Russian glide bombs were credited with helping turn the war in Ukraine in Russia’s favor during the battle of Avdiivka. Now Moscow said it’s ramping up production of the munitions.
Glide bombs are made up primarily of two things: the bomb and the glide kit. Russia previously produced the Drel, a glide bomb that also uses cluster munition. However, for the bomb component, Russia typically uses devices from the “fugasnaya aviatsionnaya bomba” (FAB) family, which is Russian for aerial demolition bomb.
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The glide kit, or unified gliding and correction module (UMPK), is essentially a set of wings that can attach onto the bomb. The UMPK also has a guidance system to help the bomb stay on course, substantially increasing the FAB’s accuracy and effective range.
Russian Su-34 and Su-35 bombers can carry two FAB-1500s at a time, and did so dozens of times while taking Avdiika. That tactic left the town in ruins. Ukrainian soldiers described the FAB-1500 bombings as “hell.”
Because of the UMPKs, Russian aircraft can launch the glide bombs 25 miles away from the target. That is outside the range of most of Ukraine’s air defense batteries.
To target the threat, Ukraine moved some of its anti-aircraft weaponry closer to the front lines. That helped Ukraine shoot down more Russian jets in January and February, but it also led to the loss of multiple missile systems.
Ukraine is running low on interceptors for UMPKs. If there are no F-16s around to ward off enemy aircraft, Russia sees the use of glide bombs as a way to alter the course of the war.
However, to keep these attacks going, Russia needs to keep up its supply of FABs. The Russian Ministry of Defence said it has plans for “a large increase to FAB-500 production.” The ministry also said it’s also doubling the output of FAB-1500 as well, and plans on bringing the FAB-3000 back into production.
The numbers in the bomb’s name indicate its size. The FAB-500 weights 500 kilograms, the 1500 weighs 1,500 kilograms and so on.
The increased size comes with increased destructive capacity. An FAB-500 has a damage radius of around 250 meters. The 1,500 ups that to around 500 meters. The FAB-3000 reportedly has enough explosive material to wipe out anything within 900 meters.
Russia is increasing the use of FAB-500 and FAB-1500 variants as glide bombs, which explains why they are increasing production. However, Russia only has one plane that can carry the FAB-3000, the Tu-22m strategic bomber, and the country has lost several of them over the course of the war. Using those planes to launch a FAB-3000 — even with a glide kit — puts the aircraft at risk.
The facilities producing the FAB munitions are prime targets for Ukraine since the country doesn’t have many other defenses against those weapons now. That could change once Ukraine gets its F-16 planes in the air.
The F-16 fighter jets — originally produced in the U.S. — can be armed with long-range missiles, and will amplify Ukraine’s ability to fend off Russian aircraft. Ukraine should have F-16s in the air sometime this summer.
[RYAN ROBERTSON]
RUSSIAN GLIDE BOMBS ARE WREAKING HAVOC ON UKRAINE. DURING THE BATTLE OF AVDIIVKA, THE WEAPONS WERE CREDITED WITH HELPING TO TURN THE TIDE IN RUSSIA’S FAVOR. NOW, MOSCOW SAYS IT’S RAMPING UP PRODUCTION OF THE MUNITIONS.
I’VE REPORTED BEFORE ON RUSSIA USING GLIDING MUNITIONS IN MY STORY ABOUT THE DREL. GLIDE BOMBS ARE MADE UP PRIMARILY OF TWO THINGS–THE BOMB, AND THE GLIDE KIT. WHILE DRELS USE CLUSTER MUNITIONS, FOR MOST GLIDE BOMBS RUSSIA USES DEVICES FROM THE FAB FAMILY…OR FUGASNAYA AVIA BOMBA…RUSSIAN FOR AERIAL DEMOLITION BOMB.
THE SECOND MAIN COMPONENT OF A GLIDE BOMB IS THE GLIDE KIT–IN RUSSIA IT’S OFFICIALLY CALLED THE UNIFIED GLIDING AND CORRECTION MODULE, OR UMPK.
IT’S ESSENTIALLY A SET OF WINGS THAT CAN ATTACH TO THE BOMB… AND A GUIDANCE SYSTEM TO HELP IT STAY ON TARGET. THE UMPK SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASES THE FAB’s ACCURACY AND EFFECTIVE RANGE…TURNING IT FROM A DUMB BOMB–INTO A SMART BOMB.
RUSSIAN SU-34 AND 35 BOMBERS CAN CARRY TWO FAB-1500s AT A TIME–WHICH THEY DID DOZENS OF TIMES EVERYDAY WHILE TAKING AVDIIVKA. THAT TACTIC LEFT THE TOWN IN RUINS. UKRAINIAN SOLDIERS DESCRIBED THE FAB 1500 BOMBING RUNS AS HELL.
BECAUSE OF THE UMPKS, RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT CAN LAUNCH THE GLIDE BOMBS 25 MILES FROM THE TARGET….OUTSIDE THE RANGE OF MOST OF UKRAINE’S AIR DEFENSE BATTERIES. TO COUNTER THE THREAT–UKRAINE MOVED SOME OF ITS ANTI-AIRCRAFT WEAPONRY CLOSER TO THE FRONT LINES. THAT HELPED UKRAINE SHOOT DOWN MORE RUSSIAN JETS IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY… BUT IT ALSO LED TO THE LOSS OF SOME MISSILE SYSTEMS
UKRAINE IS ALSO RUNNING LOW ON THE INTERCEPTORS FOR THOSE SYSTEMS. SO, AS LONG AS THERE ARE NO UKRAINIAN F-16S IN THE SKIES TO WARD OFF ENEMY AIRCRAFT–RUSSIA SEES THE USE OF GLIDE BOMBS AS A WAY TO ALTER THE COURSE OF THE WAR. TO KEEP THE STREAM OF DESTRUCTION FLOWING, THOUGH, RUSSIA NEEDS TO KEEP UP ITS SUPPLY OF FABs. THE MINISTRY OF DEFENSE SAYS IT HAS PLANS FOR A QUOTE LARGE INCREASE TO FAB 500 PRODUCTION…THE MOD SAYS IT’S ALSO DOUBLING THE OUTPUT OF FAB-1500 BOMBS…AND WILL PUT THE FAB 3000 BACK INTO PRODUCTION.
THE NUMBER IN THE BOMB’S NAME INDICATES ITS SIZE. THE FAB 500 WEIGHS 500 KILOGRAMS—THE 1500 WEIGHS 1500 KILOGRAMS AND THE 3000 WEIGHS…THAT’S RIGHT…THREE THOUSAND KILOGRAMS.
THE INCREASED SIZE ALSO MEANS INCREASED DESTRUCTIVE CAPACITY. AN FAB 500 HAS A DAMAGE RADIUS REPORTEDLY AROUND 250 METERS. THE 1500 UPS THAT RADIUS TO 500 METERS…AND THE FAB 3000 HAS ENOUGH EXPLOSIVE MATERIAL TO WIPE OUT MOST EVERYTHING WITHIN 900 METERS.
CONSIDERING THE INCREASED USE OF FAB 500 AND 1500 VARIANTS AS GLIDE BOMBS–IT MAKES SENSE WHY RUSSIA IS INCREASING PRODUCTION OF THOSE MUNITIONS. BUT THE 3000 IS A LITTLE MORE PUZZLING.
THE ONLY PLANE RUSSIA HAS THAT CAN CARRY IT IS THE TU-22–THE RUSSIAN EQUIVALENT OF A B-1B LANCER. RUSSIA ALREADY LOST SEVERAL OF THESE OVER THE COURSE OF THE WAR AND USING THEM TO LAUNCH AN FAB-3000–EVEN WITH A GLIDE KIT–MEANS PUTTING THE STRATEGIC AIRCRAFT AT SIGNIFICANT RISK.
THE FACILITIES PRODUCING THE FAB MUNITIONS ARE OBVIOUSLY PRIME TARGETS FOR UKRAINE–BECAUSE IT’S REALLY THE ONLY DEFENSE IT HAS AGAINST THE WEAPONS RIGHT NOW. THAT AND DESTROYING THE PLANES CARRYING THEM.
THAT COULD CHANGE, THOUGH, ONCE UKRAINE FINALLY GETS ITS F-16S IN THE AIR. THE WESTERN FIGHTERS CAN BE ARMED WITH LONG-RANGE MISSILES–AND WILL GREATLY AMPLIFY UKRAINE’S ABILITY TO FEND OFF RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT. THE LATEST INDICATIONS ARE UKRAINE SHOULD HAVE F-16S IN THE AIR SOMETIME THIS SUMMER.
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