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Russia appears to have used its 6,600-pound glide bomb in Ukraine for the first time.
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Battlefield footage captures the moment the FAB-3000 struck in the Kharkiv region.
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War analysts say this highly destructive capability could be a major problem for the Ukrainian armed forces.
New video footage appears to capture the first combat deployment of Russia’s 6,600-pound glide bomb in Ukraine, a highly destructive capability that analysts say could be a huge problem for Kiev.
Russian sources published images on the messaging app Telegram that reportedly show a FAB-3000 M-54 bomb attack on Ukrainian positions in the northeastern Kharkiv region on Thursday.
The munition was equipped with a unified planning and correction module that turned it into a glide bomb, meaning it could have been air-launched from afar.
On impact, the bomb creates a huge fireball. With a large blast radius, the explosion rips through virtually anything in its path, although it is usually debris from previous battles.
A Russian mil blogger, Fighterbomber, noted that the attack actually missed its target by a few meters, but that the blast’s destructive radius makes up for any inaccuracies. Fragments of the explosion could travel more than 4,000 feet, the channel suggested.
In March, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced increased production of the FAB-3000 – and several other munitions, such as the 1,100-pound FAB-500 and the 3,300-pound FAB-1500. All three can be modified and turned into glide bombs, but it was unclear whether the heaviest one would be a problem for aircraft to transport.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War think tank said the use of the FAB-3000 bomb gives Russia a new weapon that carries “great potential for destruction” if it can be launched with impunity.
“The fact that Russian forces have discovered how to launch FAB-3000s is a significant development and will increase the destructive potential of Russia’s continued glide bomb attacks on Ukrainian forces and infrastructure,” the analysts wrote in an assessment on Thursday.
“Russian forces have already increased the use of guided and unguided glide bombs against Ukraine, especially in Kharkiv Oblast, with devastating consequences,” they said.
“If Russian forces were able to launch massive barrages of FAB-3000s (or even heavier guided hover bombs), they could cause even more widespread damage to Ukrainian frontline positions and critical infrastructure,” the analysts added.
Russian glide bomb attacks have been a headache for Ukraine throughout the war, but this munition has been especially problematic in recent months. Unlike conventional gravity bombs, glide bombs have flight control surfaces and are stand-off weapons. Attacking aircraft can release them from a distance – in many cases far beyond the range of Ukrainian air defense systems.
Because these munitions have short flight times, small radar signatures and non-ballistic trajectories, they are extremely difficult to intercept. The only way to truly defeat them is to intercept the plane mid-flight or destroy it on base.
With the Kharkiv region bearing the brunt of Moscow’s hover bomb attacks in recent months, Ukrainian officials called on Western countries to ease restrictions on Kiev using their weapons to attack on Russian territory so that the country can avoid this deadly and can better tackle destructive threats. Some of those restrictions have now been lifted.
Read the original article on Business Insider
