Unexploded Russian bomb neutralised in Zaporizhzhia region
The State Emergency Service of Ukraine has neutralised an unexploded Russian KAB-500 aerial bomb in the Zaporizhzhia region in recent days. The teams had to act on the spot due to a damaged detonator, making transporting the ammunition to a safe location impossible.
The Russian Federation has long struggled with the unreliability of its missiles. Consequently, in recent months, there have been numerous reports of missiles of various types accidentally dropped on Russian territory. There are also incidents where the ammunition reaches its intended destination but fails to explode—this was the case with some of the most advanced missiles currently in the Russian arsenal, the Kh-47 Kinzhal.
The problems of the Russian Federation continue, as evidenced by the discovery in recent days of an unexploded half-ton KAB-500 aerial bomb near the city of Pology in the Zaporizhzhia region. According to Ukrainian services, the ammunition posed a severe threat due to a modified detonator, making it impossible to transport the bomb safely for disposal.
Due to the risk posed by moving the bomb, sappers decided to neutralise the KAB-500 on site. They carried out a controlled detonation near the city, exercising extreme caution in the process.
KAB-500 bombs
The unexploded bomb found in the Zaporizhzhia region is one of the more frequently used bombs by the Russians during the conflict in Ukraine. This is primarily because it belongs to the "fire and forget" type of missile and is highly effective due to its mass exceeding 1,100 pounds. The KAB-500 was developed based on the FAB-500 and has eight different versions.
The most popular variants of the 1,100-pound KAB are the KAB-500L and KAB-500Kr. The former owes its name to the presence of a laser guidance system (hence the "L" designation). It features a 27N warhead based on CIS (Contact Image Sensor) sensors with a correlational data processing system.
It was designed by the Russians as a counterpart to the American Paveway system. Weighing over 1,150 pounds, the warhead contains 990 pounds of explosive material. The KAB-500L uses a semi-active laser seeker and control surfaces to strike targets with an accuracy of up to 23 feet.
Another popular version in the Russian Federation is the KAB-500Kr, which weighs 1,235 pounds and has an explosive charge of 835 pounds. Compared to the laser-guided version, which has a range of 6 miles, the KAB-500Kr can reach up to 10 miles. It uses a high-sensitivity television seeker for guidance and is equipped with control surfaces for flight correction.
