Russia’s new guided bomb wreaks havoc on Ukrainian front lines and causes heavy casualties

(CNN) — Russia began using a powerful aerial bomb, which destroyed Ukrainian defenses and upset the balance of the front line. They did this by converting a basic Soviet-era weapon into a sliding bomb that could create a crater fifty feet wide.

The bomb is the FAB-1500, basically a 1.5 tonne weapon of which about half is high explosive. It is dropped from overhead by fighter planes from a distance of about 60–70 kilometers, out of range of many Ukrainian air defenses. The FAB-1500 is another example of how Russia is waging a war in Ukraine and causing mass destruction before seizing the territory.

Recent videos from war zones in the Donetsk region show the immense power of these bombs as they hit thermal power plants, factories and apartment buildings; Places from which Ukrainians coordinate their security.

The FAB-1500 is guided towards its target by a guidance system and pop-up wings that allow it to glide towards its target. Joseph Trevithick, who wrote about the development of the bombs for The Warzone, says that they “provide a new and much more destructive ranged attack option for many of Russia’s tactical aircraft that allow pilots to evade defense.” “Helps me too.” Enemies.

Law enforcement officers walk past a building damaged as a result of shelling in Donetsk. Stringer/AFP/Getty Images

A soldier with Ukraine’s 46th Independent Airmobile Brigade told CNN from the border town of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk last week: “At first, we were only bombarded with artillery. Now the (Russian) Orks took the city more aggressively And began using Air Force assets, particularly the FAB-1500.”

“Why are they using the FAB-1500? Because the damage it does is too severe. If you survive, you’re guaranteed to get hurt.”

“It puts a lot of pressure on the morale of the troops. Not all of our people can resist it. Although they are more or less accustomed to the FAB-500 by now, the FAB-1500 is hell.”

The use of FAB bombs became a key element in the Russian offensive in the Donetsk region, particularly in the destruction of Ukrainian defenses in and around Avdiivka, which occurred in February.

“On the eve and during the battle for Avdiivka, hundreds of aerial bombs were dropped in a matter of days. 250 of them were used in the direction of Avdiivka in just 48 hours,” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ihnat told CNN. “

The FAB-1500 is the most powerful of a family of Soviet-era “dumb” bombs that are now being converted into a cheaper but more powerful version of the missile at a plant near Moscow.

Justin Bronk, a senior researcher at the Royal United Services Institute in London, says that “manufacturing the glider kit is a hurdle, but the basic explosive package is something they have in large quantities.”

Therefore, the Russians have too much heavy firepower to operate on static defenses, causing increasing Ukrainian casualties, though still not enough to fundamentally alter the front line.

“It’s not a cheap or quick turnaround, but it’s still a lot less than the millions of dollars a missile costs. It’s a lot less than a missile,” Ihnat told CNN.

Russian military bloggers began mentioning this weapon last September when its accuracy was being tested. The Fighterbomber Telegram channel noted that “after several months of trial and error,” the FAB-1500 had “accurately” hit its “combat target” for the first time.

Final check of bombs before takeoff by Su-34 fighter bomber crew on 8 March. Russian Defense Ministry/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images

Fighterbomber, which is close to the Russian military and has nearly half a million customers, claimed the newly developed glider kit had increased the bombs’ range. He also said that the FAB-1500 had an accuracy of up to five meters.

Within a few weeks, both Ukrainian and Russian sources spoke of large-scale bomb use in Kharkiv in the north and Kherson in the south.

Then in January, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu was seen visiting the plant of JSC Tactical Missile Corporation, a major weapons manufacturer, in the Moscow region, where he was shown wraparound wings developed for the bomb. According to the ministry video, the company said it had developed a “high-precision” munition by converting old free-fall bombs into weapons that would head toward their targets.

The plant manager proudly told Shoigu that the switch to 24-hour production had increased productivity by 40%.

Bronk points out that converted FAB bombs can only be used against fixed targets, but in a war of attrition in the east, key Ukrainian positions are usually known to the Russians.

The Russian planes delivering these bombs are not invincible. The Ukrainian Air Force said it had shot down several Su-34 fighters in recent weeks. But most Ukrainian air defenses do not have the range to shoot down aircraft beyond about 70 kilometers.

“Our air defenses are being strengthened, but we still don’t have enough… Their goal is to attack not only our front-line positions, but also guided glide bombs near our defenders,” Ihnat told CNN. Have to fly back and attack the command post at the rear.” , rear supplies, ammunition, etc.”

“Attack aviation, Su-35 and Su-34 bombers, do not come as close as they would like. Nevertheless, if we had more long-range air defense, we could hit these aircraft even further (from our front line). Could have dropped “Ihanat further said.

Bronk states that the development of glide bombs has given the Russians a way to use their strategic air forces (as opposed to long-range bombers) more effectively after their limited role in the earlier stages of the war. He says the U.S. The Patriot complex is the only defense sector that has the range to counter the threat, but the Ukrainians have limited numbers. And the supply of missiles used by the Patriots has diminished due to the delay by the US Congress in approving an additional military aid package for Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials from President Volodymyr Zelensky on down have made almost daily requests for long-range air defense weapons to counter the Russian air threat. The F-16 fighters on which Ukrainian pilots are now training are not likely to fly in Ukraine’s skies until the second half of the year, but they could force Russian fighters further away.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces on the front lines, particularly in Donetsk, are facing a barrage of Russian airstrikes, sometimes with more than 100 strikes a day, according to the Ukrainian General Staff.

Just as the Russians had previously destroyed Ukrainian positions with intense artillery, they are now using an inexhaustible supply of these devastating bombs so that Ukrainian forces have nothing to defend against and no place to shelter. .