Recently, Ukraine inflicted a serious blow on the Russian air force and air defense! According to Ukrainian officials, on February 29, 2024, three Russian Su-34 fighters were shot down while dropping gliding bombs on Ukrainian infantry positions. None of the pilots were able to successfully eject when these planes were shot down.
To date, Ukraine has not announced the type of ** used, and Russia is silent about it. However, according to Singapore's defense minister, NATO has committed F-35** fighter jets on the battlefield in eastern Ukraine. Although the F-35s were not directly involved in real combat, they played the role of ** reconnaissance aircraft, helping to locate the Russian air defense system and transmit the coordinates of the Russian fighter to the Ukrainian air defense system.
This indirect involvement in combat makes the F-35 still a significant threat to the Russian Aerospace Forces. According to statistics, in late February alone, Russia lost a total of 13 warplanes, including 1 A-50U AWACS aircraft, 2 Su-35 and 10 Su-34. These losses not only caused more than $1 billion in economic damage, but also killed more than 30 pilots. This was a huge loss for Russia, and the successive losses of fighters also seriously affected the morale of the army. So, let's analyze why the Su-34 was shot down in a row.
The background of the birth of the Su-34 is worthy of our in-depth understanding. At that time, a theory called "deep warfare" was popular in the Soviet Union. In short, the theory does not aim to break through on all fronts, but to find the enemy's weak point on the front, launch a fierce attack on it, and then send troops deep into the enemy's rear to destroy its communication lines, warehouses and other key targets, so that the enemy loses supplies and support, so that it loses its resistance and easily achieves victory.
During World War II, in order to speed up the advance of troops, the Soviet Union often sent its air force to support ground forces with low-altitude firepower, the most commonly used of which was the "Il-2" attack aircraft. This aircraft destroyed a large number of German tanks on the battlefield, and was once called the "Black Death" by the German army.
After the end of World War II, the Soviet Union vigorously developed the military industry, and in order to keep the theory of "deep operations" up to date, they needed to develop a modern tactical-class bomber. However, the Soviet Union proposed the development of a new bomber in 1986, and as we all know, the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, so it can be said that the future of the Soviet Union was uncertain at that time. The USSR no longer had enough strength to develop a new bomber, so it could only modify the existing fighter to meet the requirements and become a bomber.
The Sukhoi Design Bureau made a comprehensive improvement based on the Su-27, including changes to the cockpit structure and a significant strengthening of the fuselage armor, and the Su-34 was born. However, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russian Air Force was short of funds, and it was not until 2006 that the Su-34 was delivered to the Russian Air Force.
In 2015, Russia participated in the Syrian civil war and sent the Russian Aerospace Forces to support the Syrian ** army, which was the first time that the Su-34 participated in the war. However, despite the Su-34's good airframe performance and thick armor, it suffered zero losses on the Syrian battlefield, and its large ammunition load also brought significant results. However, why was the Su-34 shot down frequently in the Russian-Ukrainian war?
First of all, the loss of air supremacy is a key factor! The Syrian opposition does not form a systematic air defense force, lacks early warning radars and anti-aircraft missiles and other equipment to counter air threats. Thus, the activities of the Su-34 in Syria can be described as "freewheeling", but in Ukraine the situation is very different. Ukraine's air defense system, although not as ideal, at least exists, and NATO is still supplying Ukraine with air defense systems.
Secondly, the design of the Su-34 was flawed. As a heavily armored model, the Su-34 is relatively less maneuverable, and it mainly conducts low-altitude flights and drops gliding bombs, which increases its vulnerability. Considering that the Su-34 has a history of 20 years from development to delivery to the Russian army, its ability to adapt to the battlefield has also been questioned.
Thirdly, the absence of AWACS aircraft is also a problem! The Russian army lost two A-50U AWACS aircraft in just two months, which led to the fact that the Russian army did not dare to let the AWACS aircraft perform their tasks again. Without the "clairvoyance" of the AWACS aircraft, the guidance capability of the fighter has been seriously affected, the mission completion rate of the Russian Aerospace Forces has been significantly reduced, and even the risk of being hit by missiles has increased.
The frequent destruction of the Su-34 is also a warning that we need to look at the equipment we have. In the event of a war, will we find ourselves in a situation similar to Russia? Is our ** equipment sufficient for war missions? No matter how advanced the equipment is, it must be constantly upgraded according to the needs of actual combat to ensure the victory of the PLA!