For and against Bombs with the UMPC: Experts named four factors of danger of Russian Air Force (photo)
This technical solution enables the Russian front-line bombers to the Su-34 to attack beyond the reach of Ukrainian air defense. In this regard, the Defense Military Observer 24 Marchin Gavend named four factors of the danger of this type of weapons, and also marked the shortcomings of aviation planning bombs used by the occupiers in Ukraine.
In the material, the Polish expert refers to Ukrainian sources that note a sharp increase in the activity and efficiency of the tactical aviation of the Russian Federation. Thus, on March 18, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, General Ivan Gavrylyuk, reported that in the first 77 days of this year, the Russians dropped more than 3,500 airbombs into Ukrainian positions - 16 times more than in 2023.
"Thus, the Ukrainian problem associated with the use of the UMPC aircraft is multifaceted," Gavenda writes. The first thing the expert drew attention to is the number of bombs that the Russians drop. Mass production of the UMPC modules has led to mass processing of old fabs into planning facilities, so the intensity of using this type of weapons on the front is increasing-there are days when more than 100-120 bombs per day are dumped.
At the same time, the Russian air forces demonstrate a tendency to increase such air strikes. For example, in March, 120-130 planning bombs with the UMPC were produced in Ukrainian positions per day, and there is no signs that in April this figure will not decrease. In this vein, Ukrainian military expert Alexander Kovalenko also spoke.
According to him, in the second half of 2024, Russian troops, namely tactical aviation and cabins, which may exceed the figure of 3,000 bombs in the monthly equivalent, will play a major role in the breakthrough of the Armed Forces lines and fortified areas of the Armed Forces. The second factor in the danger is the nomenclature of arms of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, which is becoming more wider.
Havenda writes that at first the UMPC bombs were the old Fab-500 (UMPC Fab-500 m62), then the UMPC modules appeared not only at Fab-250, but also on cassette RBC-500, then heavy Fab-1500 and OB 'capacious ODAB-500P. "Recently, the Ukrainian side has mentioned the use of huge capacity on the advanced thermobaric ODAB-1500, perhaps the UMPC," the expert said. In addition, there is an assumption that the UMPC will also be integrated with the giant Fab-3000.
This type of weapons is extremely dangerous if used for concentrated shocks. In particular, Havenda assesses the situation in Avdiivka, where the Ukrainian forces had to leave the city, in particular, through massive tactical aviation air strikes with the use of UMPC bombs. Particularly devastating force is the FAB-1500, which cause not only huge material damage and losses in the killed and wounded, but also inflict indirect injuries, such as stunning, concussion, psychological injuries, etc.
According to the expert, the Russians have not yet said their last word in the field of air assault, for which the ability to be deployed outside the reach of the Ukrainian air defense is key. It is about the planning bomb of the UMPB D-30SN is a Russian copy of the American "smart" bomb GBU-39/b SDB, which was taken by Russian developers as a basis for its project in the 2010s.
Moreover, there were data that such bombs with the UMPC began to install a self -liquidator, which can lead to an ammunition explosion even a few hours after its reset. On the one hand, the device provokes an explosion of an unreasonable bomb, and on the other - complicates its neutralization, creating a threat to the sapper group. "All this makes the problem of mass use of the UMPC serious for the Ukrainian side for several weeks, which affects some areas of the front," Gavenda emphasized.
Among the disadvantages of aircraft bombs with the UMPC, the observer calls the low accuracy of strokes, as well as the emergency discharge of ammunition. In the first case, it is about low -precision attacks on fortified points, when a blow past the target can lead to unsatisfactory results. But here, relatively low accuracy is compensated, in particular, by the use of more bombs and gaining their weight, for example, from Fab-500 to Fab-1500.
As for the second drawback, the refusal means the "separation" of the bomb from the UMPC pendants, which is not accidental. This problem is estimated to affect up to 5% of such bombs, which is quite a lot, given that the bombs usually "break up" for various reasons in the Russian Federation. This means that bombs fly over their heads, such as residents of Belgorod and surrounding villages. Untreated bombs are added to this, which reduce the overall efficiency of the UMPC bombing.
"All of the above factors, and especially the tendency to increase the number of UMPCs unfolded, mean that the problem with Russian glutsadium bombs, and therefore the fight against their carriers, will soon become a key to the Armed Forces," Gavenda summed up. Earlier, focus wrote in detail about the characteristics of glutis bombs, which the air forces of the Russian Federation strike in Ukraine.