The promising Russian planning aircraft bomb "Drill" has passed tests that confirmed its combat effectiveness. This, as reported by "Interfax", said the Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Yuri Borisov. According to him, the new aircraft munition is planned to be adopted by the Russian Aerospace Forces by the end of 2021.
The development of the "Drill" has been underway since the mid-2010s. The aerial bomb is equipped with 15 combat elements, each of which has its own infrared and radar guidance systems. At the final stage of the flight of the aerial bomb, the combat elements are separated from it and lowered to the targets on parachutes. Such elements are able to effectively hit armored vehicles from above, where the armor is usually weaker.
The planning range of the "Drill" after the reset is 30 kilometers. The ammunition is 3.1 meters long and 0.45 meters in diameter. The mass of the bomb is 540 kilograms. The height of the air bomb drop is from 100 to 14,000 meters at a flight speed of 700 to 1100 kilometers per hour. The planning range of the munition depends on the drop height. The main carrier of the aerial bomb should be the Su-57 fighter.
In February 2021, the US Air Force Research Laboratory tested GBU-39/B SDB aircraft bombs, combined in the "Golden Horde" (Golden Horde). During the tests, four aerial bombs were launched from the fighter, which were able to simultaneously hit four different targets. The Golden Horde project provides for the creation of artificial intelligence systems for various classes of ammunition, with the help of which ammunition can act as a group.
Vasily Sychev
