In the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Su -34 fighter was quite controversial. This fighter has achieved some good results in the front line, and it is one of the few fighters in Russia that can still fly to the sky. On the other hand, fighters were shot down by Ukraine in large numbers on the battlefield. Many people think this fighter is fat, heavy and stupid.
Side by side two-seat design of Su -34
The most criticized thing about Su -34 is its side-by-side two-seat design. Among the fighters we often see, the pilots of twin-engine fighters are all sitting in the cockpit before and after, but this Su -34 is the pilot sitting side by side in the cockpit.
Side-by-side two-seat design is mostly used in large civil airliners, which is very rare in the fighter field. Because this design will seriously affect the pilot's dynamic visual acuity and reduce his battlefield perception. After all, flying a plane is not like the movie "Pacific Rim", and pilots can't enjoy thinking.
In Pacific Rim, a mecha pilot can see the information on one side of the battlefield, and he can enjoy it by thinking, so that another pilot can also see the information on one side of the battlefield. However, when the pilot on the left wants to look right, the fighter with parallel two-seat design will undoubtedly be blocked by the pilot on the right. The driver on the right has to tell the driver on the left what he saw, even if it is clear and accurate, it will take several seconds.
The more fighter planes with high requirements for pilots' battlefield awareness, the less they can engage in parallel two-seat design. Therefore, from ancient times to the present, all active air superiority aircraft have no such parallel two-seat design. If the design bureau of any country dares to do such fancy work on the air superiority plane, I'm afraid the junior officers of the Air Force will shout slogans such as "The enemy is in the design bureau" and "The thief follows".
The reason why Su -34 adopts the parallel two-seat design is essentially political. Su -34 is positioned in Russia as a fighter-bomber used in the front line, equipped to bomb the aviation units in the front line of Russia. As far as the role is concerned, Su -34 can do what Su -30 series fighters can do, so it seems that Russian frontline bombing aviation units can choose not to equip Su -34, but to equip Su -30 fighters.
But if the unit is really equipped with Su -30, can it still be considered as a front-line bombing aviation unit?
Therefore, with the Su -34 model, there will be their arms, the following establishment and officers of all sizes. This shows that the design of Su -34 is not for military purposes, but for political purposes.
Positioning of Su -34
In terms of positioning, this frontline bomber is the product of the "era of cheap fighters". This positioning shone brilliantly during World War II. During the Great Patriotic War, the Soviet Union used SB-2 bomber as a front-line bomber, which played an important role in shielding Soviet troops and attacking German ground targets.
The biggest advantage of SB-2 bomber is that it is cheap and can be mass-produced. Therefore, it will not be uncomfortable for the Soviet Union to hit the ground target and be shot down. As for the pilots on the plane, the Soviet Union sacrificed tens of millions of people in the Great Patriotic War, and this casualty is tolerable. Moreover, the SB-2 bomber is easy to control and it is not difficult to train pilots.
It is not difficult to see that the nature of frontline bombers is actually cheap and can be consumed in large quantities in the war. Su -34 is not cheap, which runs counter to the original intention of the establishment of the frontline bombing aviation unit. In order to improve the viability of this expensive front-line bomber, Russia also equipped it with thick armor.
This kind of armor can ensure that the Su -34 can escape unscathed under the condition of anti-aircraft machine guns, and individual anti-aircraft missiles also have a high probability of flying back to the base against a stinger. However, in the face of severe air defense system, it is difficult for Su -34 to guarantee its viability. The cost of the Su -34 also means that it is absolutely cost-effective to hit it with an air defense missile.
In contrast, America's F11combat opportunities are in line with the times. F 1 1 1 The unit price of fighter is less than100000 dollars (quoted in 1970s), which seems to be relatively expensive, but it is still relatively cheap compared with the US military that does not choose the best but only the most expensive. If you compare the unit price of Su-34 45-60 million dollars, it will be even cheaper.
In fact, with the progress of science and technology, it is almost meaningless to bomb the front line with fighter planes. Modern unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has the advantages of low cost and simple control. Moreover, UAV does not need an airport and can take off and land on the front line with complex terrain. Compared with Su -34 and F11,its battlefield adaptability is more in line with the original intention of "bombing aviation on the front line".
Function of Su -34 and Its Application in Battlefield
In the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Su -34 received great attention, mainly because of the air defense suppression of Ukraine. With the technical support of NATO, Russia has not completely destroyed Ukraine's air defense capability until now. Therefore, on the battlefield in Ukraine, the Russian Air Force flew cautiously, the ground of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine was fierce, and the sky was deserted.
When Russia needs to clear Ukrainian ground targets, it needs to dispatch Su -34. After all, this is at least a serious front-line bombing of aviation units, and throwing iron bombs is better than other Russian air force and army aviation units equipped with Su -30.
In addition, throwing iron bombs requires fighters to fly at low altitude and a large number of stinger missiles equipped in Ukraine, which makes the Su -30 afraid to fly. Su -34 has its own armor and can fly several times in the Ukrainian battlefield. This has also caused the Russian Su -34 to shine on the battlefield, and other fighters of the Russian Air Force have a weak presence on the battlefield.
Generally speaking, the only function of Su -34 now is to penetrate and throw iron bullets at low altitude, and attack enemy land targets and armored cluster troops. In Eurasia, the only battlefield suitable for this type of fighter is when steel is flooding in Europe, or when China and the Soviet Union broke out in the last century and the two sides fought in the North China Plain.
Among the big countries, only Russia, an "absolute land power", can barely use the Su -34. At present, China's main external threat comes from the sea, and the United States is also an "island country", so it does not need Su -34 fighters. Therefore, the application scope of Su -34 is very limited, and its side-by-side two-seat design is a less successful product in the military.