Russia bolsters air force with new Su‑34 delivery, skepticism persists
The Rostec Corporation announced the delivery of new Su-34 aircraft to the Russian military. Although a video confirming this was posted on social media, the shipment size was not disclosed. It is likely that the Russians deliberately concealed this information once again.
The new Su-34s were handed over to the Russian military at the airport in Novosibirsk, which belongs to the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), a company under the Rostec conglomerate. According to some observers of the war in Ukraine, the Russians are once more trying to convince the world of their strength, while the delivery they presented might in fact be only two aircraft.
Russians received a batch of Su-34s
As noted by the Ukrainian portal Militarnyj, this situation is indicated by the analysis of video materials and photos that were made public. Further doubts are raised by the absence of snow in the video shared by the Russians, which may suggest that it was recorded not in November but somewhat earlier (since it is already winter in Novosibirsk). Militarnyj suggests that the publication might therefore have purely propaganda purposes.
The Ukrainian portal recalls that since the beginning of 2024, the Russian military has received several batches of Su-34s, but they collectively account for only nine of these aircraft. Similarly, deliveries of other aircraft have been modest, as 2024 saw the Russian army receive only six Su-35S and Su-35SM2, and no more than three Su-57s in total.
The core of the Russian Air Force
The Su-34 is an important aircraft for the Russians and is sometimes referred to as the backbone of the Russian Air Force. It is a tactical bomber developed in the 1990s, measuring over 23 metres in length. It has two AL-31F M1 engines, enabling it to reach speeds of up to 1,900 kilometres per hour.
An important feature of this aircraft is its armament capacity. It is equipped with a GS-30-1 aircraft cannon of 30 mm as standard, and on 12 pylons, the Su-34 can carry up to 8,000 kilograms of additional armaments. These include rockets, cruise missiles, and various types of aerial bombs. During the war in Ukraine, it serves the Russians, among other things, to carry and drop KABs (glide bombs), which pose such a significant threat that they have been called the Russians' "miracle weapon".
