A lot has been written about Russia’s use of “glide bombs” in Ukraine. These munitions signify a manifestation of what’s referred to as “stand-off” weaponry, an vital aspect of recent warfare.
Stand-off weaponry permits attackers to bombard an enemy whereas remaining outdoors the vary at which they are often anticipated to be susceptible to defensive countermeasures. After the second world warfare demonstrated the decisive function of air energy, the necessity to scale back casualties for attacking forces led to a requirement for munitions that would assault targets from plane, ships, submarines or ground-based launchers positioned properly away from the battlefield.
Mainly, glide munitions are normal (“free-fall” or “iron”) bombs which were modified by the addition of stabilising wings and navigation aids, in order to facilitate the elimination of a delegated goal. The know-how for glide munitions was largely pioneered by Nazi Germany throughout the second world warfare. In November 1943, for instance, an Allied troopship was sunk with the lack of 1,000 males by an air-launched Hs-293 missile.
This inspired the Allies to undertake comparable applied sciences after 1945. This included adapting current munitions – not least air-dropped “iron” bombs that had been principally unchanged from these used within the second world warfare. One instance of the Russian upgrades of those iron bombs is the FAB-500 (the “500” signifies its weight in kilograms), a Soviet air-dropped bomb initially launched in 1954. The FAB-500 – which was deployed in Afghanistan and, extra just lately, in Syria – demonstrates how Moscow has been capable of give classic munitions a brand new lease of life.
Placing from a distance
In March 2023, it was reported that Russian Su-35 plane had been outfitted to launch FAB-500M-62 glide bombs fitted with pop-out wings that prolonged their vary to 70km. This allowed Russian plane to hit Ukrainian targets whereas minimising threat from Ukrainian air defences by participating in saturation assaults.
Ukraine’s greatest air defence system, its US-made Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM), has a variety of as much as 145km and might destroy Russian plane earlier than they launch their munitions. In February, Ukrainian air defences shot down 13 Russian plane in as many days. However this meant Ukraine needed to deploy its Patriot batteries shut sufficient for an Iskander missile to destroy not less than two of Ukraine’s valuable Patriot launchers. In consequence, Ukraine needed to pull again its air defences.
EPA-EFE/Sergey Kozlov
Alexander Kovalenko, a Ukrainian army analyst, says that glide munitions permit the Russians, “with out getting into the world of our air defence techniques, [the ability to attack] each the … Ukrainian armed forces … and [our] cities”. Certainly, the Russians have used some 3,500 guided aerial bombs this yr, a 1,600% improve over 2023.
Current Russian advances have a number of causes – however weapons together with Moscow’s modified FAB-1500 are inflicting extreme injury to Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest metropolis, in addition to frontline cities akin to Sumy, which has taken a heavy pounding in latest weeks.
The FAB-1500 is the biggest glide munition weapon presently deployed by Russia towards Ukraine. Based on army skilled David Hambling: “The present model has an accuracy of higher than 10 metres, which just about ensures destruction with a weapon as huge because the FAB-1500.”
In fact, Ukraine additionally makes use of guided munitions, such because the US-manufactured Joint Direct Assault Munition system (JDAM) – however the provide of those is proscribed. John Foreman, a former UK defence attaché to Russia, observes that FABs are inferior to the JDAM, however they’re additionally less expensive and much more quite a few.
Justin Bronk, a senior analysis fellow on the Royal United Providers Institute (RUSI), believes that: “Russia actually has the capability to supply extra glide bomb kits for older FAB collection bombs than Ukraine has to resupply its [SAM] techniques … [and] taking pictures them down immediately isn’t a sustainable technique.”
Wished: long-range air defence techniques
Russia’s present marketing campaign implies that Kyiv must safe longer-range air defence techniques. Final week, the Ukraine president, Volodymyr Zelensky, acknowledged publicly that if the Russians saved hitting Ukraine “day by day the best way they’ve for the final month, we would run out of missiles, and [our] companions understand it”. Small marvel that Ukrainian international minister Dmytro Kuleba is pleading for extra Patriot missiles.
EPA-EFE/Presidential press service handout
Previously yr, Moscow has turned more and more to using glide bombs. These weapons have allowed it to preserve its insufficient stock of air-launched missiles, and to minimise using free-fall iron bombs that will expose helpful pilots to nice threat.
The consequence of that is clear. As a latest article from revered safety thinktank, the Worldwide Institute for Strategic Research, concluded: “Kyiv is confronted by the risk that an attritional warfare within the air area will more and more favour Russia with out enough help from the US and its allies. Ukraine’s capacity to proceed to counter Russian air threats and impose prices on the Russian Aerospace Forces stays vital to the result of the warfare.”
George Barros, a defence analyst on the Institute for the Examine of Struggle, has noticed that: “When the Ukrainian air defence … is all tied up, [the Russians] then transfer in with the fixed-wing plane to conduct these glide-bomb assaults … If Ukraine had higher air defences, they may have the ability to preclude using glide bombs by forcing the fixed-wing plane to remain additional away from the entrance line.”
It’s exhausting to disagree with such a bleak prognosis. And it’s unlikely to enhance whereas the US Congress continues to tie itself in knots over the supply of important army help to Kyiv. As congressman Mike Turner, the Republican chair of the Home Intelligence Committee, informed CBS Information on March 31:
We’re at a vital juncture on the bottom that’s starting … to influence not solely the morale of the Ukrainians who’re combating, but additionally their capacity to struggle. Putin is aware of this. That is clearly an space the place we can not permit him to win. Our European allies are saying that Putin’s aim is a warfare past Ukraine with Europe. We have to cease him in Ukraine.
The stakes are that prime.
