Russian military gets new batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers

Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation has delivered a new batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces, the second batch of the jets handed over this year, the company’s parent, state defense conglomerate Rostec, said.

Rostec did not say how many aircraft were in the batch. Photos and video released by UAC show at least two jets and possibly four, defense analyst Guy Plopsky noted, pointing to different weather conditions between the first two and last two images.

The aircraft completed the full cycle of ground and flight factory tests before leaving for their units, Rostec said. The Su-34 is built at the Chkalov aircraft plant in Novosibirsk, the type’s only production site.

“This aircraft combines the capabilities of a fighter and a bomber and can strike ground, surface and air targets, including in difficult weather conditions and under active air defense opposition. Thanks to the large capacity of its internal fuel tanks and economical engines, the Su-34 can perform non-stop flights lasting up to 10 hours without loss of crew performance,” said a Su-34 crew commander with the Russian Aerospace Forces, quoted by Rostec without being named.

Rostec said the jet continues to be upgraded based on its combat use in the war in Ukraine and that new batches of Su-34s are already in production.

The first Su-34 batch of 2026 was delivered on July 9, alongside Su-30SM2 fighters, following a final 2025 handover on December 10. Rostec announced seven Su-34 deliveries in 2025. By the start of 2026, Russia’s air force had received 212 Su-34s, including 18 delivered in 2025, counting seven prototype and pre-production aircraft.

The Su-34, known to NATO as Fullback, is a two-seat, twin-engine strike aircraft developed from the Su-27 that replaced the older Su-24 in Russian service. Russian forces have used it heavily during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to drop guided glide bombs on Ukrainian positions and cities from standoff range, and it has been among the Russian aircraft lost most often in the war.