Su-24 Fencer strike aircraft

The Su-24 Fencer is a high-speed, long-range Russian strike aircraft described by the U.S. Dept. of Defense in the late 1980s as the best deep-interdiction aircraft in the then-Soviet inventory. However, the aircraft is getting old and is being replaced by the Su-34 Flanker. Able to conduct precision strike missions during night or poor weather, the Su-24 has the same mission as the now retired F-111 and Tornado IDS.

The shoulder-mounted wing pivots are relatively close to the...