Ukraine's triumph: Old tech defeats Russian glide bomb
The Ukrainian achievement of downing a KAB glide bomb for the first time has led to speculation about the weapon used. According to one Ukrainian analysis, the equipment used might be surprisingly straightforward, with the deciding factor being the training and skills of the soldiers operating it, rather than the weapon's advanced features.
The successful downing of a KAB bomb, widely reported by Ukrainian media, was attributed, according to an official statement, to experimental weaponry. An analysis on a Ukrainian Telegram channel suggests that the "experimental weapon" might actually be a simple, popular, and inexpensive system.
According to the Sunflower profile, the Ukrainians utilised the popular ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft system to shoot down the KAB. This is an old weapon, produced since the 1960s and widely used across the globe.
Despite the age and simplicity of the ZU-23-2, its capabilities can be enhanced with modern target detection and fire control systems.
This is the approach taken by the creators of the Polish PSR-A Pilica system, where anti-aircraft guns have been augmented with an automatic target detection and guidance system. This solution allows several systems to operate together under the supervision of one operator, semi-automatically destroying detected and approved targets.
ZU-23-2 vs. KAB
While the effectiveness of the ZU-23-2 can be significantly increased, the limits of modernisation are determined, among other things, by the size of the projectile, for which it is difficult to develop programmable ammunition (though not impossible, as shown by the Russians in the ZAK-23E system with 2A7M guns).
The KAB bombs used by the Russians (FAB bombs of various weights with the UMPK module attached) are equivalent to American JDAM-ER bombs. They are ordinary, free-falling aerial bombs with an attached guidance module and foldable wings, allowing the bomb to glide for several tens of kilometres.
The mass use of KAB bombs gave the Russians a significant advantage, enabling effective attacks on fortified targets without exposing aircraft to anti-aircraft fire from MANPADS or short-range systems.
Destroying an FAB bomb is a significant success for Ukraine
Hitting a single bomb carrying hundreds of kilograms of explosives is much more effective than artillery fire, where a single shell carries several or a dozen kilograms of explosive material.
The widespread use of glide bombs became one of the reasons for Russian successes on the front, allowing Russians to break through Ukrainian defences faster than before.
Therefore, if Ukrainians have indeed developed a way to effectively and very cheaply destroy KAB bombs using small-calibre artillery (and did not shoot down one bomb by sheer luck), it could mean an important shift in the balance of power. Ukraine may have found a way to defend against a threat it had not been able to counter before.
