On Tuesday, August 12, 2025, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), part of the state-owned Rostec corporation, announced that it had delivered the third batch this year of modernized Su-34M/NVO frontline bombers (NATO reporting name: Fullback) to the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation (VKS). The first delivery took place on April 19, followed by the next on July 10.
Photos: UAC
According to the press release, the aircraft have joined the fleet of operational-tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces. They were produced under this year’s state order for weapons and equipment for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.
“The Su-34 frontline bomber has long established itself as the best in its class. The aircraft’s capabilities allow pilots to operate effectively in theaters of war and to employ both unguided and guided munitions. The aircraft is in demand under modern combat conditions; our aircraft factories have increased production rates and are ensuring regular deliveries of equipment to the troops,” said Rostec Executive Director Oleg Yevtushenko.
The new aircraft, whose exact number was not disclosed (two units are shown in the attached photographs – editor’s note), underwent a full cycle of factory testing at the V. Chkalov Novosibirsk Aircraft Production Association (NAPO) in Novosibirsk, were checked in various operating modes, and were redeployed to an undisclosed home airfield.
“As part of fulfilling the objectives set by the Russian Minister of Defense regarding the delivery of weapons and equipment to the armed forces, crews of the Aerospace Forces have received Su-34 aircraft. This aircraft has many advantages, including a wide range of weaponry. It is highly maneuverable and easy to fly,” said a Su-34 pilot from the Aerospace Forces.
“Fulfilling its obligations to the Russian Ministry of Defense, UAC delivers aviation equipment on time and in full. Additional batches of other types of aircraft are also being prepared. We are proud that our aircraft help carry out combat missions and ensure the country’s defense capabilities,” said UAC CEO Vadim Badekha (Russia: Third Su-35S Delivery of the Year).
Last year, UAC carried out three deliveries of modernized Su-34M/NVO aircraft: on December 23 (together with additional Su-57s), November 25, and April 5. In 2023, the Aerospace Forces received two batches of Su-34M/NVO aircraft (on June 1 and October 9).
Under the first three-year annex, deliveries were to include 24 units. The first six aircraft were handed over to the customer as early as November and December 2021. After the outbreak of the full-scale war with Ukraine on February 24, 2022, information on the size of the delivered batches ceased to be released. Still, according to Russian media, they amounted to 10 units in three tranches. An additional annex for aircraft was signed in August 2022.
Interestingly, the Russians now claim that Su-34 production has more than doubled over the past two years. It is estimated that, before the start of the full-scale war, production stood at 14–18 units per year, fell to above 10 in 2022, and dropped to just 6 in 2023. However, exact figures are unknown due to the new information policy. This would mean that Russia has returned to its pre-war production level.
Under a multi-year framework agreement from June 2020, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation ordered the delivery of at least 76 modernized Su-34M/NVO tactical bombers, developed under the research and development program codenamed Sych. The contract stipulated deliveries of 8–14 aircraft per year, with completion scheduled between 2022 and 2027.
As for the Su-34, in recent times, Russia has lost as many as six units in combat operations and accidents (two of them damaged):
- On June 27, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), together with the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (SOF AFU), carried out a drone strike on the Marinovka airbase in the Volgograd region, destroying two and damaging two bombers.
- On June 9, Ukrainian forces attacked the Savasleyka airbase in the Nizhny Novgorod region, hitting two combat aircraft: a MiG-31K and either a Su-30 or a Su-34.
- On July 1, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported an accident near the town of Kulebaki in the Nizhny Novgorod region in the western part of the country.
If these losses are confirmed, the total losses of these aircraft will amount to approximately 50 units out of a total of 60, including accidents and damaged aircraft. The exact number of aircraft remaining in service is challenging to estimate due to the Russian Ministry of Defense’s tightened information policy, which no longer reports the volume of current aircraft deliveries from production plants. It is believed that Russia may have fewer than 100 Su-34s and more than 22 modernized Su-34M/NVOs.