MOSCOW -Sukhoi has delivered the first batch of Su-34 frontline bombers to the Russian Ministry of Defense under the 2015 State Defense Order.
The company has been supplying the nation's armed forces with a steady stream of Su-34s since 2006 when the first two units were handed over. Plans call for a total of 120 to be acquired. The Su-34 will eventually replace all 10 regiments of Su-24s, with the former being phased out in the 2020s.
Last year, Sukhoi delivered two more units than originally intended under the 2014 State Defense Order.
The Su-34 is a two-seat fighter-bomber produced by Sukhoi's NAPO, with an estimated price tag of $37.1 million per unit. The fighter has a takeoff weight of 45 tons, with a maximum unfueled range of 4,000 kilometers.
Poweris provided by two Saturn AL-31F engines.
The aircraft is armed with one 30mm GSh-301 cannon and is capable of carrying the AA-11 Archer air-to-air missiles, as well as the AA-12 Adder. Other missiles in the air-to-surface configuration include the AS-10 Karen, the AS-18 Kazoo, and the AS-17 Krypton.