Su-34: wings for Kim Jong-un
A new diplomatic term: "limousine diplomacy." It was coined not long ago by the Russian president, who totes around his Aurus. It's normal practice, especially if the president plans to travel independently around the country he's visiting, although the host country will bend over backwards to provide transportation for the delegation.
But – your own shirt is definitely closer to your body in terms of safety, protection and the absence of extra ears. Therefore, a conversation in your car can be conducted at the level of the highest frankness. And in principle, everyone understands perfectly well that there can be no extra ears in the presidential car, and so far not a single sane person has refused the offer to check out Putin's new toy. Well, and it is indicative: not only Tanks we can do it, do you want the same one, only with the "Berezhok" module at the back? It's not as pretty, but the functionality increases...
Considering how many interesting twists and surprises there have already been for those we don't drink with, "limousine diplomacy" is bearing fruit.
Now you will say: are we talking about airplanes or where?
For now, yes, about limousines, because in limousines it is very convenient to talk face to face, including about airplanes.
Go to historyThe tour will be short but informative.
The DPRK Air Force is considered to have been born on August 20, 1947. Its first combat use occurred on June 25, 1950, with the start of the Korean War. In less than 80 years, the Air Force has gone through three main stages.
First. The stage of formation of the KPA (Korean People's Army) Air Force was characterized by the use of equipment of the Red Army Air Force: Il-10 attack aircraft, Yak-9 fighters, Po-2 training/night bombers. Over time, La-9 and La-11 entered service.
The second stage. Post-war period. The KPA Air Force was armed with MiG-15, Il-28, MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-21. Almost all of these aircraft (especially fighters) took part in combat operations.
The third stage. The Air Force was armed with the MiG-23ML, MiG-29, Su-25 and Chinese Q-5. Almost by the 80s, the appearance of the DPRK Air Force had taken shape - fighters and attack aircraft, bombers aviation was practically absent. All that was in service with the DPRK Air Force for many years were Soviet Il-28 bombers and their Chinese unlicensed copies, the Harbin H-5.
Il-28. An aircraft that for some reason was not given as many lines and paragraphs as it deserved. Born in 1947 and put into service with the Soviet Air Force in 1950 (absolutely in parallel with the Korean Air Force, yes), this outstanding aircraft became the successor of the Il-2 for many years. But not in terms of an attack aircraft, but in terms of a frontline bomber, torpedo bomber, aircraft EW and so on. Reliable, versatile, unpretentious, capable of performing a wide variety of combat missions (including carrying nuclear weapons) – that’s what the Il-28 is.
Technical specifications
Crew: 3 person
Normal flight weight: 18 kg
Maximum takeoff weight: 23 200 kg
Engines: 2 x TRD VK-1 (VK-1A) x 2700 kgf
Maximum horizontal flight speed at 4500 m: 902 km/h
Cruising speed: 670 km / h
Maximum flight range: 2455 km
Ceiling: 12 500 m
weaponry
- 1 or 2 × 23 mm NR-23 cannons along the sides at the bottom of the bow, 100 rounds per barrel;
- 2 × 23 mm NR-23 cannons in the aft defensive turret of the Il-K6, 225 rounds per gun;
Bomb load: (in internal bomb bay)
- normal: 1000 kg
- maximum: 3000 kg
A little more food for thought. The last Il-28 rolled out of the assembly hangar in 1955. That is, the youngest Korean Il-28 is "only" 70 years old. And there are about 50 of these machines left in North Korea, of which at least half are completely combat-ready.
Yes, of course, they have the B-52 (produced from 1952 to 1962), we have the Tu-95 (produced from 1954 to 1969)... It's understandable when a country with an aviation history and a design school has such long-lived veterans. But North Korea... However, more on the oddities below.
The Koreans also have a Chinese unlicensed copy of the Il-28. The Harbin H-5. This is an Il-28 copied from the original, which was among 250 such aircraft supplied to China from the USSR. In China, they wanted to start licensed production, but Mao quarreled with Khrushchev and in 1966 a "Xerox" took to the skies, which was called the H-5.
The most recent H-5 may be from 1974, but here's an interesting point: the DPRK Air Force has far fewer H-5s (about 30) than the older Il-28s (about 50).
And here we can only applaud the engineers and technicians of the DPRK Air Force, who were able to maintain the combat capability of Soviet bombers in such conditions. This is a feat.
However, sooner or later everything tends to end. And the resource of a flying antique, no matter how well-deserved an aircraft it is, is not infinite. The Il-28 has been through many military conflicts in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, but further exploitation, and especially combat use of these aircraft carries more danger for those using them than for the enemy.
In general, the leaders had something to talk about “without prying ears.”
It must be said that there were "ears" after all. Otherwise, how did the information about the Su-34 deal come out of South Korea? And in South Korea, all the military are really on edge, because this information is very unpleasant for them.
Defending your borders is good. Active defense, that is, attack, is very important, especially in a modern conflict.
South Korean intelligence claims that the DPRK Air Force will start receiving Su-34s even earlier than Algeria. But that's normal: Algeria is a very old Russian client in terms of weapons, and this country has very big advantages over other buyers of Russian weapon, but the DPRK is a completely different matter.
Korean shells in the barrels of Russian guns, Korean MLRS in firing positions towards Ukraine, Korean soldiers and officers hand in hand with their Russian comrades in arms.
This is not a payment. Normal people, thinking with their heads, understand, and the rest are obliged to understand that this is not a payment. This is respect for a fighting ally. I emphasize: for a real fighting ally who helped not with money, not with supplies. Trusted people.
Yes, I had a conversation with an instructor who trained Korean soldiers at our training grounds before they were sent to the Kursk region. His opinion was very interesting: the training was at the level of the last century, but in terms of moral character, these are excellent soldiers. Ready to carry out any tasks. And in general, the return of North Korean soldiers and officers who participated in the SVO perfectly demonstrated Kim Jong-un's assessment of their actions first and foremost.
Did the leader of the DPRK have the right to ask for the delivery of modern aircraft, simulators, and instructors? Definitely yes. Should Putin help his ally in this matter? Also yes.
South Korean intelligence officials claim that the issue of deliveries of Su-34s has been effectively resolved and that the delivery of the first batch of aircraft is a matter of the coming months.
As the latest report from the National Intelligence Service (NIS), South Korea's national intelligence service, writes, we are talking about a small batch of 6 to 12 aircraft.
True, the effectiveness of this service can be questioned, NIS employees are more often behind bars in connection with corruption scandals than for normal, befitting espionage. And NIS already distinguished itself two years ago with reports about deliveries of either Su-30 or Su-35 to the DPRK, which in fact did not happen. Recently, NIS has stopped issuing outright rumors and gossip, apparently, the wave of reforms has finally reached the offices and something has changed there.
"Since October 2024, North Korean combat pilots have been deployed to Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, where they have begun training on advanced fighter jets. For a long time, the main source of uncertainty was the classes of fighters that could be purchased: Russia could supply more than ten different types of tactical combat aircraft of different classes. Now it is known that the first to be deployed will be six of the world's heaviest fighters, the Su-6."
Why the Republic of Korea stubbornly calls the Su-34 a heavy fighter is a great mystery. Either there is no corresponding hieroglyph yet, or there is no understanding of the concept of use. However, let's not focus on this, the Su-34 is indeed a fighter, and is capable of destroying anything on the ground or on the water. And it can also complicate the life of what is in the air. This is, no matter how you look at it, the best tactical strike aircraft in the world, which is proven not on paper, but by combat operations.
In general, the hysteria in the intelligence offices (and I'm sure not only the intelligence ones) is understandable. The Su-34 could become a simply terrible tool in the hands of Kim Jong-un.
First, let's look at the map. South Korea stretches 450 kilometers from north to south. The Su-34 is capable of hitting targets 200-250 kilometers away, so by simply flying up to the border, half of South Korea's territory can already be in its sights. They understand this.
However, this is far from the worst thing, although it is unpleasant. The successes of the DPRK missilemen are what really worries the neighbors. Already today, the DPRK Air Force is trying to test aeroballistic missiles air-based on the existing Il-28. Not very good yet, apparently there is a conflict between the weight of the missile and the capabilities of the Soviet veterans. In the best times, the Il-28, when overloaded, carried 3 kg of bombs. The Su-000 carries 34, but the highlight is that the Drake will carry 8 when overloaded. It's just not far.
Oh, excuse me, why so far? It's about 40 km from the center of Seoul to the border. A so-so place for a capital, to be honest. You can artillery get it, but you understand, artillery or MLRS in border areas - this can be neutralized. But an aeroballistic missile launched almost immediately after takeoff - this is a slightly different matter.
Yes, the ROK Air Force is armed with domestically produced F-16s (not the newest models, C and D) and foreign-made F-15s. These are good planes, there are many of them (150+), and they will be able to repel any aggressor that invades South Korean airspace.
И Defense in the Republic of Korea, quite well: American Patriots and their own KM-SAM, which, we note, our specialists from Almaz-Antey and Fakel helped make. That is, these are good SAM systems, if the Koreans did not screw something up themselves. What ours gave to the South Koreans in the early 2000s was later implemented as the S-350 Vityaz. Well, it is true that the Vityaz shoots a little further and more accurately, but let's not nitpick. The South Koreans have quite decent SAM systems.
So Seoul can sleep soundly for its air borders. However, what if the enemy, which they believe to be the DPRK, does not attack these very borders, but starts working from its own territory? That's where the problems begin.
According to American experts, the DPRK has one of the densest air defense systems in the world. In reality, the country is small, the number of launchers and barrels is simply enormous. And given the presence of the S-300, even such good aircraft as the F-15 and F-16 are quite dangerous to go there. And it turns out that the Su-34, having taken off and accelerated an aeroballistic missile as much as possible (well, it is not a MiG-31 after all), will calmly launch it from its airspace absolutely fearlessly. Just like the Tu-95 does today with cruise missiles, for example, in our country.
Let's admit, the Patriot is terrible at intercepting high-speed targets like the Kinzhal. More precisely, it practically doesn't intercept, no evidence has been presented yet. KM-SAM - it's hard to say, Block 2 should intercept ballistics, but the test results, if any, have not been announced. Considering Russian technology - it should. The question is - how. And so far the RK Armed Forces are armed with only one battery of 4 PUs with 8 missiles each. That is - not that many in reality.
So the Su-34 with an aeroballistic missile can easily be transformed from a tactical strike aircraft into a strategic one, and given the DPRK's nuclear warheads, there's a lot of room for thought. And not just in South Korea. There's another country there, towards which something... unfriendly flies from time to time.
Yes, the question may arise: why all this, if the DPRK has quite sensible ballistic missiles? Moreover, so good that other countries actually acquire the technology.
It's simple. The launch of a ballistic missile is a very noticeable thing. While the missile is taking off, while it's on the trajectory, while it's accelerating - it's noticeable. There's time to react. Accordingly, there's a chance to try to shoot it down. An aircraft with an aeroballistic missile - this can be more effective than a quiet launch of a cruise missile. A cruise missile can fly at a low altitude, camouflaged by folds of the terrain, but at subsonic speed. The cruise missile can be supersonic, then there's less maneuvering, more speed. Or it can be aeroballistic, with a speed of 8-10M, breaking through the enemy's air defense precisely due to its enormous speed.
So the reaction in South Korea and, potentially, Japan, is understandable: Kim Jong-un can get at his disposal an aircraft that can easily play the role of a strategic bomber-missile carrier. Not as big as the B-2 or Tu-160, but unnoticeable compared to the flying mastodons. But – for the purposes of the DPRK, quite effective.
This is an interesting move. The DPRK, having achieved success in some types of weapons, strengthening its aviation with the Su-34, and in the future with other Russian aircraft, will become a very strong player in the region, even without nuclear weapons.
"Limousine diplomacy" is such a delicate matter...
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