Photos of a Russian Su-34 strike fighter flying in a brand new desert brown and yellow color scheme, which has not been seen within the Russian Armed Forces, has fuelled appreciable hypothesis concerning the chance that the plane could have been constructed for export. The fighter class has not been exported up to now, however has seen its manufacturing scale greater than doubled since 2022. Most main potential overseas shoppers for the Su-34 have desert climates and paint their fighters in applicable camouflage schemes, with the Algerian Air Power having lengthy been seen because the probably shopper for the plane. Unconfirmed stories of deliberate Algerian orders for the Su-34 have emerged from numerous sources for the reason that mid-2010s, with the nation being the most important overseas operator of the category’ fast predecessor the Su-24M, of which an estimated 36 are at present in service. Algeria is the second largest shopper for Russian armaments solely after India, and has for the reason that starting of the last decade procured MiG-29M, Su-30MKA and Su-35 fighters for its fleet as a part of a complete modernisation effort.
Apart from Algeria, the Syrian Air Power, the Sudanese Air Power and the Iranian Air Power have been all thought-about doable shoppers to acquire the Su-34 to complement or change their Su-24 fleets. The overthrow the Syrian authorities by Islamist insurgents backed by Turkey and different Western-aligned actors in December 2024, nonetheless, has ended this risk, with the Syrian Air Power having subsequently all however ceased to exist. The Sudanese Air Power stays a possible shopper, significantly after its Su-24M fleet took losses to drone strikes by Speedy Help Forces paramilitaries, though the nation’s skill to finance orders stays unsure. Though Iranian officers have confirmed that orders have been positioned for Su-35 air superiority fighters, there have been no signifies that procurement of the Su-34 have been deliberate to interchange its ageing strike fighters. This leaves the Algerian Air Power as by far the probably shopper, and after receiving its first Su-35s in March, the service is scheduled to additionally start receiving Su-57 fifth era fighters earlier than the tip of the yr. The Su-34 the heaviest and longest ranged class of fighter in manufacturing anyplace on the earth as we speak, and has been extremely prized within the Ukrainian theatre for its skill to ship very giant ordinance payloads.
Among the many notable armaments utilized by the Su-34 are the very giant FAB-3000 3000 kilogram glide bomb and the ODAB-500 500 kilogram glide bomb, with the latter utilizing particular thermobaric warheads nicely optimised for neutralising nicely fortified positions. Commenting on using glide bombs, a number of Ukrainian personnel in January 2024 knowledgeable the New York Instances that new Russian strikes imposed “extra devastating energy,” and with 500 kilograms of explosives may thus obliterate their underground bunkers. One serviceman in contrast the affect of Russian glide bomb strikes to “hell’s gates,” noting that the Russian Air Power “would ship them two by two by two, eight in an hour… It appears like a jet coming down on you.” Procuring the Su-34 would considerably enhance Algerian strike and shut air help capabilities, with the choice to order the plane doubtless having been influenced by assessments of its efficiency within the Ukrainian theatre. An export deal can also embrace the gross sales of specialist variants of the Su-34 which have been developed for digital warfare or reconnaissance roles.
