(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The Russian Ministry of Defense has released a video showcasing the country’s Su-34 fighter jets deploying FAB-3000 bomb, weighing three tons, to target Ukrainian military positions.
Equipped with the Unified Module of Planning and Correction (UMPK) guidance kits, the FAB-3000 bombs have been transformed into highly accurate and dangerous weapons due to their powerful explosive capabilities.
The video reveals the Su-34 jets dropping FAB-3000 bombs, fitted with UMPK kits, on buildings occupied by Ukrainian troops.
These kits provide the bombs with “wings,” allowing them to glide through the air and strike targets from approximately 80 kilometers away.
Western military analysts have dubbed these bombs “winged bombs” or “glide bombs.”
Similar to the JDAM guidance kits developed by the United States, the Russian UMPK kits convert unguided “dumb” bombs into “smart” bombs capable of striking targets accurately.
The UMPK system, like its American counterpart, enables these bombs to hit their targets precisely over long distances by using a combination of inertial navigation, which functions in all conditions, and satellite navigation.
The FAB-3000 bomb contains 1.4 tons of trinitrotoluene (TNT) explosive.
The Soviet Union initially used these bombs during World War II.
The explosion radius of the FAB-3000 is approximately 900 meters, causing significant destruction to its targets, whether they are buildings or military bases.
Bombs equipped with UMPK kits are considered resistant to air defense systems as they do not emit any detectable electromagnetic, radio, radar signals, or engine heat that infrared (IR) defense systems could track.
Russia employs these UMPK-equipped bombs to target fortified Ukrainian defensive positions that lie beyond the protection of their air defense systems.
Previously, the Russian military extensively used FAB-500 (500 kg) and FAB-1500 (1.5 tons) bombs against Ukrainian positions, claiming significant effectiveness.
Acknowledging the battlefield success of UMPK-equipped FAB bombs, the Russian military is now enhancing the effectiveness of the FAB family by introducing the three-ton FAB-3000.
However, Ukraine’s nightmare with the large-scale production of the FAB-3000 may not end there, as the FAB family also includes the FAB-5000 (five tons) and FAB-9000 (nine tons) bombs.
So far, Russia has not decided whether to resume production of the FAB-5000 and FAB-9000 bombs, but this decision may depend on the evolving situation in the Ukrainian conflict. — DSA