Caption 1: Su-34 fighter-bomber
Photo caption 2: The latest satellite photographs show no noticeable damage to the Morozovsk base.
This newspaper's special correspondent is Chenyang
After the Ukrainian military launched large-scale air strikes on many bases of the Russian Aerospace Forces on the 5th, it claimed that "a large number of Russian fighters", including Su-34 and Tu-95, were "damaged in the air strikes". The results of this rare large-scale drone attack by the Ukrainian army are different from the outside world, but it is generally accepted that the Ukrainian army's move intends to weaken the bombing capabilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces in order to reduce the huge pressure on the ground forces of the Ukrainian army on the front line.
Russian airfields were attacked one after another
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) website said on the 6th that Ukrainian sources revealed that the Ukrainian National Security Service and the Ukrainian military launched drones to attack a number of Russian Aerospace Forces bases in the early morning of the 5th, causing damage to more than ten Russian fighters. "Ukrainska Pravda", citing anonymous sources in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said that the Russian military bases attacked included Morozovsk airbase in Rostov region, Engels airbase in Saratov region and Yeysk airbase in Krasnodar region. According to Ukrainian sources, at least six Su-34 fighter-bombers were destroyed and eight were seriously damaged at the Morozovsk airbase; three Tu-95 strategic bombers at the Engels base may have been "seriously damaged" in the air strikes, and seven Russian personnel were killed; and two Su-25 fighters at the Yeisk base were completely destroyed and four Russian personnel died.
The report noted that neither Ukrainian nor Russian officials have issued a positive response to this. The Russian Ministry of Defense issued a notice on the 5th, saying that the Russian side thwarted the Ukrainian army's attempt to use drones to attack Russia in the early morning of the same day. Russian air defense systems shot down 53 Ukrainian drones, 44 of which were shot down in the Rostov region. Governor of the Rostov region, Golubev, revealed on social media on the 5th that a Ukrainian drone shot down by Russia exploded near an airport in the region, resulting in eight injuries. The American website "Power" noted that the social media accounts of the Russian Aerospace Forces revealed that the Morozovsk base was affected due to the drone attack of the Ukrainian army, but the fighters deployed at the base were evacuated in advance and were not damaged. "It was only during the subsequent clean-up operation that there was a secondary explosion, which injured some people".
According to the report, the Engels base is used by Russian long-range bombers, and Yeysk is the location of Russian naval aviation, which also plays an important role in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, so they have all been attacked by Ukrainian drones. But what is of particular concern is the loss of the Morozovsk base. The base, located not far from the Sea of Azov, is the main operational hub of the Russian army's air operations against Ukraine. According to the American website "Power", this is the location of the 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment of the Russian Aerospace Forces, which has been deploying three squadrons of Su-34 fighter-bombers since 2013. In addition, a smaller number of Su-30SM and Su-35 multirole fighters are temporarily deployed at the base.
The British "Sky" news network said on the 6th that Ukrainian military sources revealed that the reason why the Ukrainian army wanted to carry out a "coordinated strike" on the Russian Aerospace Forces base overnight was to destroy the Russian fighters deployed here. The source said that the focus of the operation was on Su-34 fighter-bombers, which are the main force of air strikes on the front-line troops of the Ukrainian army, "The Morozovsk military airfield has powerful Su-34 fighter-bombers, which can bomb the front-line troops of Ukraine." This attack by the Ukrainian army will weaken the ability of the Russian army to carry out such bombardments in the future and help the front-line units of the Ukrainian army reduce the threat from the air in order to repel the offensive of the Russian ground forces. ”
The "Power" website said on the 6th that satellite photos showed that before the Ukrainian drone attack, a total of 29 fighters were parked on the apron of the Morozovsk base. The latest satellite photographs show that the number of fighter jets deployed at the base has not changed since the attack, and there is no significant damage to the warplanes or the base's infrastructure. "The Ukrainian army's attack on the Morozovsk base this time does not seem to be successful, but this does not mean that similar attacks will be the same in the future. The capabilities of Ukrainian long-range suicide drones are increasing at a surprising rate. ”
Why specifically for the Su-34?
Regardless of the results of the Ukrainian army's air raid on the Morozovsk base, it is certain that the Su-34 fighter-bombers deployed here have become a "thorn in the side" of the Ukrainian army. According to the "Bulgarian Military" website, the Su-34 is one of the derivative models of the Su-27 fighter, which inherits the excellent aerodynamic design of the Su-27 family, but adopts advanced avionics and strengthens the fuselage structure to meet the needs of a large number of precision-guided weapons. In addition, to facilitate communication between the pilot and the operator of the weapon system, the Su-34 also had an uncommon side-by-side two-seat layout, due to which the nose appeared flattened, which received the nickname "Platypus".
According to the Russian satellite network, since December last year, pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces have begun large-scale training in dropping aerial bombs equipped with the Universal Planning and Correction Module (UMPC). The UMPC is actually what the West often calls a precision-guided gliding bomb kit, which can be converted into a gliding bomb that can perform precision strike missions by installing a collapsible wing and control system on a traditional free-fall bomb. Since the end of last year, Su-34 fighter-bombers have widely used 250 kg, 500 kg and 1500 kg "smart gliding bombs" on the front line. According to the source, "part of the Su-34 fighter-bombers was recently transferred to a training center of the Russian Aerospace Forces and will be used for large-scale training of pilots in the use of UMPC aerial bombs, a precision-guided weapon that has previously proven its capabilities during the special military operation in Ukraine." This move will intensify the use of 'smart aerial bombs' against Ukrainian military targets in the special military operation. Sergei Chemezov, president of Rostec, said that Su-34 fighter-bombers often use such bombs against Ukrainian military targets during the special military operation, "and it is very efficient and relatively low-cost." So far, they have destroyed hundreds of military targets in Ukraine. ”
The Russian Ministry of Defense has also repeatedly released war reports, praising the key role played by the Su-34 in the battle. "Su-34 fighter-bombers perform daily tasks during the special military operation to kill the living forces of the enemy's build-up, destroy strongholds and military facilities. In December last year, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared that "Su-34 fighter-bombers in the Redman direction during the special military operation struck enemy command posts and concentrations of living forces and equipment." The pilots used UMPC-equipped aerial bombs to carry out bombing missions without entering the enemy's air defense zone, completing precision strikes on targets."
In addition, the Russian army also confirmed that the Su-34 launched the "Dagger" hypersonic missile for the first time last year to attack Ukrainian targets. Previously, only MiG-31K interceptors and Tu-22M3 strategic bombers with special equipment were used for this purpose. TASS quoted a source in the Russian Ministry of Defense as saying that the Russian pilots who completed the task also received state awards for this.
In February this year, the video provided by the Russian Ministry of Defense showed that the Su-34 destroyed the command post of the Ukrainian army with UMPC aerial bombs in the direction of Kupyansk. On April 4, the Russian Ministry of Defense also confirmed for the first time that the Su-34 used ODAB-500 thermobaric bombs to launch strikes on the living forces of the Ukrainian army, and "the Ukrainian army cannot dodge such bombs with the help of trenches or bunkers." According to the report, the ODAB-34 thermobaric bomb dropped by the Su-500 is equipped with UMPC, which first releases the liquid component of the explosion that forms a gas mist cloud after activation, and then produces a high-temperature explosion with a powerful shock wave when detonated, and then pours into trenches, bunkers and other fortifications to destroy the enemy. Each Su-34 can carry four of these bombs, and the video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows four ODAB-500 bombs dropped from the Su-34 one after another.
How much is left of the Russian Su-34
In the face of the serious air threat posed by the Su-34, the Ukrainian army carried out targeted strikes. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in 2022, due to the shortage of precision-guided munitions in the Russian army, the Su-34 could only bomb in the mode of dropping conventional ammunition in the air, and was repeatedly shot down by Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles. After adopting the new tactics of launching gliding bombs outside the range of Ukrainian anti-aircraft missiles, the battle damage of the Russian Su-34 improved for a while, but the Ukrainian army then changed its strategy and used anti-aircraft missile active attacks and drone attacks to destroy Russian Su-34 and other fighters many times. According to the statistics of the Ukrainian Air Force, since the beginning of 2024, the Ukrainian army has shot down two Russian A-50 AWACS aircraft, 12 Su-34 fighter-bombers and two Su-35 multi-role fighters. According to the latest statistics from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, as of March 2024, the Russian Aerospace Forces still have about 100 Su-35s, more than 100 Su-34s and 7 A-50Us, indicating that these actions of the Ukrainian army are not enough to seriously weaken the front-line bombing capabilities of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
In view of the outstanding performance of the Su-34, the Russian army is also accelerating the creation of this fighter with an important battlefield role. On July 10 last year, Rostec said it had "doubled" the production of Su-34 and Su-35 fighters in order to meet the needs of the special military operation in Ukraine. On April 5 this year, Russia's United Aviation Manufacturing Corporation revealed that the Russian Aerospace Forces had received the first batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers delivered this year. "Within the framework of the fulfillment of the state defense order, the first batch of Su-34 fighter-bombers this year has been delivered to the Russian Aerospace Forces. This batch of aircraft was manufactured by the Novosibirsk Aviation Plant, and after completing a series of factory tests, they were delivered to the customer. ”▲