Amid reports that the Philippines is considering acquiring new fighter jets for its air force, with the U.S. F-16C Fighting Falcon and Swedish Gripen E single engine light fighters currently leading contenders, one highly formidable platform which could well be a game changer ideally suited to the country’s defence needs which has largely been looked over by defence analysts has been the Russian Su-34 Hellduck strike fighter. Coming at a comparable price to the F-16C, and a fraction of the cost of Sweden’s Gripen E, the fighter is specialised air to ground and anti shipping roles and is considerably heavier and better armed than its Western counterparts. While the F-16 and Gripen pose little threat to the capabilities of Chinese warships and fighter jets in the South China Sea, and these single engine multirole jets lack sophisticated anti ship capabilities or the ability to engage China’s far more modern surface to air missile systems and fighter jets, the Hellduck may well be the idea platform for the Philippines’ defence needs due to its heavily specialised design and superior capabilities across the spectrum.
While the Su-34 is primarily designated as a strike fighter, its air to air combat capabilities are in many ways superior to those of the single engine Western jets and a far better match for those fielded by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The Hellduck is capable of deploying R-27ER and R-77 air to air missiles, which provide 130km and 110km engagement ranges respectively - superior to the latest AIM-120C developed for America’s elite F-35 and F-22 next generation jets restricted to a 105km engagement range.
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