Russian glide bombs: A high-stakes gamble in Ukraine offensive
The Russians are intensely attacking targets in Ukraine with KAB glide bombs, which are FABs equipped with UMPK modules. These bombs are dropped from high altitudes, allowing them to travel several dozen kilometres, but their quality is poor, and they sometimes fall unpredictably. One of the larger bombs nearly fell on a water dam near the village of Popovka in the Belgorod region.
The video below shows how a Russian bomb fell near the dam, and judging by the force of the explosion, it was most likely one of the heaviest bombs, either the FAB-1500 or the FAB-3000, weighing roughly 1,500 and 3,000 kilograms respectively, half of which is the explosive charge. The Russians narrowly avoided causing another flood, this time on their own territory.
Air bombs — a problematic weapon for Russians
The Russians have achieved virtually all their successes in recent months through the massive use of KAB aerial bombs based on old FAB aerial bombs enhanced with UMPK (Unified Planning and Correction Modules).
This complements the Russian tactics reminiscent of World War II times, which rely on the massive use of military equipment or soldiers and the firepower to neutralize detected resistance points. Currently, in Russia, so-called expendable infantry units have become the norm, whose only task is to provoke the Ukrainians to open fire.
After locating the fire points, the Russians call for artillery shelling or aerial raids using KAB glide bombs. These bombs, with an accuracy within 10 metres, guarantee the destruction of any field fortification.
Air bombs weighing up to 3,000 kg — compensating for lack of precision with destructive power
However, over time, Ukrainians have developed jammers reducing the accuracy of these bombs by several dozen metres. This makes smaller bombs sometimes ineffective, which is compensated by using heavier bombs with greater destructive power.
For FAB-3000 bombs containing 1.5 tons of TNT, with an effective blast radius of several hundred metres, such precision deviation does not make much difference. However, their downside is that an aircraft like the Su-34 can carry a maximum of three, which reduces the ability to attack multiple targets in one sortie compared to lighter bombs.
