2024-08-05 11:46:26
Russia is increasingly attacking Ukrainian positions with massive three-ton FAB-3000 glide bombs. In addition, with current capabilities, it is practically impossible for Ukraine to shoot them down.
This footage released by Russia shows a successful FAB-3000 bomb attack on Ukrainian positions | Video: Telegram/Ministry of Defense of Russia
The huge FAB-3000 M-54 gliding bomb was first used by the Russians in Ukraine only a month ago. Since then, however, it has been widely used. Videos circulating on social media demonstrate its immense destructive power and significant blast range that can destroy anything in its path. The ArmyRecognition server says the bomb contains 1.4 tons of explosives. Their power is so great that the explosion can tear through armor up to 42 meters from the point of explosion, with deadly shrapnel flying up to 260 meters away.
The weapon was specially modified by Moscow, and the “dumb bomb” was turned into a precisely guided munition that Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers can fire at Ukrainian positions from a safe distance beyond the reach of their modern air defense systems.
The Russians are converting the weapon into an effective gliding bomb by equipping it with a unified planning and correction module. Thanks to this combination, the ammunition is guided by GPS. At the same time, it uses retractable wings to increase the accuracy of the range.
Analysts from the American think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warned last month that the deployment of the FAB-3000 is a “significant development” that could have devastating consequences for the positions of the Ukrainian army and civilian infrastructure.
The problem is not only its use, but also that it is not easy to destroy. “The Russians modified the glide bomb kits to be highly resistant to GPS jamming, thereby eliminating one of the options for disarming these problematic weapons,” an air force and technology expert at the Royal United Services Institute think tank in Velka told Business Insider. Britain Justin Bronk.
When launched from an aircraft, glide bombs have a short flight time, create small radar trails and travel on non-ballistic trajectories. These characteristics make them difficult to detect and capture. According to experts, Ukraine cannot afford to waste its already strained stockpile of air defense missiles in an attempt to shoot down these munitions in flight.
Therefore, the only reliable option for Ukraine is to intercept the plane before takeoff. In order for the Su-34 bomber to land, it must either be shot down on the ground or neutralized in the air – before it can drop its destructive payload.
To intercept the planes in the air, Kiev would have to move its state-of-the-art air defense systems closer to the front line. The American Patriot tactical missile system would be most effective for this task. But Ukraine has only a few of them, and they are mainly focused on the protection of larger cities far behind the front line. Placing them closer to the fighting would put them at a higher risk of destruction. And Ukrainians cannot afford that.
The Ukrainians are left to try to hit air bases inside Russian territory from which Su-34 fighter-bombers carrying FAB-3000 take off, which could disrupt combat sorties. Although Ukraine is already doing this to some extent with home-made long-range drones, the ideal solution would be to use Western weapons, which the regulations prohibit.
“Therefore, the Ukrainians demand that they be able to fire at targets in Russia. This would allow them to destroy Russian artillery assets, and therefore they could move their Patriot to the front line without having to worry about it being shot down,” described Russia analyst George Barroso.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has repeatedly called on the Biden administration to drop all restrictions on the use of long-range weapons such as ATACMS missiles to strike inside Russia, arguing that it is necessary to mitigate the threat of cruise bombs. As the FAB-3000 continues to appear on the battlefield, it can be assumed that its challenges will become even more pressing.
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