Algeria Orders 12 Su-34 'Fullback' Fighter-Bombers from Russia
The Su-34 order is believed to be a component of the $7.5 billion Algerian-Russian arms deal signed in March 2006 for the supply of anti-missile systems, aviation, sea and land-ward defense equipment and technologies.
Late last year, top Russian military expert Igor Korotchenko told RIA Novostin that the deployment of the Su-34 on combat duty in Syria will help potential buyers in Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East to evaluate its performance and decide on whether to acquire it or not.
"Several countries in Africa, including Uganda and Nigeria, which [are] waging a war against Boko Haram, could buy the Su-34. Such top of the range fighter bomber aircraft could also strengthen Ethiopia's Air Force, which still operates a large fleet of aging Su-27 fighters," Korotchenko said.
The Su-34 has also attracted the interest of Iraq, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan while Kazakhstan already operates a squadron recently acquired from Russia. Powered by a two Saturn AL-31F turbo-fan engines, the Su-34 is a fourth generation fighter bomber created from the frame of its (Sukhoi) Su-27 predecessor.
It has a non-stop operating range of 4 000 kilometers and a maximum speed of up to 2,200 kilometers per hour. Its principal armaments include a 30-mm GSh-301 canon, and various surface to air-to-air missiles, cruise missiles, air-to-surface missiles, anti-ship and anti-radiation missiles in addition to guided and free-fall bombs.
