(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — Reports has indicated that Russia has recently deployed advanced winged bombs with enhanced intelligence and greater explosive capabilities, specifically designed to target Ukrainian defense fortifications located at greater depths beneath the surface.
These winged bombs are called the “Unifitsirovannyi Modul Planirovaniya i Korrektsii” (UMPK) in Russia.
According to the Institute for the Study of War, these winged bombs are modified from conventional bombs used by the Russian Air Force, such as FAB-250, FAB-500, and FAB-1500, by equipping them with UMPK guidance and correction kits.
The Russian military has adapted these bombs by adding “wings” and a new guidance system to improve their accuracy compared to before.
According to the institute, these winged bombs are equipped with laser guidance systems and satellite guidance systems to enhance their precision, allowing them to hit targets with greater accuracy at distances of up to 16 feet compared to the previous 160 feet.
All these smarter winged bombs can be dropped by fighter aircraft such as Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35.
The institute mentioned that these winged bombs can “fly” up to nearly 200 km once they are dropped by fighter aircraft toward their intended targets, allowing the aircraft to avoid being targeted by Ukrainian air defense systems.
The institute gave an example of how a winged bomb using a FAB-250 bomb with a weight of 100 kg can cause destruction within a 400-foot radius, while for a FAB-500 bomb with a weight of 500 kg, the destruction radius is 800 feet.
As for the FAB-1500 bomb with a weight of over 1,500 kg, its destruction radius due to its payload is 1,600 feet.
“With the FAB-1500 bomb, it can cause destruction to bunkers underground up to a depth of about 20 meters from the surface,” said an analyst, adding that it is very challenging for the Ukrainian air defense systems to deal with these winged bombs.
The air defense systems operated by the Ukrainian military were not developed to handle winged bombs that were originally “dumb” bombs without any guidance systems and were carried by Russian fighter aircraft.
“The Ukrainian air defense system failed to intercept winged bombs dropped by Russian fighter aircraft.
This is a new threat to Ukraine, 500-kilogram bombs that can ‘fly’ for a certain distance after being equipped with wings,” said Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Inhat.
The high-explosive winged bomb strikes have had a severe psychological impact on the population because of the significant destruction experienced by the residents hit by these types of bombs.
Russia is said to be increasingly using these smarter winged bombs against Ukrainian cities and military positions.
In October, Russian fighter aircraft dropped approximately 40 of these winged bombs in one night on Ukrainian military targets in the Kherson region.
“In one night on October 2, Russian fighter aircraft dropped 40 winged bombs in a single Oblast (region),” he said, adding that Russia has increased its air attacks on Ukraine by 36 percent recently, accompanied by an increased use of these higher-powered winged bombs.
There are also reports that Russian fighter aircraft dropped more than 80 winged bombs guided by UMPK on targets in the Kherson region in a single night.
Using these new air tactics, Russian fighter aircraft have become increasingly difficult to shoot down by air defense systems. — DSA
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