he Su-24 (NATO reporting name Flanker) is what the Soviet Union called a ‘frontal bomber’, designed to act at tactical and operational levels. Although capable of deep penetration and nuclear strikes, instead of cities it was intended to attack battlefield and rear area targets such as troop concentrations, logistical targets and airfields. It is optimised for high-speed and low-level attacks, and these factors dominate the overall design. Variable-geometry (‘swing’) wings allow rapid acceleration to supersonic speeds, while the broad fuselage was dictated by
