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The title says it all. It can be clearly seen, for example, in this image:

SU-34
(image source: Wikimedia)

The rest of the jet seems to have a camouflage.

Rodrigo de Azevedo
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juzzlin
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It is all part of the camouflage.

The blue parts on the bottom make the aircraft hard to identify from below against a blue-background (sky). The dark parts on the top make it difficult to identify from above against a dark background (ground).

The white parts make the aircraft's size/shape difficult to determine. This helps to confuse the enemy by making the aircraft seem farther away than it really is.

Ron Beyer
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  • totally agreed, in addition to Ron's answer each country has its own camouflage color reference/catalouge lets say. I have found it hard to get the Russian one but you can have a look at the US one here
    https://www.milspeccoating.com/Federal-Standard-595-Colors-s/41.htm#products-595     – Islam Elsayed Oct 16 '19 at 16:02
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    I would think more of a "fade" from grey to white, than a sharp line, would be much better, even if the fade is only over say 6 to 12 inches or so. – quiet flyer Oct 16 '19 at 18:18
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    https://www.ausairpower.net/Su-34-Fullback/NAPO-Su-34-Fullback-V.Kuzmin-0112-3.jpg I have seen photos of SU-34s with grey radomes and matching vert stab tips. I am not convinced that a bright white radome is considered a form of camouflage. I would like to see some sort of reference to back it up. – Mike Sowsun Oct 16 '19 at 19:57
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    I'm with Mike Sowsun. In fact, highlighting the nose and tail like this would provide a clear reference point that could actually aid one in estimating range. Maybe this is a training or aggressor version? – Michael Hall Oct 16 '19 at 21:55
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    I am starting to think the radomes are actually “radio transparent” grey or white as per this modelling website: https://internethobbies.com/products/hataka-hobby-ultimate-su34-fleet-fullback-russian-air-force-paint-set-6-colors-17ml-bottles – Mike Sowsun Oct 17 '19 at 01:01
  • Radomes are not 100% transparent to microwaves. Their loss and other effects of the antennas radiation pattern are minimized in the design, construction, and materials used. But they are not 100% transparent. – SteveSh Sep 16 '21 at 11:41
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    Note that the cover of the rear-facing radar is NOT white.. – juzzlin Sep 17 '21 at 06:28
  • @SteveSh: Well matching radomes materials have a dielectric attenuation less than 0.2 dB, about -3%. But radomes also include protections against lightning (diverter strips) which may deform the antenna radiation pattern (increasing energy in side lobes) – mins Sep 17 '21 at 20:22
  • Agreed. But in some places engineers would sell their first born for a couple of tenths of dB more sensitivity . – SteveSh Sep 17 '21 at 20:35
  • @SteveSh: That's likely why the radomes are white, to get the lowest noise temperature possible. – mins Sep 18 '21 at 19:13
  • I'm exhausting my knowledge of radomes here, so do not know how the temperature of the radome affects the noise temperature/noise figure of the radar front end. The temperature of the radiator element or the front end LNA, maybe yes. But not the temperature of the the radome. – SteveSh Sep 18 '21 at 20:27
  • @SteveSh: When the radome receives energy from the outside (including by friction), it radiates a part of this energy in the inner volume, and some reaches the antenna, this may be expressed as a noise temperature, remember the cosmic background radiation is noise temperature of about 3K. (You can include '@mins' in your message, for notification) – mins Sep 18 '21 at 21:53
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They're white because that's the cove of the radar dome(Radome) by being white, they reflect em interference and thermal suns rays to keep radar clutter to a minimum

LazyReader
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  • I assume the same. Like the black noses of older passenger planes. – Peter Sep 16 '21 at 06:48
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    The color has nothing to do with whether or not it reflects EM (electro magnetic) interference [signals]. White does reflect solar radiation, which can help reduce sun loading (heating) on the antenna and other electronics behind the radome. – SteveSh Sep 16 '21 at 11:39
  • How about the vertical stabs then? Also, the cover of the rear-facing radar is NOT white.. – juzzlin Sep 17 '21 at 06:27
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    Because they protect sensitive instruments while allowing electronic signals to pass through, nose cones – also known as radomes – must be made from specific materials. These materials often include fiberglass, quartz, honeycomb and foam cores; as well as various chemical resins – LazyReader Sep 17 '21 at 08:51
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    @juzzlin - Because there's probably an antenna of some sort on top of the stabilizers. – SteveSh Sep 17 '21 at 20:46
  • This answer is the good one. @juzzlin: White radomes at stabs tips are for VHF antennas. – mins Sep 18 '21 at 18:48
  • @mins: It may be right, but if we're being fair, neither cite their references. –  Sep 18 '21 at 19:38
  • You might want to look at this SE post, https://aviation.stackexchange.com/questions/25368/how-are-antennas-integrated-into-stealth-aircraft. Everyplace there's an antenna, there's a radome of some sort or other over it. – SteveSh Sep 18 '21 at 20:32