Glide bombs on the SVO: what Russia uses, what is known about the ODAB-500, FAB-500 and Grom-E1

The glide bombs dropped in the special military operation (SVO) zone by Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers have seriously alarmed the West. The American publication MWM reported on the plane and this aerial bomb.

The authors of the article said that fighter-bombers play a special and very important role in the conflict in Ukraine today. It is specified that “the effectiveness of their strikes with glide bombs has been widely reported by Western sources with great concern.”

It is also reported that this model of fighter is widely used both for nuclear deterrence and for performing tactical tasks in all theaters of military operations – from Syria to the Arctic and the western Pacific Ocean.

Su-34s are capable of carrying ODAB-500 fuel-air bombs. They, in turn, destroy enemy forces in shelters. The bombs are equipped with planning and correction modules (UMPK), which turn the free-falling ODAB into a high-precision munition.

Glide bombs modernized in Russia

It has recently become known that in Russia, aerial bombs have received modernized universal planning and correction modules (UMPK). The Telegram channel Fighterbomber also showed a photo of a FAB-500 with UMPK under the wing of a Su-34.

The product with an extended wing increases the gliding range of the munition. “Now it flies further than the overwhelming majority of tactical missiles with the same accuracy and a much more powerful warhead,” the authors of the material noted at the time.

Earlier, there were also reports that Russia had begun to ramp up production of aerial bombs of all calibers for use with the UMPK. The module, as indicated, turns free-fall bombs into guided high-precision munitions.

The retired colonel also assessed the emergence of the new Grom-E1 missile

The Russian Defense Ministry noted that the army achieves success on the battlefield in modern conflicts by using improved robotics and weapons. Against this background, information about the new Grom-E1 bomb missile also appeared.

It was claimed to be a hybrid of a guided air bomb and a missile. Military observer, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin assessed its importance for the Russian military, who had already managed to use the Grom-E1 during the SVO.

According to him, this bomb-rocket can be considered a new type of FAB, which is capable of hitting many military targets, in particular, air defense systems and radar stations. The expert linked the appearance of the bomb-rocket with the modernization of the bombs available in the army.

The Grom-E1 is also highly effective at a low cost. “The most important military law that the target must be more expensive than the ammunition used against it works here 100 percent,” Litovkin noted.