First video footage purportedly shows Russia’s FAB-3000 M54 glide bombs in action, striking a Ukrainian building in Lyptsi, part of Ukraine’s northern Kharkiv region, raising concerns over new threats to Ukrainian defenses.
Russia may be deploying massive 6,600-pound bombs turned into advanced glide weapons in Ukraine, potentially creating a significant new threat. A video on a Russian Telegram channel claims to show these bombs in action, targeting a Ukrainian building. However, questions remain about the practicality and availability of these bombs, and no independent verification has been made. If true, this development could challenge Ukraine’s defenses, though the actual impact remains uncertain.
It has been reported that Russian forces have started using large 3,000-kilogram (6,600-pound) class FAB-3000 M54 bombs as stand-off weaponry in Ukraine. Given the potential for massive destruction and the ability of the launch platform to avoid Ukrainian air defenses, if this is accurate, it might pose a serious new threat to Ukrainian forces. However, concerns have already been voiced regarding the amount of the bomb stockpile and the types of aircraft that could use these modified FAB-3000 M54s, all of which could limit their real operational usefulness.
The video below was posted earlier today by the Russian Aerospace Forces-affiliated Fighterbomber Telegram account. It purports to demonstrate the first-ever combat use of an FAB-3000 M54 equipped with a UMPK-series glide bomb kit. They are made up of a guidance package and a pop-out wing kit. Currently, in Russian service, the FAB-3000 is one of the biggest conventional high-explosive bombs, if not the largest, in its class. The largest of the three most common bomb sizes used by American forces is in the 2,000-pound (900-kg) class or less than a third of the size; there is no direct military comparable in the United States.
According to the Fighterbomber post that goes with the video, it depicts the modified FAB-3000 M54 being used to attack a three-story building in the Ukrainian hamlet of Lyptsi, which is located in the northern Kharkiv region of the nation. The building was being utilized by Ukrainian forces as a forward operating location.
A three-story skyscraper and other surrounding structures are shown being attacked from the air in the footage. Before it hits the ground, the culpable munition is momentarily seen in the shaky footage, making it difficult to identify the weapon.
Whatever the weapon is, it obviously possesses a great deal of destructive power because it completely destroys three other buildings and seriously damages the apparent main target. There are indications of varied degrees of damage to other nearby structures.
Although the attack seen in the video may have been carried out by FAB-3000 M54 equipped with a UMPK kit, Russian troops have been heavily utilizing 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) class glide bombs for over a year. The Russian Ministry of Defense published a video in January that featured a larger 1,500-kilogram (3,300-pound) class FAB-1500 M54 equipped with UMPK. Since then, there have been tidings that glide bombs based on the FAB-1500 have also seen action in Ukraine.
It’s also important to note that Fighterbomber on Telegram provided the first publicly available image of a bomb equipped with a UMPK glide bomb kit as well as the first information that FAB-1500s were being modified in this manner.
The use of FAB-3000 M54-based glide bombs by Russian forces poses significant difficulties for Ukrainian defense forces. The appearance of glide bombs with a 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) class caused significant issues for the Ukrainian military, leading to a significant change in air defense tactics, techniques, and protocols—developments that The War Zone has constantly monitored. Nevertheless, Russian forces are still using the smaller UPMK-equipped bombs, which pose a serious threat.
The latest footage from Fighterbomber amply illustrates the possible additional destructive capability of an FAB-3000 M54 outfitted with UMPKs, providing Russian forces with an additional stand-off option for taking down big targets.
However, there are serious doubts regarding Russia’s ability to use these enormous weapons. Even without the extra mass and weight of UMPK kits, FAB-3000 M54s are heavier than the claimed payload capabilities of pylons on the great majority of Russian tactical jets. One possibility could be Russia’s MiG-31K Foxhounds, which are limited in number and are capable of carrying Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, which are reported to weigh approximately 9,500 pounds (4,300 kilograms). A glide-bomb version of the FAB-3000 M54 would have a longer range thanks to the high speed and service ceiling of the MiG-31K.
All things considered, the bomber fleets of the Russian Aerospace Forces appear to be the most plausible launch sites for FAB-3000 M54s converted to glide bombs. The FAB-3000 was initially intended to be carried by Tu-22M3 Backfire bombers, however, their bomb bays can only hold two of the aircraft at once.
In turn, Russia’s capacity to employ these bombs may be restricted by its readiness—or lack thereof—to deploy its prize bombers closer to enemy territory. Targeting Russian bombers and other very valuable aircraft at long range is something Ukraine has previously proven it can do, especially with the Patriot surface-to-air missile systems it has been given by the US and other Western allies.
Russian bombers have primarily been utilized to launch cruise missile strikes at Ukrainian targets from far inside Russian airspace thus far in the conflict.
Less than ten miles from the Russian border, Lyptsi is home to buildings that may have been targeted by the FAB-3000 M54 glide bomb, a claim that raises questions about the weapon’s applicability for targets further into Ukraine.
Another concern is the number of FAB-3000s from the Cold War that Russia still has in reserve to be turned into glide bombs. It is unclear how long it will take for Russian officials to ramp up bomb manufacture, despite their March claims that mass production had resumed.
Depending on how they are used, even a small number of FAB-3000 M54s fitted with UMPK glide bomb kits could pose a threat to Ukraine. The already troubling lack of surface-to-air missiles—including interceptors for Patriot systems—among the Ukrainian armed forces may make this worse. To strengthen Ukraine’s defenses against aerial threats, the U.S. administration just unveiled a new initiative to reroute shipments of several types of air defense interceptors to that nation.
Recently, GreatGameIndia reported that at the Black Sea Security Forum, Ukrainian officials unveiled kamikaze drone boats, signaling Ukraine’s strategy to challenge Russia’s Black Sea Fleet dominance. These lethal vessels pose a significant threat to maritime security.
One Response
Russia produced bombs.
“america” produced butt-plugs!
Guess who will win this war!?