Click to see full-size image. By Wikimedia user (Killersurprise64)
HAMMER precision-guided glide bombs recently supplied to Ukraine by France are being intercepted by Russian air defenses over the special military operation zone.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the first interception of the French-made bomb on March 6. Another bomb was shot down on March 7, according to the ministry. On March 8, the ministry said that seven more were intercepted.
The ministry didn’t clarify where exactly the interceptions took place, nor revealed what air defense system was used to shoot down the glide bombs.
The HAMMER [Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range], also known as the AASM [Armement Air-Sol Modulaire in French] is an all-weather, smart air-to-surface stand-off weapon developed by France’s Safran Electronics & Defense. The bomb is meant for both close air support and deep strike missions.
The baseline variant of the HAMMER integrates a nose-mounted guidance section and a tail-mounted range extension kit, which includes a rocket booster, attached to a 250 kg unguided bomb. This variant features an inertial navigation system (INS) aided by a Global Positioning System (GPS) guidance.
Other variants of the bomb incorporate either infrared homing or semi-active laser guidance in addition to the GPS-aided INS for increased accuracy.
The kits have further been developed for use with 125 kg, 500 kg and 1,000 kg class bombs with a range exceeding 50 kilometers.
Last January, President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would be providing several hundred HAMMER bombs to Ukraine at a rate of 50 units per month during 2024. Soon after, the bomb appeared with the Ukrainian Air Force.
The coast of a single HAMMER bombs is reported to be between €164,000-252,000 which makes it very costly compared to similar American and Russian systems
Glide bombs are extremely difficult to detect and intercept due to their low speed, small radar cross-section and minimal infrared print.
Russian air defense officers gained much experience in dealing with all sorts of targets, including glide bombs, early on in the special military operation in Ukraine. The Russian military has also optimized and upgraded its existing air defense systems during the operation to deal with such modern aerial threats.
