Hi guys.
First of all, it's not a fighter at all. It's a multifunctional tactical bomber. It can fight back, but it's primary role is different.
It's key advantage is an ability to perform long range, low-altitude sneaky runs with a two supersonic leaps on the route to break through an enemy AD.
Its combat radius is 1000km with a payload of 5 tons (8x500kg + 2xKhibiny-M ECCM pods on wingtips + 2xRVV-MD (R-77-1) + 2xRVV-SD (R-73/74)) on Low-Low-Low profile.
Noone from Indias AF planes garage can do this.
MKI can do it only subsonic and on Hi-Low-Hi profile.
Rafale? A-a
Only 4 pitty 250kg bombs and a lot of fuel tanks. And of course, subsonic only.
Mirage-2000? 2 pitty bombs on the same range, Hi-Low-Hi, no Low-Low-Low at all, subsonic.
Su-34 is designed to destroy high priority targets on operative and tactic ranges while enemy AD has not been suppressed yet.
It is aerodynamically adjusted for long-range high-speed (sub and supersonic) low-altitude operations.
It has an enormous amount of fuel (it is crucial for LR LA operations because of high drag and turbulence in LA flight) and special stabilization algorythms in control system to reduce turbulence impact.
And also it has brilliant and wery powerful electronic surveillance and suppression suite making it compatible to EA-18G Growler in SEAD/DEAD roles. It can sneak on low profile to make it a little closer to long-range AD positions and fire Kh-58UShK anti-radar missile which range is 90-100 km starting from LA and 240km starting from MA/HA.
And SEAD/DEAD is the second Su-34 primary role in Russian AF.
The third main role is euro-strategic convention and nuclear strike and naval anti-carrier and anti-shipping operations which are on Tu-22M3 now. But Backfires are aging and too large for the navy needs, so...
Americans and Europeans have incepted the world with an illusion that they would strike any enemy as on the training ground, doing it from medium altitudes and having enough time to mark their targets.
But they forget this doesn't work when you fight with an equal opponent
When your foe has complex network-centric AD, you won't act like on training. You will sneak and run, then strike and then sneak and run back.
Su-34 is a strike aircraft to fight in a big war against serious foes.