Russians deploy devastating glide bomb, threatening Ukrainian defences
The Russians have boasted about their first attack using the guided variant of the powerful FAB-3000 bomb. We explain why these pose a huge threat to Ukrainians.
The first recording showing the effect of a powerful glide bomb based on the FAB-3000 has appeared online. As seen in the video below, the target was likely a building resembling an old hospital or school in the Kharkiv region.
However, it is evident that the bomb missed by a few dozen yards, yet its explosion was so powerful that the building was severely damaged, and other surrounding buildings were reduced to rubble.
FAB-3000 bombs - nothing left at the point of impact
The FAB-3000 bombs, developed during World War II, are characterized by a weight of 3 tons, half of which is explosive material encased in a thick steel body.
Originally, it was an unguided, free-falling bomb unsuitable for modern battlefield targets, as the plane carrying it would have to fly directly over the target. Until now, the Russians have used it only once, for bombing the Azovstal metallurgical complex in besieged Mariupol, where they had airspace control.
The situation changed in 2023 when the Russians launched mass production of conversion kits called UMPK (Unified Planning and Correction Module Kit), which were heavily inspired by American kits like JDAM-ER.
The idea is simple as it involves adding a special module to the old aerial bomb containing an inertial and satellite navigation system. Additionally, a section with folding wings and control surfaces is added, creating a precise striking device with a powerful force capable of hitting with an accuracy of a few/dozens of yards from around 69 kilometres (43 miles).
It is worth noting that the larger the bomb, the less significant the margin of error. In the case of the FAB-3000 bomb, the blast wave range is several hundred yards, and the fragment impact range can exceed even 1 kilometre (0.6 miles). In developing the UMPK kit for this bomb, the resumption of its production, which the Russians boasted about in February 2024, makes perfect sense.
Such a bomb can destroy even the most powerful field fortifications, which are capable of withstanding shelling from artillery shells of calibre .52 or .61 inches containing less than 10 kilograms (22 pounds) of TNT or rockets used in multiple launch rocket systems like M142 HIMARS or BM-27 Uragan, which have several times larger TNT loads.
Defending against FAB-3000 bombs and their lighter versions is very difficult
FAB-3000 aerial bombs or FAB-1500 are a challenging target because, when dropped from a high altitude, they reach speeds of up to several hundred yards per second, and their thick steel shell provides high resistance to typical anti-aircraft weapons with fragmentation warheads. Only short-range anti-aircraft gun systems like Gepard or Skyranger loaded with armour-piercing ammunition have a chance to shoot them down.
This is not an optimal solution, however, and the best option is to combat the aircraft carrying glide bombs before they drop them, according to Wirtualna Polska journalist Łukasz Michalik. The Russians can use bombers like Tu-22M3 or tactical bombers like Su-34 to carry FAB-3000 bombs.
Due to the need for dropping bombs from a high altitude, aircraft are vulnerable to medium-range systems that can shoot down planes from over 100 kilometres (62 miles). Ukraine managed well during 2022 and the first half of 2023 when it still had missile supplies for its S-300 systems, which is no longer possible. Now, Ukraine has too few Patriot or SAMP/T systems to protect all front sections and critical infrastructure.
The second option is to use their aircraft armed with medium-range missiles to hunt down Russian aircraft, which is also not feasible at present. Only the emergence of a more significant number of F-16 aircraft along with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, ideally coordinated by aircraft such as AWACS, can improve the situation for Ukrainians.
