Russia to Deploy New Su-34 Strike Fighter Unit to Arctic Amid Tensions with America

As top Russian and American diplomats prepared to meet on May 19th to discuss measures to reduce tension in the Arctic, a source from the Russian Ministry of Defence cited by the Moscow based Izvestiya newspaper stated that the ministry was preparing to deploy a fresh squadron of Su-34 strike fighters to the theatre.  Chief of Staff of the 45th Air Force and Air Defense Army, Major General Igor Churkin, clarified that measures to revamp airfields in the region would help to facilitate the expansion in the country's aviation capabilities. He emphasised that Russian military aircraft would be able no only to defend Russian territory, but also to patrol and surveil the wider Arctic region. Nagurskoye Airbase, the Russian Air Force’s leading facility in the Arctic region located furthest north, has received considerable attention for work done to fortify and expand it to accommodate the Su-34 specifically, as well as MiG-31 Foxhound strike and interceptor aircraft. 

The backbone of the Russian contingent in the Arctic is formed by Su-34 strike fighters and MiG-31 Foxhound jets - including both interceptor and strike variants of the Foxhound. Aside from heavy bombers produced by Tupolev, the two are the heaviest classes of Russian combat jet in service and are both prized for their very high endurance and their ability to deploy from airfields in harsh weather conditions. Russia made its first deployment of MiG-31 interceptors to an airbase above the Arctic Circle in February 2021, with the variant in question, the MiG-31BM, prized for the high situational awareness provided by its Zaslon-M radar and its very long engagement range using R-37 air to air missiles. While the MiG-31K, the strike variant of the Foxhound, is highly capable, each carries only a single missile - the hypersonic Kh-47M2 ballistic missile. The Su-34 can effectively complement both Foxhound variants due to its ability to carry larger numbers of smaller missiles, as well as guided bombs, although none of its munitions are comparable to the R-37 or the Kh-47 in performance.