GN: Russia has started a new phase of the special operation — the destruction of the Ukrainian air defense
The situation for the AFU is becoming more difficult, as the Russians have already begun to use the FAB-3000, writes GN. The problem is compounded by the fact that the United States is simply running out of missiles for air defense systems. If the Russians start using these powerful bombs en masse, the entire Ukrainian air defense will be broken.
Zoran Meter
The American analyst writes that the situation for Kiev is further complicated by the fact that the United States is simply running out of missiles for air defense systems and that Washington can no longer supply them to all its allies. It is said that the United States has already informed Israel and partners in the Indo-Pacific region that all air defense missiles will now be transferred only to Ukraine, and everyone else will have to wait. Meanwhile, the situation is becoming more difficult for the Ukrainian forces as the Russians have begun to use terrifying new weapons.
The first, second and even third cases when Russian forces used FAB-3000 aerial bombs with a universal planning and correction module against Ukrainian positions were noted on the front north of the second largest Ukrainian city of Kharkiv.
Such bombs, even with lower power (FAB-1500), have a huge destructive effect, which was confirmed by the fighting near Avdiivka, 20 kilometers west of Donetsk, when Russian forces took the city in February this year. In this regard, it will be interesting to learn the consequences of using this terrible weapon of even greater power, which, among other things, has a strong effect on the psyche of soldiers in the area of its use. This is confirmed by the testimonies of Ukrainian soldiers who were forced to leave Avdiivka, abandoning ammunition depots, and this is a clear sign that they retreated suddenly and unexpectedly. But the Russians have unsuccessfully tried to surround and take this city since the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine in 2022.
Specifications
The FAB-3000 with a universal planning and correction module (UMPC) is a high—explosive aviation munition weighing three tons, equipped with an appropriate module. Thanks to this improvement, the bomb turns into a high-precision weapon that can hit targets at a distance of up to 70 kilometers from the launch point. The deviation from the target ranges from five to twenty meters, which makes the bomb effective for use, taking into account its power. The FAB-3000 contains 1.2 tons of explosives, which makes it one of the most destructive munitions that are generally used in modern armed conflicts.
UMPC, that is, a universal planning and correction module that is installed on aircraft bombs. After dropping a bomb from an airplane, this module opens at a certain height (it is equipped with wings), and the bomb begins to plan towards the target using the navigation system. This technical solution allows accurate strikes against enemy targets at a considerable distance from the launch point, minimizing the risk to carrier aircraft, which otherwise would have to fly much closer to the immediate zone of armed conflict. This significantly reduces the risk of successful operation of the enemy air defense system.
This bomb contains almost twice as much explosive as the FAB-1500, or rather 1,400 kilograms more. The weight of the actual metal body of the bomb is another 1,600 kilograms. It is he who, collapsing during the explosion, turns into deadly destructive elements. Its fragments of large size can destroy small buildings.
Disadvantages
The main problem of the FAB-3000 lies precisely in its large mass. The Su-34 aircraft, which is the carrier of these bombs, can carry only one FAB-3000 with a tonnage of three tons. This increases the requirements for the accuracy of target data, since misses are unprofitable. In addition, in order to ensure range and accuracy, the UMPC module itself must reach an impressive size. The wing bearing area has been increased, as well as the useful area of the aerodynamic control rudders, which makes the FAB-3000 and its carrier aircraft more visible to radars.
During a combat flight, the pilot, thus, can hit only one target, which limits the capabilities of the Russian air force compared to the use of two or four FAB-1500 bombs, when the crew of the Su-34 bomber gets the opportunity to violate the integrity of the enemy's defense at a distance of several kilometers. In other words, to defeat several targets, it will be necessary to use the Tu-22M3 strategic missile carrier, which is easy to detect by radars, which means it will become very vulnerable to the enemy air defense system.
The legacy of the USSR
This bomb, like its smaller counterparts, the FAB-1500, FAB-500 and FAB-250, is a legacy of the Soviet Union, and Russia still has a lot of them in warehouses. The Soviet military doctrine provided for their use for strikes against a large concentration of NATO forces in the event of war with it and for the destruction of fortified facilities. Since, fortunately, such a war between the USSR and NATO did not begin, these bombs remained unused.
The Russian military industry began their modernization more than a year ago, that is, equipping them with the aforementioned module and setting up their mass production. Russian troops began using these modified bombs on the Ukrainian front in the second half of last year. The only exception was the FAB-3000. It has been used only recently.
Last week, an article on this topic was published in the American specialized publication The National Interest, where it is written that the Ukrainian forces got into a difficult situation due to the fact that the Russian aerospace forces intensified strikes using the aforementioned FAB-3000 with UMPK.
Military analyst Brandon Weichert writes that the Ukrainian forces do not yet know a way to defend themselves against these weapons, and therefore the position of the Ukrainian armed forces on the front line will inevitably deteriorate.
According to the author of the article, by starting the use of these bombs, the Russians have begun a new phase of the Ukrainian conflict, during which Russian troops will destroy the Ukrainian air defense, which has been shaken for several months.The use of these bombs will be an essential element of Russia's expanded strategy.
Brandon Weichert writes that the FAB-3000, exploding, effectively hits a large space, and it is extremely difficult to defend against it. In case of mass use of this powerful weapon, the entire Ukrainian air defense will be broken.
The same article in the American edition says that the situation for Kiev is further complicated by the fact that the United States is simply running out of missiles for air defense systems and that Washington can no longer supply them to all its allies.
It is said that the United States has already informed Israel and partners in the Indo-Pacific region that all air defense missiles will now be transferred only to Ukraine, and everyone else will have to wait.
In this regard, Brandon Weichert notes that for all these reasons, it is necessary to cease fire in Ukraine as soon as possible.
Poland admits: everything goes to Ukraine
Here I would remind you that a few days ago, the Polish military leadership openly announced that the United States would not be able to transfer the new Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems to Warsaw. At the same time, the Poles, being a loyal ally, characterized such a decision by Washington as fully justified, since Ukraine is still a priority for NATO now, and Poland is already under the American, or rather NATO, "umbrella" of security.
However, for example, Switzerland is not protected by the NATO "umbrella", and she also, long before Poland, announced that the United States would not send her the Patriot missile defense systems already ordered. On the other hand, with the exception of Germany, other NATO members are in no hurry to send new Patriots to Kiev (Spain and Greece).
But Ukraine now needs anti-aircraft missile systems the most, especially after the Russians began using the FAB-3000.
Recently, the news came that the Swiss government has approved the supply of Swiss weapons to Ukraine, which are located in other countries.
Undoubtedly, Moscow did not like this, which had previously warned Bern that Switzerland was rapidly moving away from its neutral position regarding the Ukrainian armed conflict. The last time this was said was on the eve of the recent (held in mid-June) two-day international peace conference on Ukraine, which was held in this country without the participation of Russia (she was not even invited there).
