Ukraine deploys upgraded heavy bombs to counter Russian threat
Ukrainian aviation continues its operations against Russian forces, deploying guided bombs acquired from Western allies. Now, bombs twice the weight of previous ones have been showcased. We explain their performance.
Ukraine currently has very limited aviation capabilities, with only a small portion of their fleet available from before the war. Most strike missions are carried out by MiG-29 aircraft, which have been bolstered with units from Poland and Slovakia.
A few Su-27 aircraft remain in operation, along with some F-16 jets. These are, as indicated by available footage, primarily used for airspace defence tasks.
In cockpit footage from a Su-27 aircraft below, a pair of JDAM-ER bombs are seen being released. This act itself is not novel, but the weight of 450 kg is significant, as earlier recordings featured 225 kg bombs. Using a 450 kg bomb indicates that the bombing target was of high importance.
JDAM-ER bombs: A straightforward modification of Cold War-era munitions
JDAM-ER bombs, introduced to the U.S. Air Force in 2015, are an upgrade of the early JDAM models from the 1990s. The JDAM bomb family is based on older unguided bombs, the Mk 82/83/84, weighing approximately 225 kg, 450 kg, and 900 kg, respectively. NATO countries have hundreds of thousands, possibly even a few million, of these bombs.
The production process involves equipping these bombs with a module comprising advanced GPS and INS navigation, as well as control elements and folding wings in the ER version.
This modification creates a glide bomb capable of precisely striking targets within a few metres, even from a distance of over 65 km, provided it is released from a high altitude. Simply put, the higher and faster the bomb is released, the further it can travel.
JDAM bombs: formidable power at an affordable cost
The speed of these bombs makes them exceptionally challenging for air defence systems to intercept. Russians employ a similar tactic, using FAB bombs with UMPK (Unified Modules for Planning and Correction) modules when targeting Ukrainian positions.
Moreover, the low production cost (as only the module is needed; the bomb itself is virtually free) is a significant advantage of JDAM/ER bombs. The 225 kg variant contains approximately 87 kg of TNT, while the 450 kg model holds about 200 kg of explosives. Additionally, the heavier bomb is more effective at penetrating ground or field fortifications, and its increased destructive power compensates for any precision loss due to the impact of Russian jammers.
