More than 10% of the Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback fighter-bomber fleet of the Russian Aerospace Forces (RuASF) is said to have been lost during combat operations over Ukraine. Ukraine almost succeeded in its plan to 'steal' a Su-34 fighter from Russia, and a pilot was offered $1M to defect with his jet.
The Su-34 Fullback is a twin-seater, supersonic fighter bomber, and the aircraft can operate in all weather conditions. It is designed and manufactured by Sukhoi, derived from the company’s Flanker series of fighter jets.
The Sukhoi Su-34 fighter aircraft has been instrumental in attacking Ukrainian positions, with an average of 140 sorties daily, and has been labeled as one of the most powerful fighters used by Russia in the Ukraine war.
In the early stages of the war, this ‘frontal bomber’ was used to conduct fighter sweeps and strike missions up to 300 kilometers inside Ukrainian territory at altitudes ranging from 12,000 to 30,000 feet, RUSI scholars noted.
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