Carrying an 8 tonne warload, it has a combat radius of 1,130km at low level and a maximum unrefuelled ferry range of 4,500km. The Su-34 long-range fighter-bomber (istrebitel bombardirovshchik) is a sophisticated derivative of the Su-27. In a unique provision for long-range flight, the cabin is of such dimensions that the crew can walk about upright inside it it is equipped with a toilet, and with a level of pressurisation that allows the crew to work unmasked. Similar armour protection is also disposed around the fuel tanks and engines. The elegant nose section contains a side-by-side cabin for the two crew members the cabin is armoured, with up to 17mm of titanium to give protection against conventional antiaircraft fire at low levels. The robust undercarriage allows the use of unsurfaced runways. As with ‘Ilya Muromets’, Su-34 betrays some peculiarly Russian characteristics. The ‘frontal’ bomber of the 1970s was the Su-24, whose nominated successor is the Su-34. Strategic bombers, classed as long-range and, later, intercontinental, were designed to attack targets beyond the boundaries of one or more theatres of military operations. Tactical, or so-called Frontal, bombers were tasked with attacking targets located in the operational-tactical depth of a Front, in other words at ranges beyond the reach of fighter- bombers. In Soviet and Russian habit, bomber aircraft have been divided into two basic categories.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |