Documents
Russia Sukhoi
Su-34
Side-by-side two-seat tactical bomber derived from the Su-27 Flanker family, purpose-built for deep strike with a heavily armored cockpit and long-range precision-strike avionics. Forms the core of Russia's fighter-bomber fleet and has seen extensive combat use.
In service since 2014 · 1 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
1,900
km/h
4,000
km range
15,000
m ceiling
8,000
kg payload
0.68
T/W
💲 ≈ $36,000,000, Estimated unit cost
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
Russian state channel
Rosoboronexport monopoly; Western sanctions exposure and payment/logistics risk for many buyers.
Channel: Rosoboronexport (state)
Fielded & proven
Limited · 1 operator
In service since 2014. Status: active · ~150 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
$90M – $126M
Acquisition is only ~30% of lifecycle cost, operating & support dominate over ~30 yrs. Rough 2.5–3.5× the unit price.
Interoperability
No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.
Derived guidance from public data, export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Compatible munitions & weapons
Publicly reported weapons the Su-34 can carry. Linked items have a full spec page.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 1,900 km/h Stronger than 18% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 1.8 Mach Stronger than 31% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 4,000 km Top 10% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 1,100 km Stronger than 56% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 15,000 m Stronger than 13% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 0.68 Bottom 1% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 12 Stronger than 86% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 8,000 kg Stronger than 63% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Armor
Armor technology: composite, modular, ERA-fitted, uranium-ceramic. Exact compositions are classified.
- Titanium-armored cockpit capsule
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- Khibiny EW suite, chaff, flares
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 23.3 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 14.7 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 6.09 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 22,500 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 39,000 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x Saturn AL-31FM1 afterburning turbofans
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 137 kN Stronger than 81% of fighters
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 12,100 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbofan
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- Sh141 forward and rear-facing radar suite
- Sensors
IRST, EO/IR turrets, laser designators, sniper pods, thermal sights.
- UOMZ Platan electro-optical targeting
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Unit cost
Approximate flyaway/unit cost where public. Defense pricing varies hugely by contract, offsets and configuration. Lower is cheaper.
- $36,000,000 Stronger than 71% of fighters
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 150 Stronger than 36% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 1 Stronger than 23% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Sukhoi and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations, treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
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See how it stacks up
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What is the top speed of the Sukhoi Su-34? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 has a maximum speed of 1,900 km/h.
What is the range of the Sukhoi Su-34? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 has a maximum range of 4,000 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Sukhoi Su-34? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 can carry up to 8,000 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Sukhoi Su-34 weigh? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 has a combat weight of 39,000 kg.
How many crew does the Sukhoi Su-34 require? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 requires a crew of 2.
What is the main armament of the Sukhoi Su-34? +
The Sukhoi Su-34's primary weapon is the 30 mm GSh-30-1 cannon.
What engine does the Sukhoi Su-34 use? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 is powered by the 2x Saturn AL-31FM1 afterburning turbofans.
What is the Sukhoi Su-34 used for? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 is a fighter aircraft typically used for deep strike, close air support.
How many countries operate the Sukhoi Su-34? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 is operated by 1 countries.
How much does the Sukhoi Su-34 cost? +
The Sukhoi Su-34 has an approximate unit cost of 36,000,000 USD. Defense pricing varies by contract, offsets and configuration, treat this as directional.
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