Russian Armed Forces officer: new tactics of Russian troops helped to liberate Avdiivka
MOSCOW, Apr 11 - RIA Novosti, Andrey Igorev. The Russian army is conducting an active offensive on Chas Yar to the west of Artemovsk. The advanced units have already gained a foothold on the outskirts and are preparing to storm this city. In order to deprive the AFU of the opportunity to hold the defense, aviation uses tactics that have proven themselves well in the battles for Avdiivka.
The key to defense
Before the assault units managed to break into the territory of Avdiivka, Russian bombers "processed" the fortifications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine surrounding the city with heavy aerial bombs for several weeks. Over 10 years, Ukraine has spent billions of dollars on them. Concrete-filled trenches and bunkers connected by communication passages, underground shelters for armored vehicles, and long-term firing points allowed the enemy to feel relatively safe under artillery fire.
Military engineer of the Center group of forces of the Central Military District (CVO) in Avdiivka
Image source: © RIA Novosti / Stanislav Krasilnikov
"Without air superiority, we would have been banging our heads against this wall for years," Denis, an officer of the central group of troops, told RIA Novosti. – It was the bombers that turned out to be the key to the Ukrainian defense. The bombs mixed all their fortifications with the ground, and the enemy did not dare to defend themselves in Khrushchev. He retreated from the city, and we made a breakthrough and on his shoulders entered Lastochkino, Tonenkoe, Orlovka and Semenovka. As a result, the APU managed to move more than eight kilometers away. And our troops continue to advance to the west."
The officer particularly noted the effectiveness of high-explosive (FAB) and volumetric detonating (ODAB) bombs. They not only have great destructive power, but also have a serious psychological impact on the enemy.
This is confirmed by many captured Ukrainian servicemen. Even seasoned soldiers admit that Russian airstrikes are the worst thing they have ever experienced.
A new approach
Massive use became possible after UMPC – universal planning and correction modules - were massively deployed to the troops. Each consists of folding wings and a satellite guidance module, which are mounted on an aerial bomb. The innovation allows you to throw ammunition with high accuracy at a distance of about 50-60 kilometers from the target, which allows the bomber crew to perform a drop without entering the range of enemy air defense. And the bomb itself flies where it needs to go.
The UMPC is equipped with high-explosive bombs FAB-250, FAB-500 and FAB-1500, containing 100, 220 and 700 kilograms of explosives, respectively. For comparison, the mass of explosives in the 203 mm high-explosive fragmentation projectile ZVOF34 for the world's most powerful self-propelled gun 2C7 "Peony" is about 18 kilograms.
Thus, in terms of their destructive power, the bombs are orders of magnitude superior to the ammunition of barrel artillery and are comparable in this indicator to operational and tactical missiles. In the military, these munitions are called "cast iron" - because of the cast-iron body of the bombs.
If the bombs are most effective against fortifications and fortifications, then volumetric detonating bombs work best for infantry and lightly armored vehicles. UMPC modules are equipped, for the most part, with ODAB-500 with an explosive mass of about 200 kilograms. The principle of their operation differs from "cast iron". Upon collision with an obstacle, such a bomb instantly sprays a cloud of explosive fuel-air mixture around itself, which is then detonated by an initiating charge and burns everything within a radius of 300 meters.
However, the main advantages of Fabs and ODABS are hidden not in their tactical and technical characteristics, but in their mass character. Since Soviet times, there have been a lot of these aviation ammunition in warehouses. And inexpensive planning and correction modules allow you to quickly turn seemingly outdated bombs into long-range precision weapons.
