Recently, a report in the Russian media caught my attention: "The production of Su-35 fighters in the Russian army has doubled." As an ordinary person who is quite interested in military affairs, I can't help but wonder why Russia has doubled down on the production of the Su-35 while not mentioning the Su-34 at all? What are the differences between these two fighters, and how do they perform in actual combat?
Russian Su-35 fighter
Su-35 fighter
First of all, let's understand the basics of the Su-35 and Su-34 fighters. The Su-35 is a relatively advanced fighter that is used in air-to-air combat and plays the role of a "guard with a knife" in the air. The Su-34, on the other hand, is a fighter-bomber that is more focused on ground attack and strike missions. The Su-35 is considered to be the advanced level of Russian fighter technology, and is usually described as a 4++ generation fighter, which means infinitely close to the fifth generation fighter. The Su-34 was designed on the basis of the Su-27, but with a large number of modifications to suit the role of a "thug".
So, why is the production of the Su-35 doubling? An important reason may be the performance in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. According to reports, the Su-35 also suffered losses in the early stages of the conflict, but its losses were much smaller than those of the Su-34. According to foreign media reports, between February and April 2022, the Russian Air Force lost only six Su-35s, compared to 17 aircraft of similar models in the same time.
"Patriot" anti-aircraft missile
In real combat, the Su-34, due to the characteristics of performing ground strike missions, often needs to fly very low, which makes it more vulnerable to surface-to-air missile systems. In fact, the Ukrainian military recently successfully used surface-to-air missile systems to shoot down 4 Su-34s. The Su-35 has stronger survivability in the air than the Su-34 because of its high-speed performance and flexibility.
Suspected wreckage of the downed Su-35.
Of course, this does not mean that the Su-34 does not have its unique value. As a fighter-bomber, the Su-34 has its own unique advantages in performing ground strike missions. But from the point of view of the Russian military, it may be considered more urgent to increase the number of fighters for air superiority in the current strategic context.
Su-34 flying with a bomb
Dear netizens, what do you think of this decision? What do you think the Su-35 and Su-34 play in modern warfare? Welcome to share your views and opinions in the comment area and discuss this interesting topic together!
Su-35 fighter