Podlodka77 Wed Apr 13, 2022 10:46 am
Su-34 is changing profession: bomber crews will be taught to shoot down planes
The pilot training program will include high-altitude air combat in the stratosphere
The standard training program for pilots of the IV++ Su-34 generation multipurpose aircraft will be expanded. Their crews will be taught to conduct air combat at high altitudes and at supersonic speeds, sources in the defense department told Izvestia. At the same time, the aircraft will use not only modern, but also promising medium and long-range aviation missiles. Its fighter capabilities will allow it to intercept enemy bombers and guided weapon carriers. The combat vehicle will be able to defend itself on its own, especially at long distances, when it is impossible to cover it with fighters, experts say. During the operation in Syria, these “dryers” have already had to fly with weapons intended for air combat.
Expanding competencie
Previously, the Su-34 was used exclusively as a strike aircraft to destroy ground and sea targets, and cover other bombers with electronic warfare. The military reported only rare exercises with its crews using close air combat missiles and installing air-to-air weapons in Syria for self-defense.
On the eve of the press service of the Ministry of Defense announced that in the Central Military District with Su-34 aircraft, for the first time, training was conducted on action in the lower layers of the stratosphere. The pilots gained a height of 15 km and worked out the detection and destruction of an air enemy at supersonic speed. At the same time, they acted independently, without "tips" from ground-based air defense systems.
Unlike the Su-24M, the Ministry of Defense classifies the Su-34 as a fighter-bomber. It was repeatedly exhibited with the same air-to-air missiles as fighters. As part of its ammunition, short-range infrared R-73s and more powerful R-27s with semi-active radar guidance are declared. Information was also made public about the possibility of using the latest R-77s on them, capable of hitting air targets at a distance of up to 110 km.
Now the Aerospace Forces has about 130 Su-34 units. This year, the construction of the first batch of 24 modernized aircraft of this type ordered by the Ministry of Defense began. Among its differences, the developers announced more powerful and diverse weapons.
As Izvestia previously reported, a record contract for several thousand R-77-1 medium-range air-to-air missiles worth 66 billion rubles is currently being executed. Its implementation will allow the defense department to eliminate the shortage of such ammunition and equip squadrons armed not only with the latest Su-57 and Su-35 fighters, but also with other models of aircraft.
“Despite the fact that the Su-34 is a front-line bomber with an extended range, it has the capabilities of a fighter,” Lieutenant General Valery Gorbenko, former commander of the 4th Air Force and Air Defense Army, told Izvestia. - There is nothing particularly difficult in this. Starting with Su-17 aircraft, we trained in shooting at air targets. Fighter-bombers will not carry out air defense functions, but they will be able to protect themselves when performing combat missions, the expert added.
“This is a powerful high-altitude supersonic aircraft that, at an altitude of up to 15 km, will be able to use air-to-air missiles when meeting with enemy fighters,” he added. - The Su-34 is quite maneuverable, it can perform all aerobatics and even conduct dogfights. It is, of course, heavier than specialized fighters, and this specificity must be taken into account when training crews. If the car will go with a full bomb load, it will be difficult for him.
In theory, bombers should be escorted by fighters. In practice, forces are not always enough to cover them. The Su-34 can perform a combat mission autonomously, independently defending itself from enemy aircraft. And if necessary, he can also use weapons against bombers, concluded Valery Gorbenko.
Fighter Forces
The Su-34 began to be designed back in the late 80s of the last century, based on the latest Su-27 fighter at that time. From him, the new bomber inherited powerful AL-31F turbojet engines with afterburners. They allow the aircraft to overcome the sound barrier, and at high altitudes they accelerate it to a speed of 1,900 km / h. The machine received an advanced multifunctional radar Sh-141, capable of detecting not only ground, but also air targets. In the sky, an enemy bomber or transport aircraft, a fighter-bomber is able to "see" at a distance of up to 250 km.
In addition to a wide range of conventional and guided munitions, the Su-34 is equipped with an aircraft cannon and can carry up to six short- or medium-range air-to-air missiles. A unique feature that distinguishes the car from any other domestic fighters and front-line bombers has become a completely redesigned cockpit compared to the Su-27. In it, the pilot and navigator sit shoulder to shoulder. The increased dimensions gave the aircraft a characteristic appearance, for which the Su-34 received the unofficial nickname "duckling". They also improved the comfort of the crew on long-hour flights and made it possible to place a bathroom and a kitchenette on board.
To attack the enemy from extremely low altitudes, the car received a serious reservation for the cockpit. The total weight of the aircraft reaches one and a half tons. This is enough to protect the crew and vital units from small arms fire from the ground.
Since the beginning of the Russian operation in Syria, Su-34s have been constantly used there. They became the main "specialists" in the use of high-precision weapons. During the most intense hostilities against ISIS (the terrorist group is banned on the territory of Russia), the number of such aircraft at the Khmeimim airbase reached 14 units at the same time.
After a Turkish F-16 fighter shot down a Russian Su-24M over Syria on November 24, 2015, short and medium-range air-to-air missiles began to be suspended under the Su-34 bombers for self-defense. But soon this practice was stopped, and then they were again used only as shock machines.
Anton Lavrov
https://vpk.name/news/454091_su-34_menyaet_professiyu_ekipazhi_bombardirovshikov_nauchat_sbivat_samolety.html?new#new
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