Russian Air Force mishap: FAB‑3000 bomb devastates Belgorod village

Russians are intensively attacking targets in Ukraine with gliding bombs from the FAB family equipped with UMPK modules. These are dropped from high altitudes, allowing them to travel tens of miles. However, Russian bombs are often faulty and sometimes, instead of hitting targets in Ukraine, they fall within Russian territory. This time, a massive 3-tonne FAB-3000 bomb caused enormous damage in the Belgorod region.

On 2 July 2024, in the Russian village of Yugo-Zapadnaya, south of Belgorod (approximately 80 kilometres from Kharkiv), a powerful FAB-3000 bomb, lost by the Russian air force, fell.

The bomb left behind an 8-metre crater and damaged 39 buildings and 19 cars. At least six residents were injured.

It is worth noting that this is not the first incident of Russians losing a bomb. Still, it is only the second involving the powerful FAB-3000 bomb containing about one and a half tonnes of explosive material.

FAB-3000 is currently the largest bomb the Russians use, equipped with UMPK (Unified Module of Planning and Correction) modules. These are a Russian copy of the JDAM-ER modules, which, when mounted on an old unguided free-falling aerial bomb, turn it into a precise weapon with enormous explosive power. It is worth noting that besides utilizing old ones, the Russians have also resumed the production of new bombs.

The UMPK modules include a guidance section based on a tandem of inertial navigation (less precise but working under any conditions) and satellite navigation (more precise but susceptible to jamming). Additionally, the conversion kit contains foldable wings and a tail section with control surfaces, allowing for a controlled gliding flight.

As a result, a cheap weapon with over one hundred times the explosive power of an artillery shell (TNT load is up to 8-10 kilograms) capable of destroying even the most powerful fortifications is created. In the case of the FAB-3000 bomb weighing three tonnes (half of which is TNT), even missing by a few dozen metres or 100 metres doesn't make much difference. The shockwave causes destruction even hundreds of metres from the explosion site, and the range of the fragments can exceed even 1 kilometre.

The range of these bombs is highly dependent on the dropping speed and altitude; simply put, the higher and faster, the better. This allows the Russians to drop bombs 60-70 kilometres from the target, which is far beyond the range of Ukrainian short-range air defence systems (maximum approximately 40 kilometres).

The only effective deterrents against aircraft carrying these bombs are medium-range systems like the S-300, Patriot, or SAMP/T. Ukraine no longer has missiles for the former, and their availability outside of Russia (the only manufacturer) is minimal. In the case of Western systems, Ukraine has received too few batteries relative to its needs.