Source: ukraine_defense on Instagram
The only tactical bomber the Ukrainian Air Force currently fields in the Russo-Ukrainian War is shown here: the Sukhoi Su-24M. Often called by its NATO reporting name, Fencer-D, the Su-24 entered service with the Soviet Union in 1974 and although production of the Su-24 ceased in 1993, it remains in front-line service with six nations of which Ukraine and Russia are included in that number. This particular Su-24M belongs to the 7th. Tactical Aviation Brigade “Petro Franko” which is the only unit within the Ukrainian Air Force that operates the Su-24. The brigade has suffered heavy losses, most occurring in the opening months of the Russo-Ukrainian War which started in February 24, 2022 with the Russian invasion. In 2022, the unit lost a total of 24 aircraft with sixteen crew killed in action and three missing in action. To date, the last confirmed loss of a Su-24 occurred on March 1, 2023 with the loss of both crew members. A report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies in February 2024 gave the inventory of surviving aircraft at thirteen with five being the Su-24M and the remainder being the reconnaissance variant, the Su-24MR (Fencer-E).
The Su-24M started to appear in Soviet units in 1983. Power comes from two Lyulka AL-21F-3A turbojets with each engine capable of 17,000 pounds of thrust. With the afterburner engaged, this increases to 24,700 pounds of thrust each. Clean and without afterburners, the Su-24M can achieve a maximum speed of 1,028 miles per hour near the plane's service ceiling of 36,000 feet. At sea level, the top speed is 817 miles per hour. At full thrust, the Su-24M has a climb of 30,000 feet per minute. For range, the average is 382 miles with a 6,614 pound load of ordnance and external fuel tanks. The Su-24M has 24,471 pounds of onboard fuel and without ordnance but with external fuel tanks, the ferry range is 1,724 miles. The Su-24M has a two man crew, the pilot and the WSO (“Whizzo” or Weapon Systems Officer), and they sit side-by-side in the cockpit. Each is provided with a Zvezda K-36D ejection seat.
The Su-24 has variable swept wings which have four sweep settings. For take-off and landing, the wings are swept at 16 degrees while for cruising, the sweep is either 35 degrees or 45 degrees altitude depending. The final sweep setting is 69 degrees to reduce the aspect ratio and provide for maximum speed. The variable wings also allow for a low landing speed for such a large aircraft at 140 miles per hour. The original model, the Su-24 (Fencer-A), was capable of 1,440 miles per hour at 57,400 feet but since the usual mission profile was low altitude, the complex (and heavy) variable intake ramps were removed in later models such as the Su-24M to lower weight and simplify maintenance. It did, however, drop the maximum speed to what is outlined above.
The only on-board armament is a single Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23M rotary 23mm cannon which is provided with 500 rounds of ammunition. There are eight hardpoints with four on the underside of the fuselage and two per wing. The outer wing hardpoints can swivel to remain in place as the wings change sweep angles. A total of 17,635 pounds of stores can be carried by the Su-24M, to include the full array of Soviet-era missiles, rockets, and bombs. This was one of the factors that caused the high rate of attrition of the Su-24M in 2022 as the aircraft had no munitions that could be fired at Russian targets outside of Russian anti-air defense ranges. When the Ukrainian Air Force began to receive Western aerial weapons capable of stand-off ranges (meaning, the weapon can be deployed against Russian targets without the aircraft being within anti-aircraft gun or missile ranges), the Su-24M became the primary delivery system. By consequence, there have been no confirmed Su-24M losses since March 2023.
The Su-24M shown here is equipped with two Storm Shadow cruise missiles which have been provided to Ukraine by Great Britain. France has also provided Ukraine with the Storm Shadow though in French use, it is called the SCALP-EG (Système de Croisière Autonome à Longue Portée – Emploi Général meaning Long Range Autonomous Cruise Missile System – General Purpose). The Storm Shadow was designed by Matra BAe Dynamics and is built by MBDA with the first missiles becoming operational in 2003. At a cost of 2.5 million U.S. dollars each, the Storm Shadow is powered by a Microturbo TRI 60-30 turbojet which generates 1,200 pounds of thrust. This gives the missile a 729 miles per hour. Maximum range is 342 miles. Guidance is a combination of GPS, an inertial navigation system, infrared thermography, and TERPROM (Terrain Profile Matching). Steering is accomplished by four vertical and two horizontal tailplanes. Target data is programmed into the Storm Shadow prior to mission launch and once the missile is released, the mission profile cannot be changed nor terminated. The 990 pound warhead uses a multi-stage BROACH penetrator (Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge). It consists of a shaped charge which strikes first, punching through exterior concrete, earth, or armor, which then permits the follow-on charge to detonate inside the target. The usage of TERPROM provides the Storm Shadow with resistance to Russian GPS signal jamming. Ukrainian Su-24M launch the Storm Shadow from the inboard wing hardpoints using a pylon adapter taken from former Royal Air Force Panavia Tornado GR4 multi-role aircraft. Underneath the fuselage is a PTB-3000 external fuel tank that holds 793 gallons of fuel. The downward pointing fins on the front of the tank ensure the tank falls away from the aircraft if it has to be detached in flight. Other stand-off munitions currently known to be used by Ukrainian Su-24M aircraft are domestically made gliding bombs, the venerable Kh-25ML tactical air-to-surface missile (NATO reporting name AS-10 Karen), U.S. supplied JDAM-ER (Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range) guided bombs, and French supplied AASM HAMMER guided bombs.
Other equipment on the Su-24M include the Puma navigation/attack suite (consisting of two Orion-A radars which permit day/night capability), Relyef terrain clearance radar (allows for automatic piloting at low altitudes), Orbita-10-58 computer, Shchel helmet-mounted sights for the crew, multi-function displays, digital moving-map generator, Sirena radar-warning receiver, active ECM (Electronic Countermeasure) suites (which can be seen as the triangular protrusions at the top of the vertical stabilizer and on the intake sides), capability to carry chaff and flare dispensers, inflight refueling capability, PNS-24M inertial navigation system, Tekon track/search system for guided munition use, and a Kaira-24 laser designator with TV-optical display.
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