TASS, October 2. A composite aviation regiment of Russia’s Central Military District stationed in the Chelyabinsk Region in the Urals has completed its rearmament with Sukhoi Su-34 generation 4++ fighter-bombers, Central Military District Commander Colonel-General Alexander Lapin said on Wednesday.
"The work on setting up the second squadron of Su-34 planes near Chelyabinsk has been completed. Now the air regiment is 100% armed with new generation 4++ bombers," the commander said.
The aviation regiment near Chelyabinsk is the sole unit in the Central Military District that operates Su-34 aircraft, he added.
The rearmament process was completed after three Su-34 planes arrived at the Shchagol airfield from Novosibirsk, the press office of the Central Military District reported.
"The flight and ground personnel who will operate and service Su-34 planes have been retrained for the new aircraft at the Lipetsk state aviation personnel training center and received all the necessary certificates," the press office specified.
The first Su-34 planes entered service with the Central Military District’s aviation in 2018. Overall, 24 aircraft have arrived for the aviation regiment.
The Su-34 multirole supersonic fighter-bomber is designated to strike enemy ground and air targets day and night in any weather conditions.
The Su-34 carries long-range air-to-surface and air-to-air missile armament with the multi-channel employment capability. The Su-34 has an operating range of 4,000 km, can develop a maximum speed of 1,900 km/h and is capable of carrying a weapon payload of up to 8 tonnes. The Su-34 is half as noisy as earlier models.