Ukrainian MiGs deploy precision bombs to strike Russian fortress

Although the segment of the front north of Kharkiv has been one of the quietest for a few weeks, this does not mean there are no military actions. Here is how the Ukrainians attacked the Russians hiding in the converted museum-fortress in the area of Vovchansk.

Due to the building's sturdiness, the museum was converted by the Russians into a fortress. This caused so many problems for the Ukrainians that they decided to use a scarce weapon: an air raid by a MiG-29 aircraft dropping four GBU-39 SDB guided glide bombs.

The Ukrainians, utilizing the remnants of their air force mostly based on MiG-29 aircraft, which have had losses and spare parts needs largely covered by Poland and Slovakia, are managing as best they can.

A MiG-29 equipped with what one could call a "bomb four-pack" based on the BRU-61/A launcher mounted on a single pylon accommodating up to four GBU-39 SDB bombs was used for the attack. In the case of the MiG-29 aircraft, it can carry loads on four underwing pylons weighing just over 590 kilograms, such as 500-kilogram aerial bombs.

This allows a BRU-61/A launcher along with a load of four GBU-39 SDB bombs to be carried on a single MiG pylon, as the total weight of the set is just over 590 kilograms. In theory, a MiG-29 can carry up to 16 aerial bombs, which is huge progress compared to four units.

On the other hand, the GBU-39B Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), introduced into service in the USAF in 2006, are small guided bombs allowing a greater number of targets to be hit during a single air raid.

Weighing 122 kilograms, with 93 kilograms of that being the warhead of the SDB bomb, they are "featherweight" among aerial bombs but, thanks to their ability to hit with precision down to one metre, they are an effective weapon. The bomb can detonate in the air, creating a deadly barrage of shrapnel or with a delay after penetrating, for example, a building wall. According to Boeing, the SDB bombs can penetrate 89 centimetres of reinforced concrete, which is extremely difficult for artillery shells.

For this reason, SDB bombs are ideal for attacking heavily fortified positions or reinforced hangars at airports. Bomb guidance is based on satellite and inertial navigation, but there is also a GBU-39/B variant that uses a laser beam to achieve 100% precision even in GPS-jamming conditions.

These are also bombs with folding wings, so if dropped from a great height, they can glide to their target tens of kilometres away. This allows the bomb-carrying aircraft to stay well out of the range of short-range anti-aircraft defences. It is a very effective tool, but the Ukrainians need more aircraft in addition to the bombs.