The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published details about the French-made AASM Hammer guided aerial bombs, which are already in use in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular on adapted MiG-29s.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published details about the French-made AASM Hammer guided aerial bombs, which are already in use in the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular on adapted MiG-29s.
According to the Ministry of Defense, the AASM Hammer is not a separate missile, but a set of equipment that transforms a conventional aerial bomb into a guided high-precision munition. The set includes a guidance unit and a tail module with feathers and an accelerator, which allows for more accurate targeting and the use of the munition at a greater distance.
The department specifies that these munitions are compatible with several types of aircraft, including the F-16, Rafale, and Mirage 2000D, and in Ukraine they were adapted for launch from the MiG-29. This is an important point for the reader, because this is not just a new type of munition, but the integration of Western weapons into existing Ukrainian platforms.
The Ministry of Defense also lists the key characteristics of the AASM Hammer. Depending on the configuration, the system can operate with inertial, satellite, laser or infrared guidance. The declared deviation from the target is up to 10 meters. The role of the accelerator is separately emphasized: it allows you to hit targets at a distance of up to 70 km, which gives the aircraft the opportunity to operate further from the zone of attack of enemy air defense.
The report states that the most common AASM Hammer kits are used for the 250-kilogram Mk 82 and 1,000-kilogram Mk 84 bombs, but there are also options for other types of aerial bombs. This means that the system is scalable for different missions and target types.
AASM Hammer became a way to make conventional aerial bombs much more accurate and safer for pilots to use. Separately, the Ministry of Defense recalled that the topic of supplying these munitions was discussed during the meeting of Mikhail Fedorov with the French side in Kyiv, where they also signed a letter of intent on joint production of weapons in Ukraine and France.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported on «taking effective measures to reduce the effectiveness of Russian guided aerial bombs,» noting that from September to November, anti-aircraft missile troops of the Armed Forces of Ukraine destroyed up to 100 enemy aerial bombs.
