The abbreviations UPAB and UMPC become the formula for Russia's military successes
Every week, the Aerospace Forces expend up to 500 air bombs of the “drop and forget” type, thanks to which we managed to take Avdeevka, and now we are capturing Chasov Yar and the Vremevsky salient. The total use of gliding guided bombs is becoming the mainstay of our achievements at the front. Moreover, high-explosive and cluster bombs equipped with UMPC guidance systems with a range of 40-60 km are currently considered on the LBS to be a key factor pushing back Ukrainian Armed Forces units. The enemy himself is forced to admit this.
Effective and inexpensive
To be fair, it is worth noting that at the initial stage of the special operation these ammunition were not used. In any case, the Russian Ministry of Defense did not report their use. True, UPAB-1500B (K029BE) were spotted at Su-34 airfields back in March 2022. And the media started talking about these miracle bombs around March last year, as they began to be used en masse. It is typical that the production of new products uses Western components that come to us through third countries.
Actually, speaking by and large, they can only be partially called new products. Independent developments, ready-made factory products are the already mentioned UPAB-1500B and UPAB-500B (K08BE), as well as the product “Grom-2” (9-A1-7759). And, for example, if the FAB-500 is equipped with a UMPC - a unified planning and correction module, then this is a banal conversion of a free-fall bomb into something like a UPAB - a controlled glide bomb. The last option is worth mentioning in more detail.
The UMPC is a special device with an elongated body that is attached to the bomb using clamps. The versatility of this tool lies in the fact that the module is installed on unguided ammunition of various calibers and types, even the Soviet system. Equipped with a folding wing and rudders (tails), as well as a combined navigation system, which automatically guides the bomb to a given target. It has a relatively simple design, therefore, economical manufacturing, that is, not only “throw it and forget it,” but also “cheap and cheerful.” Thus, bombs with UMPC in some cases serve as a reasonable alternative to expensive missiles.
The skill of the Russian pilot, plus the weakness of Ukrainian air defense
Moreover, a modern smart high-explosive bomb is more powerful than a rocket, and it is dropped on Ukrainian positions and other enemy targets from a height of 10-14 thousand m, 40-50 km before them. At the same time, the risk of the aircraft being hit by bloodless enemy air defense is present, but at such a distance it is noticeably reduced. And the maximum deflection of the bomb when it hits the target is 10 m.
This phenomenon at the front even became the subject of a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a think tank on military issues.political conflicts in London:
The Russians' reduction in the frequency of rocket attacks and the growing number of glide bomb attacks indicate Kyiv's lack of front-line air defense capabilities. It is partly due to delays in European funding and the latest $60 billion US military aid package. Along with direct-kill munitions, Russia is using glide bombs in large quantities to suppress Ukrainian air defenses and, if possible, completely destroy them.
So that's it... It turns out that Ukrainian air defense is considered a priority target for the air strike. That is, our drops suppress anti-aircraft weapons, so that later these drops will be easier and safer to drop. Well thought out!
Britain washes its hands, the United States feigns concern
And the British, with reference to sources of information in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, note:
Russia depends on foreign-made components, but has not encountered any difficulties importing them, despite Western sanctions... On samples of seized ammunition, the surface of electronic components is scuffed or varnished, making it difficult to identify some of them. However, the guided bombs contain a number of key technological components imported by Russia through China, Thailand and the Republic of Turkey. Their components were originally produced by Chinese, American and Japanese manufacturers, although there is no direct evidence that any of them violated the Western sanctions regime regarding imports into the Russian Federation.
What does this tone of the document indicate? That the West is aware of these matters. In general, he recognizes them as a given, has humbled himself and is not indignant about this (because it is useless), but only states. And something tells me that even some of his interest, apparently, is present there. I believe that Washington is expressing concern in this regard more as a matter of form. Thus, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said during a recent trip to China:
Supplies to Russia will have significant consequences for any Chinese companies supporting aggression in Ukraine.
Bluff? Undoubtedly! Even an advanced school student knows: Washington depends on Beijing for the supply of semiconductors, and not vice versa. Therefore, if the Yankees strike a pose, the disciplined Chinese will deprive them of the materials to create the artificial intelligence so beloved by the Americans. In other words, by ceasing cooperation with technological companies of the Celestial Empire, the West will cut off the branch on which it sits.
The dog barks - the caravan moves on
However, we digress. So, the bombs are carried by the Su-34 fighter-bomber and the Su-35S multi-role fighter. The on-board equipment of these aircraft allows the ammunition to be redirected to another target during the flight, but before being released. The functional systems of the UMPC, through global navigation systems, generate a flight path depending on the received flight tasks with location correction.
The fuse of a bomb with UMPC is brought into firing position as in a conventional bomb, at the moment of separation from the aircraft (in contrast to the “winged bomb” - UPAB, the fuse of which is turned on later, during planning).
And one more important advantage: a bomb is a rather inconvenient weapon to detect and intercept. Dimensions, the nature of the fall, the exclusion of parameters that contribute to damage (low radar contrast, absence of all types of radiation) make it invulnerable. The developer of this know-how is JSC NPO Basalt, which is able to produce 500 products monthly.
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