Su-34 Strike Fighter’s First Export Order: New Desert Camouflage Indicates Algerian Purchase

<p >Images of a Russian Su-34 strike fighter flying in a new desert brown and yellow colour scheme, which has not been seen in the Russian Armed Forces, has fuelled considerable speculation regarding the possibility that the aircraft may have been built for export. The fighter class has not been exported in the past, but has seen its <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/russian-doubled-su34-production" >production scale</a> more than doubled since 2022. Most leading potential foreign clients for the Su-34 have desert climates and paint their fighters in appropriate camouflage schemes, with the Algerian Air Force having long been seen as the most likely client for the aircraft. Unconfirmed reports of planned Algerian orders for the Su-34 have emerged from a number of sources since the mid-2010s, with the country being the largest foreign operator of the class’ immediate predecessor the Su-24M, of which an estimated 36 are currently in service. Algeria is the second largest client for Russian armaments only after India, and has since the beginning of the decade procured<a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/algeria-is-replacing-its-ageing-mig-29s-with-a-new-generation-of-advanced-fighters" target="_blank"> MiG-29M, Su-30MKA</a> and <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/algerian-air-force-first-su35-why-place-orders" target="_blank">Su-35 fighters </a>for its fleet as part of a comprehensive modernisation effort. </p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/20/article_682be0a6b0a5a9_28367349.png" title="Su-34 in New Desert Camouflage Scheme"></p><p >Other than Algeria, the Syrian Air Force, the Sudanese Air Force and the Iranian Air Force were all considered possible clients to procure the Su-34 to supplement or replace their Su-24 fleets. The <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/interview-syria-defeat-russia-israel-security">overthrow</a> the Syrian government by Islamist insurgents backed by Turkey and other Western-aligned actors in December 2024, however, has ended this possibility, with the Syrian Air Force having subsequently all but ceased to exist. The Sudanese Air Force remains a potential client, particularly after its Su-24M fleet took losses to drone strikes by Rapid Support Forces paramilitaries, although the country’s ability to finance orders remains uncertain. Although Iranian officials have <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/iran-confirms-order-finalised-su35-fighters" target="_blank">confirmed</a> that orders have been placed for Su-35 air superiority fighters, there have been no indicates that procurement of the Su-34 have been planned to replace its ageing strike fighters. This leaves the Algerian Air Force as by far the most likely client, and after <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/algerian-air-force-first-su35-why-place-orders" >receiving</a> its first Su-35s in March, the service is scheduled to also <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/algeria-confirmed-first-foreign-client-russia-su57-how-many" target="_blank">begin receiving</a> Su-57 fifth generation fighters before the end of the year. The Su-34 the heaviest and longest ranged class of fighter in production anywhere in the world today, and has been highly prized in the Ukrainian theatre for its ability to deliver very large ordinance payloads.</p><p ><img src="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/m/articles/2025/05/20/article_682be0cd8f7135_51563223.JPG" title="Russian Air Force Su-34 Fighter"></p><p >Among the notable armaments used by the Su-34 are the very large FAB-3000 3000 kilogram glide bomb and the ODAB-500 500 kilogram glide bomb, with the latter using special thermobaric warheads <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/footage-su34s-thermobaric-ukrainian-vacuum" >well optimised</a> for neutralising well fortified positions. Commenting on the use of glide bombs, multiple Ukrainian personnel in January 2024 informed the New York Times that new <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/gates-hell-bunker-busting-glide-bombs" >Russian strikes </a>imposed “additional devastating power,” and with 500 kilograms of explosives could thus obliterate their underground bunkers. One serviceman compared the impact of Russian glide bomb strikes to “hell’s gates,” noting that the Russian Air Force “would send them two by two by two, eight in an hour… It sounds like a jet coming down on you.” Procuring the Su-34 would significantly improve Algerian strike and close air support capabilities, with the decision to order the aircraft likely having been influenced by assessments of its performance in the Ukrainian theatre. An export deal may also include the sales of <a href="https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/su34m-strike-fighters-batches-capabilities" >specialist variants</a> of the Su-34 that have been developed for electronic warfare or reconnaissance roles. </p>