Though advanced, Russia’s Su-34s face growing threats from Ukrainian pilots’ increasing skills and jamming of Russian glide bombs using electronic warfare.
With improved tactics, Ukraine aims to neutralize the Su-34’s heavy bombing capability, reducing its battlefield effectiveness and undermining Russian air power. This intensifying aerial confrontation could significantly influence the war’s future course.
Ukrainian Air Force pilots who fly the F-16 Fighting Falcon are becoming more courageous and highly skilled with their fighters. The F-16s had previously been laying back and only engaging Russian cruise missiles, but their aviators are pushing the jets harder to engage more with enemy jets. The Ukrainians have shot down the vaunted Russian Su-34 Fullback in the past.
However, there have been no recent reports of the destruction of the enemy fighter-bombers because the Russian air force is likely holding them out of dogfighting range for safety.
In late October of last year, a second Su-34 was shot down – most likely by a Ukrainian F-16. The Su-34 is a $42 million jet.
The destroyed Su-34 was making a run with a high explosive glide bomb 31 miles from the frontlines on October 12, according to a Telegram channel recounted by the Kyiv Post.
The downed jet hit the ground and burst into flames east of the Ukrainian city Kramatorsk, in the eastern Donbas. Both the pilot and co-pilot were killed.
Tackling the Su-34 Fullback
The Su-34 is one of Russia’s best fighter jets. It has multi-role capabilities for aerial combat and ground strikes.
Losing even one of the Fullbacks to enemy F-16s embarrasses Russia.
These fighter-bombers have been launching glide bombs for months, although the Ukrainians have figured out how to jam the vicious bombs.
Was the Crash Due to an F-16?
However, the downing of the Su-34 in mid-October may have been a crash due to other activity and not shot down by the F-16, according to some Russian mil-bloggers.
Nevertheless, losing any Su-34 is a message to Vladimir Putin’s air force that Russia still does not have complete air superiority after three years of warfare.
The Su-34 Is Great at Dropping Heavy Bombs
The Su-34 is still making surface strikes against Ukrainian positions. The Fullbacks are hitting pay dirt at targets in Gulyaypole, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, as of March 3.
They are using “FAB-1500 and FAB-500 aerial bombs equipped with universal planning and correction modules,” according to the pro-Russian publication BulgarianMilitary.com.
FAB-1500 and FAB-500 are heavy bombs that are around 13 feet long and 19 inches in diameter. The warhead can weigh as much as 1,500 pounds.
The blast creates deadly fragmentation, and they can penetrate underground to hit fortified bunkers and command and control centers.
More About the Su-34
The Su-34 Fullback is a high-quality airplane. It is a twin-engine double-seater.
The Su-34 has been active in the Russian air force since 2014. It was developed as an improvement to the Su-27 Flanker airframe.
The Su-34 comes equipped with a 30mm GSh-301 gun. It can carry the aforementioned heavy bombs, plus a full complement of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles along with anti-ship projectiles and anti-radar munitions. There is an electro-optical fire control system and a forward-looking infrared pod.
“First production aircraft are powered by two after-burning NPO Saturn AL-31F turbofan engines. Later aircraft may be fitted with MMPP Salyut AL-31F-M2/3 or NPO Saturn 117 engines. They are mounted under the wing and are equipped with all-duty fixed geometry air intakes. A rotor protection installed in the air intakes provides protection against the ingestion of foreign objects,” according to Airforce-Technology.com.
These powerplants push out a top speed of MACH 1.6 with a range of 2,500 miles.
While the F-16s that Ukraine flies are older models, they have become more effective over the skies in Ukraine. Any Su-34 lost is a hindrance to the Russian war effort.
The F-16 pilots are more daring as they fly additional missions. While the Fighting Falcon has no reported kills this year that have reached the Ukrainian media, there is always a threat that a Ukrainian air force pilot could win a dogfight against the Su-34.
How to Jam Those Dangerous Glide Bombs
One way the Ukrainians are curtailing Su-34 use is by jamming the deadly glide bombs.
At one point, Russia was using at least 100 glide bombs a day along the frontlines in the Donbas region. The satellite-guided KAB or UMPK glide bombs have been especially deadly.
After a large glide bomb attack sends the Ukrainians scrambling, the Russians mount frontal assaults of armor and infantry with supporting fire from artillery. This technique slowly takes ground from Ukraine.
Now, the Ukrainians are using radio jammers at the front lines. This keeps the glide bombs from linking to the Russian GLONASS satellite array – their answer to GPS. The practice keeps many glide bombs from hitting their target.
It will be interesting to see if the Su-34 can still bomb with the FAB-500 and 1500 models or revert to the less effective glide bombs.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian F-16 pilots will continue to get better. This is not good news for the Su-34, and it is looked at as less effective in dogfighting and bombing runs.
This is just what the Ukrainians want.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for U.S. Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former U.S. Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
