Russia began to use modernized aerial bombs in Ukraine, their full name is “UMPB D-30 SN”. The bombs are equipped with a module with drop-down wings and a jet engine, they can adjust the direction of movement during flight. In particular, Russia used this projectile during an attack on Kharkov on March 27, 2024. It was previously reported that the Russian army used these aerial bombs during the assault on Avdeevka.
As the Agency explains, the shells for such bombs use old ones that have been in service for a long time, but add retractable wings and a satellite navigation system to them, thereby increasing the range. Such bombs are dropped by Su-34 and Su-35 military aircraft, and their crews can do this without entering the affected area of Ukrainian air defense. Glide bombs can carry from 500 kilograms to 1.5 tons of explosives over a distance of more than 60 kilometers.
The Financial Times, citing DeepState project analysts close to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, writes that Kyiv has virtually no means of countering such weapons. According to the publication, Ukraine fears the use of these bombs during a new possible Russian offensive. It is expected to begin in late spring or early summer.
Ukrainian aviation expert Valery Romanenko said on the air of Present Time that the main difference between such a modernized projectile and a conventional guided bomb is in the launch method: “This is ammunition that can be dropped both from an aircraft and fired from MLRS launchers – multiple launch rocket systems. This is the main difference.”
“This munition is called a universal interspecific glide munition, [УМПБ]. D-30 is the caliber in centimeters. That is 300 millimeters. This is the caliber of the Smerch and Tornado multiple launch rocket systems,” explains Romanenko.
According to him, the UMPB D-30 is a kind of copy of the American GLSDB, Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb. “How was this American ammunition created? [Он создавался в качестве боеприпаса] to fifth generation fighters. They must carry all the ammunition – missiles, bombs – inside the fuselage. They are not able to take thick bombs – there is simply no room for them. That’s why they made small diameter bombs, which are sort of “rolled out”, like a housewife rolls out dough: they carry the same weight, but they are long, says the aviation expert. – Such ammunition could be dropped like conventional bombs are dropped from an airplane. But then they thought: why fly into the operating zone of anti-aircraft missile systems, into the affected area, when wings can be attached to this ammunition, and it will fly a long distance? This American SDB bomb is capable of flying to a distance of about 170 kilometers. Then we thought: why have a plane at all? Maybe launch it from the ground? And they attached an engine to the back of it. This is how the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb appeared, a small diameter bomb launched from the ground. And Russia created a complete analogue in the tens, calling it D-30 SN.”
Valery Romanenko notes that before the start of a full-scale war in Ukraine, such bombs were not put into service, but are now being tested, so Russia uses these ammunition “individually” and not en masse:
“It can be dropped from a distance, now there is an estimate that it has a flight range of about 50-70 kilometers. The Russians used such ammunition for the first time on March 8. But they are using it individually while military tests are underway. That is There is no need to fear a massive strike with these ammunition for now.”
At the same time, Romanenko agrees with the assertion of Financial Times sources that Kyiv does not have the means to counter such aerial bombs by shooting them down. Therefore, the Ukrainian military is concentrating on the carriers of these bombs – Su aircraft:
“The only country in the world that is doing this (shooting down such ammunition) is Israel. It has [система ПВО] “Iron Dome”, it has a high concentration of anti-aircraft missile systems of all types: cheap, expensive, short, medium, long range. It can afford to shoot down these munitions, and it is now preparing non-ammunition destruction systems, that is, laser systems. None [другая] any country in the world, including NATO and the United States, is not capable of shooting down such ammunition for a long time – it simply does not have enough missiles. Therefore, the fight is mainly with carriers. Now they are trying to shoot down the carriers.” According to Romanenko, the main carrier of modified Russian bombs is Su-34 fighter-bombers.
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2024-04-12 05:34:35