Eighteen years after its maiden flight, Russia is starting full production of the Su-34.
I doubt NATO is losing sleep over this announcement–the Su-34 celebrated her maiden flight back when Gorbachev was still in power. Though, in fairness, the aircraft does impress on the air show circuit. Check out the Fullback’s freaky aerial acrobatics routine:
After the MiG-29 and F-15s entered full production, the United States and Soviet Union each went down separate fighter development paths. The United States focused on stealth technology and radar, while the Soviets went for maneuverability (as demonstrated above). In the end, all that fancy flying is nice, but doesn’t really match up well against an invisible F-22 Raptor. The asking price isn’t bad though. At $36 million an airframe, Russia shouldn’t have any trouble with exports. Next up from Sukhoi, creepy looking X-29 knockoffs.
