Click to see full-size image. Via Telegram.
A photo surfaced on social networks on March 8 showing a Su-34 fighter bomber of the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) carrying what appears to be four FAB-500 bombs with new gliding and correction kits.
Russian media said that the bombs were equipped with a new version of the UMPK [Russian: УМПК; Унифицированный модуль планирования и коррекции, Unified gliding and correction module] kit. The verison is dubbed the UMPK-PD [Russian: РД Расширенный Лиапазон, Extended range].
The original UMPK allows unguided bombs like the FAB-500 to hit targets as far 80 kilometers away with high accuracy. The range, of course, depends on the altitude, speed and trajectory of the warplane before the bomb is dropped.
The UMPK-PD will reportedly allow bombs to hit targets with an even greater range. It will also allow warplanes to engage targets from a range close to the older version but without having to risk claiming to a higher altitude. The unclear photo of the bomb does not reveal how exactly this is done. However, one theory is that the kit comes with a rocket booster that allows the bomb to gain speed and altitude on its own after being dropped.
The new kit likely uses the same guidance system from the UMPK, which is built around a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system. The accuracy of this system is said to be less than ten meters.
It’s worth noting that the UMPK kit has been modified to fit different types of unguided general purpose bombs, from the FAB-250, to FAB-500, FAB-1500 and even FAB-3000. ODAB-500 and ODAB-1500 thermobaric bombs, as well as the cluster RBK-500 were also spotted with the kit. The UMPK-PD will likely also be modified to fit on the same bombs.
The UMPK and its variants have proven to be a real game changer in the course of the special military operation. The kits allowed the VKS to engage hardened targets and large gatherings of Kiev forces with high accuracy from a safe distance, all at a cost lower than $25,000 pre kit, according to available information.
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