Sukhoi’s plant in Novosibirsk, NAPO, has started the process of handing four Su-34 interdiction aircraft over to the Russian air force.

The acceptation procedure may take some time, the plant’s representatives told journalists, since it requires various checks to be performed. The Siberian cold climate shall not be a problem, they further said, noting that one of the new aircraft was recently test-flown when ambient temperature dropped down to -32 degrees Celsius.

The newly built Su-34s will be ferried to Lipetsk. There these aircraft will tested by the crews of the Russian air force’s Center for Combat Usage and Personnel Retraining. The center is tasked with flight testing, acceptation trials, type conversion training for line units’ pilots and working out various manuals.

The four Su-34s that are being handed over this time round form the last batch of the pre-series aircraft that were contracted for delivery by the end of 2010. Production aircraft that will be assembled at NAPO later on will be delivered to the customer under a separate contact. At Farnborough air show Sukhoi general director Mikhail Pogosyan said NAPO holds order for 32 Su-34s in addition to two airframes delivered earlier.