Ukraine Took A 50-Year-Old Recon Plane That Hadn't Flown In Decades—And Turned It Into a New Bomber
The Ukrainian air force continues to restore 1970s-vintage Sukhoi Su-24s
In 47 months of hard fighting, Russian forces have shot down or destroyed on the ground 19 Ukrainian air force Sukhoi Su-24 bombers. That’s probably four more Su-24s than Ukraine had before Russia’s wider war kicked off in February 2022.
But the 7th Tactical Aviation Brigade, the UAF’s sole Su-24 unit, hasn’t just made good its losses, it has expanded. That expansion continues with the return-to-flight of a very old and very rare Su-24MR that once flew reconnaissance missions, but is apparently now the 7th TAB’s “newest” bomber.
The restored Su-24MR appeared for the first time in a recent photo. It’s notable for its protruding wing fences. Sukhoi’s engineers added the fences to Su-24M bombers and Su-24MR recon planes in the mid-1970s, believing the features made the Su-24s more aerodynamic.
In fact, they didn’t—and over time, most Su-24s lost their wing fences as they cycled through depots for rework. But a few kept them, including at least two Su-24MRs that were flying with the 7th TAB when the Russians invaded in February 2022.
One of the two—Yellow 59—was shot down in October 2022. The other pre-war Su-24MR with wing fences is identifiable by its pixel-style camouflage. The “new” Su-24MR has wing fences and an older style of non-pixelated camo.
