Russia develops gliding bomb akin to US GLSDB, hinting at new era in artillery warfare
The mysterious bomb, which didn't detonate, was produced in February 2024. According to the Russian Telegram profile, Fighterbomber, it's a rather obscure 300mm calibre gliding bomb, known as UMPB D-30SN. This device is conceptually similar to the American GLSDB.
The UMPB D-30SN, Russia's approach to this munition, can be launched from planes as shown in the photos where the bomb is attached via a pylon, or from the Tornado S system, which is Russia's answer to the M142 HIMARS.
Missile gliding bombs — the latest trend in missile artillery
Traditionally, extending the range of missile artillery involved either using rockets with more fuel or opting for fuel with better energy characteristics.
However, in the late 2000s, through Swedish-American collaboration, the idea of attaching a GBU-39 SDB gliding bomb to a GMLRS missile rocket engine came to light. It would separate after a certain time. This concept was explored further, leading to the start of the GLSDB (Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb) program by Boeing and Saab in 2015.
Ukraine recently received these "missile gliding bombs", making them the first operators of this technology. However, it appears Russia has been developing a comparable technology.
The Russian version, UMPB D-30SN, essentially a "multi-purpose gliding bomb of approximately 12 inches calibre", bases on a KAB-250 bomb. This bomb, weighing around 250kg, has foldable wings and combines inertial and satellite navigation.
It's then fitted to a missile's propulsion section from the BM-30 Smerch or Tornado-S system. The precise range of this combination remains undisclosed, but it is certainly much greater than the traditional missiles for those systems, which spans between 200 - 300 kilometres. This showcases that Russia continues to develop cutting-edge solutions in recent years.
