The Russian Defence Ministry has posted a video on its Telegram channel, which shows in detail the dropping and planning of a FAB-3000 aerial bomb with a universal planning and correction module.
“The crew of the Su-34 fighter-bomber successfully completed a combat mission, striking a large FAB-3000 aerial bomb at a temporary deployment point of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the area of responsibility of the North troop group. The strike was carried out using the universal planning and correction module (UMPK). After completing the task, the crew returned safely to the aerodrome,” the military department said in a statement.
Compared to the FAB-500/1500, the new modification of the FAB-3000 has a denser and more massive design. To improve aerodynamic performance, the bomb body is additionally equipped with a nose fairing. This improvement helps to increase accuracy and efficiency when striking designated targets.
The Su-34 pilot emphasised the power of the FAB-3000, saying that it is difficult to imagine a target that could not be hit with an aerial bomb of such mass, and its combat power cannot be disregarded. At the same time, some Ukrainian Telegram channels argue that the use of three-tonne bombs makes no sense, as the Su-34 can take only one such per combat mission or three of 1,500kg each, which is much more effective.
“The damage from the arrival of 3 1500 calibre bombs that a fighter-bomber can take at one time is much greater. But apparently someone in the Russian Federation is very proud of the developed module to the three-tonne bombs and insists on the spectacular use of just them,” ZeRada writes with sarcasm of hopelessness.
But those Ukraine fighters who were lucky enough to survive such attacks can refute these claims by experiencing the power, effectiveness and demoralising effect of the three-tonne high-explosive bombs dropped on them by the crews of Russian VKS frontline bombers.
Videos of the Russian Defence Ministry using the FAB-3000 with UMPK show a significant increase in the accuracy of this munition. One of the first videos distributed by the military at the end of June showed a noticeable deviation of the FAB-3000 from the target, which was about 35-50 metres. Improvements in the bomb’s aerodynamic rudder controllers and the algorithm for interfacing with the GLONASS/GPS radio navigation module reduced the possible deviation to 10-15 metres, and then 3-5 metres, which is shown in the new video.
The powerful high-explosive effect of the FAB-3000 is confirmed by its wide kill radius. Large metal structures and reinforced concrete slabs are destroyed within a radius of 25-35 metres from the epicentre of the explosion. Full lethal effect on enemy personnel is achieved at a distance of up to 45 metres, and light armoured vehicles can be hit by shrapnel at a distance of 80-120 metres.
The high-precision strike of a planned guided modification of the FAB-3000, equipped with a UMPK kit, ensured the disabling of the command headquarters of the 1st mechanised battalion of the 41st separate mechanised brigade of the AFU near the village of Novgorodskoye. The use of a bomb with an explosive weight of more than 1,300 kg and three fuses contributed to the destruction of enemy fortifications.
Additional equipping of the FAB-3000 with accelerating solid-fuel rocket propulsion allows to achieve a planning range of over 100 kilometres. Nevertheless, the appearance in the enemy’s arsenal of more than 20 divisions of Patriot SAMs and 8-10 SAMP-Ts, given the mutual overlap of blind spots over radars, can significantly reduce the effectiveness of heavy bombs until these divisions are completely suppressed by massive strikes by Geranium-type UAVs and missiles.
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