The Russian air force is buying new Su-34 bombers. The Kremlin in late May cut a contract with United Aircraft Corporation’s (UAC) Sukhoi division to build 76 new Su-34. The two-seater, twin-engine warplanes which are expected to replace the Su-24 bombers, can carry 12 tons of ammunition, including air-to-air missiles, and hit targets 600 miles away.  The Su-34s are scheduled to replace Su-24 bombers. UAC General Manager Yuri Slyusar said the air force's combat capacity will double with the Su-34. 

Valery Gorbenko, the former commander of the 4th Army Air Force, said the Su-34 was preferred because the su-24's capabilities were not enough on the battlefield.

Turkey shot down the Russian Air Force's Su-24 aircraft in 2015.  At the beginning of March this year, the Ministry of National Defence announced that two Su-24 fighter jets belonging to the Syrian Arab Republic were shot down as part of the Operation Spring Shield.