Service acceptance closer, but deliveries to replace Su-24s could take 15 more years
Service acceptance trials for the Sukhoi Su-34 strike aircraft are almost complete, but deliveries of the aircraft to replace the Su-24 could take as long as 15 years. “The tests showed that the new aircraft is highly effective owing to its new weapons suite,” Russian air force commander-in-chief Vladimir Mikhailov said on 11 August.
“The replacement will be organised alongside with the modernisation of Su-24s, which will be scrapped in 15 years,” Mikhailov said.
Mikhailov said that the Su-34’s avionics were modernised in the course of the tests.
“The initial set of equipment was replaced with more effective systems also used in our Su-27SM fighters,” he said.
The Su-34, formerly known by the interim designation Su-27IB, has been undergoing prolonged development since the mid-1990s, but lack of funding and the aircraft’s high cost have meant that the air force has not been able to procure the type in quantity.
It is thought that only around a dozen airframes exist, which have been used for evaluation purposes.
Source: Flight International
