altitude; 1,100 km/h near the ground
- Practical ceiling
- 15 km
- Ferry range
- 4,250 km
- Engines
- Two AL-31F afterburning turbofan engines
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Russia
Operated by Russian Aerospace Forces as a two-seat strike aircraft and one of the main launch platforms for UMPK and UMPB glide bombs against Ukrainian front-line positions and cities.
Related Weapon Systems
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Arash-2Long-range one-way attack UAV / loitering munitionThe Arash-2 is an Iranian long-range one-way attack UAV, also described as a loitering munition or suicide drone, associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces. Open sources describe it as a larger Arash/Kian-family strike system with rocket-assisted launch, reported passive-radar or seeker options, and claimed ranges up to about 2,000 km for attacks on fixed or emitting targets.
PunisherReusable strike and reconnaissance UAVThe Punisher is a Ukrainian reusable fixed-wing strike UAV from UA Dynamics, designed for small-unit reconnaissance and precision bomb drops behind enemy lines. In the Russia-Ukraine War it has been fielded by Ukrainian defense units as a compact catapult-launched system carrying modular explosive containers for attacks on command posts, electronic-warfare equipment, ammunition sites, and other rear-area targets.
Shahed-136Long-range one-way attack UAVThe Shahed-136 is an Iranian-designed long-range one-way attack UAV, also fielded by Russia as the Geran-2 and by the Houthis as the Waid-2. Its low-cost airframe, GNSS-guided point-target flight profile, and mass-launch tactics have made it a prominent saturation-strike weapon in Ukraine, the Red Sea, and Iran-linked regional conflicts.
Su-57Fifth-generation multirole fighter aircraftThe Su-57, NATO reporting name Felon, is Russia's Sukhoi-designed fifth-generation multirole fighter, built for air-to-air combat and standoff strike missions with low-observable shaping, integrated avionics, and internal weapons carriage. In the Russia-Ukraine War it has appeared as a scarce Russian Aerospace Forces asset used cautiously, with documented Ukrainian reporting of a June 2024 strike against an Su-57 at Akhtubinsk airfield rather than routine overflight of defended Ukrainian airspace.
Sukhoi Su-30Twin-engine multirole fighter aircraftThe Sukhoi Su-30 is a two-seat, twin-engine multirole fighter developed from the Su-27 family and fielded in several Russian and export variants. In the Russia-Ukraine War, Russian Su-30SM aircraft have been used around the Black Sea for combat aviation missions, where Ukrainian forces have documented high-profile losses including a 2025 naval-drone missile engagement near Novorossiysk.
WarmateLoitering munitionWarmate is a Polish electric loitering munition from WB Electronics/WB Group, designed as a portable reconnaissance-strike system with interchangeable warheads, autonomous flight modes, and video-guided terminal attack. In the Russia-Ukraine War it has been documented in Ukrainian service for precision attacks on Russian air-defense and surveillance radars.Sources
Su-34Publisher: United Aircraft Corporation | Note: Official manufacturer background for the Su-34, including design bureau, service acceptance, production site, mission role, crew, engines, dimensions, range, speed, ceiling, and combat load. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Su-34EPublisher: Rosoboronexport | Note: Provides export-version specification data including takeoff weight, maximum speed, payload, service ceiling, and hardpoint count. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Countering Russia's Glide Bomb Warfare in UkrainePublisher: Joint Air Power Competence Centre | Note: Directly supports the Russia-Ukraine War note by identifying Su-34 Fullbacks as Russia's primary glide-bomb launch platforms and describing their stand-off employment in Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Russia's Giant 6,000lb Glide Bomb Seen Launched From Su-34 For First TimePublisher: The War Zone | Note: Documents Russia-Ukraine War operational use of Russian Su-34 aircraft with UMPK-family glide bombs against Ukrainian forces. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Sukhoi 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: 2026-06-20