Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback : The Nightmare For Pakistan And China “If Inducted Into Indian Air Force”.
November 9, 2016
New Delhi: Indian Air Force is said to had noted and analysed the performance, capabilities and firepower demonstration of Russian Sukhoi Su-34 Fullback Fighter/Bomber aircraft during the period of its combat action in Syria, deployed by Russian Air Force for bombing of DAESH/ISIS targets. In addition to that, reports were there that Indian Air Force has showed its interest in the aircraft for any possible future acquisition.
It is no wonder that the Sukhoi-34 is the most advanced fighter and bomber aircraft in the inventory of Russian forces which has seen combat last year itself, the Fullback was intended to replace the increasingly decrepit inventory of Cold War-era Soviet Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft. Unlike the Fencer, Su-34 has managed to retain the legacy of famous Flanker design and flight performance while making the Fullback truly a strike aircraft. The Fullback is a fighter-cum-bomber aircraft that means it can carry air-to-air missiles for self-defense and ground attack munitions at the same time for ground targets thanks to its twelve hardpoints, thus the aircraft is capable of performing deep bombing roles without any dedicated escort aircraft.
Su-34 is powered by 2 x Saturn AL-31FM-1 afterburning turbofan engines each generating 132 kN of thrust, sufficient enough to achieve a maximum cruising speed of 1,900 km/h. The Sukhoi bureau has designed the aircraft keeping in mind various combat missions the modern warfare needs, hence the Fullback can perform deep tactical ground and maritime bombing roles in all weather conditions, combat air patrol (CAP) and reconnaissance missions as well, in addition to that aircraft can perform ‘SEAD and DEAD’ roles in highly protected hostile environment with counter-attack and electronic warfare countermeasures deployed.
Weapons Payload Package: The Su-34 has a maximum payload capacity of 17,600lbs (around 8 tons) with a maximum ferry range of 4,000 km. The weapons package includes guided and unguided munitions for ground and naval targets and air to air missile for aerial threats along with a variety of recon, EW and targeting pods as per mission requirement.
Ground Attack Munitions includes stand-off-range air-to-ground tactical munitions Kh-59ME/MK and KH-55 cruise missiles, Kh-31A, Kh-31P/R Anti Radiation Missiles, Kh-29T, Kh-29L guided missiles having different range and warhead for a variety of different ground and maritime targets. Furthermore, the Fullback can carry rockets pods, guided and unguided drop bombs and cluster bombs for carpet-bombing.
Air-to-Air Missiles: Su-34 carries Vympel R-73 “Archer” short-range air-to-air missile having a maximum target range of 35 km. For long range interception the aircraft carries Vympel R-77 “Adder” which has a maximum range of 110 km. In addition to that there are some air to air missiles currently under development and once operational will add more punch in the firepower of Fullback.
Sukhoi Su-34 “Roles in Indian Air Force ‘If Inducted’ into”.
There is no any possible perspective regarding the induction of Fullback into Indian Air Force, Still renowned defense expert Mr.M Guruswamy has figured out the roles of Sukhoi-34 Fullback when flown by Indian Air Force. As the aircraft has a maximum range of 4,000 km, to understand what its implication is, in case of hostilities, say the adversary was Pakistan. Now you can swing around all the way to Iran and then target its facilities from its western, unprotected flank. Just having a few Su-34 will pull them into a high spend spiral in deterrence infrastructure and technology. Or say you had a squadron (or even half) placed in the Andamans, and were China the adversary, you could swing down the South China Sea and attack its assets. Suddenly, any move against India would become a lot more painful. Not just that, one has tremendous reach for strategic interdiction all around.
But that is not all. This aircraft can also fulfill the function of an A-10 (minus the hallmark canon) in CAS roles. It has better countermeasures than a CAS plane, has equal protection to a CAS plane (the cockpit is a titanium tub) and has equal maneuverability to an A-10, thanks to its canards, without sacrificing speed. Beyond all, it can just be a munitions carrier. In a network centric environment, it can release smart munitions at safe distances while being directed from greater stealth sources. Thus, as more smarter munitions are developed, the greater the value of the plane increases over time.
Let us take this concept further. With specialized equipment this aircraft can turn into a more powerful Growler than the American EA-18G Growler. With the co-pilot being in next seat, the workload is distributed and decreased. Let us take this a step further. The Su-34 has the widest nose cone area which can be modified according to user specification. One can replace the PESA radar they have with a more advanced AESA radar. Thus not only increasing its capability but also making it a potent AEW platform. As conformal AESA capability increases, this could be a fast moving AEW platform to support a complement of Tejas, let’s say. Or it would provide much greater potency to a Jaguar strike.
CGI of Sukhoi-34 Fullback in Indian Air Force colors.
The story doesn’t end there. Su-34 is being developed into a fast ASW plane. Imagine the area it can then secure? And all this without having to set up fresh logistics infrastructure, because we already have them with the Su-30MKI. If modified according to Indian specifications, the Fullback provides solutions in close air support (CAS), Strategic Interdiction, Strategic Bombing, Naval Strike and many more roles where none of the aircraft exists today. Not to mention they are a lot more cost effective than other alternatives. They have been built to equal or outperform F-15 E Strike Eagles.
60 airframes of Su-34 Fullback and suddenly Indian Air Force has the capabilities which challengers/enemies can’t discount and it spikes their spend in deterrence. That spend is a drain in itself and “Would Be A Nightmare For Both Our Enemies China And Pakistan Equally.”
Article written by Khan Mubeen and Mohan Guruswamy for IADN.
Source Link: http://iadnews.in/2016/11/sukhoi-su...-inducted-into-indian-air-force/#.WCNm-Rwu6ut
