Ukraine is developing its own kit for converting conventional aerial bombs into high-precision gliding munitions. This is a project by the Medoid design bureau, which has already passed its first tests on a Su-24 front-line bomber.
Ukraine is developing its own kit for converting conventional aerial bombs into high-precision gliding munitions. This is a project by the Medoid design bureau, which has already passed its first tests on a Su-24 front-line bomber.
This is reported by Defense Express. The new module is a Ukrainian analogue of the Russian UMPK (guided aerial bombs), which allows conventional bombs of the FAB-500 type to hit targets at a distance of up to 60 km, and in the future up to 80 km. The development is aimed at improved accuracy and greater resistance to electronic warfare systems. The main components, in particular the airframe and navigation unit, are manufactured in Ukraine, although some components still have to be imported.
According to the representative of the design bureau Oleg Vostrykh, the product is undergoing state testing. Previous drops from the Su-24 in horizontal flight have already yielded positive results. Up to ten more tests are planned, necessary for approval by the Ministry of Defense.
At this stage, the project faces a major obstacle — a lack of funds.
One set costs approximately UAH 1.2 million ($25,000), and rapid financing is needed to launch mass production. Currently, the money for the tests is being collected by the newly created KB «Charity Fund for Advanced Technologies».
In parallel, the developers are testing integration with a French navigation module, which should increase resistance to electronic warfare. Importantly, the kit is easy to assemble in a few minutes and is already compatible with combat aircraft.
The need for such bombs is huge. According to military estimates, the daily need is approximately 100 units. Western analogues (JDAM-ER, Hammer, SDB) do not fully satisfy the needs of the front, so a national alternative can significantly change the situation.
Aerodynamic gliding munitions allow aviation to operate at a safe distance from the enemy’s air defense zone. The cost of the Ukrainian kit, already at the stage of prototypes, is lower than foreign analogues, which opens up prospects not only for mass production, but also for export in the future.
We also wrote earlier about how the hulls of the used guided bombs indicate that the occupiers have established their mass production. It is practically impossible to shoot down such bombs, but the Ukrainians have other methods of fighting.
