Ukrainian MiG‑29s are now armed with precision American GBU‑39 bombs

A new photo of a Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft carrying a mysterious weapon has surfaced online. This is yet another piece of evidence confirming that the Ukrainian army has started using GBU-39 bombs. Here's a reminder of its capabilities.

Recently, social media circulated a photo showing American GBU-39 bombs mounted under the wings of one of the Ukrainian fighters. At the same time, it was the first proof confirming that American ammunition had reached Ukraine, and the local army managed to adapt their aircraft to carry it.

However, there was no evidence confirming that the Ukrainians had indeed started striking Russian positions with GBU-39 bombs in aerial attacks. There were suspicions that the army had already shelled, among others, a hospital in Vovchansk occupied by Russians with the mentioned ammunition. However, there was still no certainty that these were American bombs dropped by Ukrainian fighters. Until now, a photo appeared online showing a MiG-29 with five GBU-39 bombs mounted under the wings (another three may have been used earlier).

GBU-39 bombs mounted under the wings of a Ukrainian MiG are particularly valuable for Ukrainians primarily because of their unique construction and delayed detonation system. The GBU-39's fuselage is made with tungsten endings, allowing the falling projectile to pierce heavily fortified concrete objects. This is undoubtedly an advantage in attacks conducted in airports, bunkers, and similar structures.

Furthermore, the GBU-39 can explode with a delay, allowing the bomb to be programmed to detonate shortly after penetrating fortifications and destroying targets inside (e.g., aircraft). Another significant advantage of the GBU-39 is its accuracy, which is specified to be between 16-26 feet (5-8 metres).

This means that after dropping the ammunition from the aircraft, a very precise shelling can be conducted towards enemy positions—even in densely built-up areas. The high accuracy is also due to the GBU-39's wings, which deploy during the flight at the diving stage.

The range of this American bomb exceeds 62 miles (100 kilometres). During the flight, the ammunition is also challenging to detect and intercept due to its size, which is approximately 6 feet (2 metres) in length, only 0.7 feet (0.2 metres) in diameter, and 4.6 feet (1.4 metres) in wingspan, with a total weight of 287 pounds (130 kilograms). The Americans also ensured the GBU-39's resistance to jamming, which is significant when some Western systems encounter increasing resistance from Russian electronic warfare tools.