One Night, Six Su-34s Hit—More Than Russia’s Entire Known 2026 Supply

Oct 15, 2026 13:50

3 min read

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Authors

Vlad Litnarovych

News Writer

A Ukrainian Neptune missile strike on Russia’s Borisoglebsk airbase may have knocked out more Su-34 fighter-bombers in a single night than Moscow has received from its defense industry during all of 2026, according to an analysis by Defense Express on October 15.

Ukraine’s Navy reported that six Su-34s were struck during the overnight attack on the airfield in Russia’s Voronezh region.

The aircraft are among Russia’s principal platforms for launching guided aerial bombs fitted with UMPK glide-and-guidance kits against Ukrainian positions and frontline communities.

Defense Express argues that the scale of the reported losses is particularly significant when compared with Russia’s current production rate. Russian aircraft manufacturers typically deliver new tactical combat aircraft to the Aerospace Forces in small batches of two or three jets at a time.

Russia replacing Su-34s only a few at a time

In 2025, Russia publicly announced seven Su-34 deliveries totaling about 18 aircraft. Defense Express reviewed the available Russian announcements for 2026 and estimates that only four to five new Su-34s have been delivered so far this year.

That means the six aircraft Ukraine says were hit at Borisoglebsk would exceed all publicly known Su-34 deliveries to the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2026.

Why Su-34 loss matters for Russia’s glide-bomb campaign

The comparison is important because the Su-34 is not simply another combat aircraft in Russia’s inventory. Moscow relies heavily on the type to launch large numbers of guided glide bombs from outside the immediate reach of many Ukrainian frontline air defense systems.

Those weapons have become one of Russia’s most heavily used tools for striking Ukrainian defensive positions, towns, and cities close to the front.

At least nine Su-34s hit or lost in 2026

Defense Express also notes that Russia had already lost at least three Su-34s destroyed or damaged earlier in 2026, based on publicly available information. Adding the six aircraft reported hit at Borisoglebsk would bring the number of Su-34s affected this year to at least nine.

The Ukrainian Navy has not yet provided a detailed breakdown of how many of the six aircraft were destroyed versus damaged, and the full results of the strike remain under assessment.

Read more

Category

War in Ukraine

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Even at the lower figure, however, the losses would represent a substantial portion of Russia’s annual replacement capacity. At the six-aircraft figure reported by Ukraine’s Navy, one Neptune strike would have inflicted Su-34 losses exceeding Russia’s entire known production output for the year.

With at least nine Su-34s reportedly destroyed or damaged during 2026, the attrition is also gradually reducing the pool of aircraft available for Russia’s intensive guided-bomb campaign against Ukraine.

Previously, new satellite imagery showed the aftermath of Ukraine’s strike on Russia’s Borisoglebsk military airfield in the Voronezh region, with open-source intelligence analysts assessing that at least four Su-34 fighter-bombers were likely destroyed.

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