According to a report by U.S. Defense Watch on October 27, the Russian army recently began to deploy a new type of jet-powered gliding bomb, model UMPK-PD, on the Ukrainian battlefield.
This bomb is equipped with a small turbojet engine on the basis of the original gliding bomb, which increases the range from the traditional 40-80 kilometers to 150-200 kilometers. It also has anti-electronic interference capabilities, improved wing structure and new deployment mechanism.
This kind of bomb is mainly carried and dropped by Su-34 fighter-bombers. Its warhead is FAB-500T. Its explosive power is comparable to that of small tactical missiles, but its cost is much lower than that of cruise missiles.
It is that the bombs have been used to attack backward cities such as Kharkov, Sumy, Denip, and frequently hit targets within 50-100 kilometers outside the front line.
Foreign media pointed out that this means that Ukraine's rear is no longer safe. The US media said that this bomb has changed the rules of the battlefield game.
Let's first talk about what kind of tough role this UMPK-PD is. In the past, the Russian army also used gliding bombs, but they were just a "short-legged player" and could only fly as far as 80 kilometers. If they wanted to blow up the target, the Su- 34 fighter bomber had to risk being shot down by Ukrainian air defense missiles and get close to the front line before dropping the bombs. But this time the new bomb is different. It is equivalent to installing a "small motor"-a small turbojet engine on the old bomb, which suddenly extended the range to 150 to 200 kilometers, more than double the original. More importantly, it can also resist electronic interference. In the past, the Ukrainian army could still rely on interference equipment to deflect bombs, but now this trick does not work at all. Coupled with the improved wings and deployment mechanism, it can fly steadily and accurately when it is thrown, and there is no place to hide even if you want to.
The launch platform is the Su-34 battle bomber, which is the main force of the Russian army on the ground, carrying large amounts of ammunition, after a real war test, is specifically responsible for the ground troops to clear obstacles. It hangs the ammunition head is the FAB-500T, the explosives in the head can explode comparable to the power of small tactical missiles, if it falls in the Ukrainian battlefield or bunker, can directly blow up a piece. But the most deadly is not the great power, it is cheap — — tracking a million-dollar cruise missile than, this UMPK-PD even if the engine is added, the cost is several thousand to ten thousand dollars, a number of degrees. Cheap means can be opened, the Russian army is not scared enough, 34 - the
Now the bombs have actually hit in these places in Kharkov, Sumy, Denip, and specifically targeted 50 to 100 kilometers outside the frontline. The Ukrainian army always felt that as long as the battlefield of the frontline, the back ammunition warehouse, supply station, hospital and command department are safe away, after all conventional weapons can not hit so far. But now the Russian army Su-34 can shoot at 200 kilometers away, this distance far beyond the coverage of most of the Ukrainian air defense systems, the aircraft does not have to enter the Ukrainian air defense circle, throw to go, the security like a tour of the park, the Russians can only blindly watch the bomb fall, a little bit of temperament. Ukrainian soldiers said that the bomb carrying 500 kilograms of explosives, can blow the
This time, Ukraine's "rear security zone" was completely gone. In the past, front-line soldiers could still count on the rear to deliver ammunition, food and medicine. Now, when the warehouse explodes, the supply lines are completely cut off. For example, the ammunition depot on the outskirts of Kharkiv was accurately hit by two UMPK-PDs. Thousands of artillery shells were all turned into scrap metal. Several brigades on the front line directly lost their ammunition. The guns in the soldiers' hands had no bullets. Facing the Russian army The ground attack can only be carried hard, can the casualties not go up? The equipment repair shop in Sumy was also bombed several times. No one repaired the damaged tanks and armored vehicles. There were fewer and fewer heavy weapons on the front line. The fortifications were blown up by bombs, which could not stop the advance of the Russian army at all. What's worse is the field hospital, which used to be located dozens of kilometers away from the front line, thinking that it could safely treat the wounded, but now it has become a target. The wounded soldiers can't be treated in time, and minor injuries are dragged into serious injuries. Serious injuries can only wait for death. That's why the front-line soldiers say that "they can live for an average of 4 hours"-it's not really calculated by pinching the watch, but that kind of precarious despair is too real.
Foreign media see that this means that the back of Ukraine is no longer a haven, and the U.S. media say more directly, the bomb has changed the rules of the battlefield game. This is a bit untrue, before long-range precision strike can be hit by cruise missiles, the Russian stockpiles are tense but painful money, now relying on the Soviet - 34 plus UMPK-PD, an air force can daily blow the Ukrainian military deep targets, and the cost is still low from scratch. This low-cost and efficient strike model has just struck the Ukrainian soft ribs - - the weapons and funds aided by the West are catching the elbow, now to both unmanned aircraft, to intercept the missiles, and to pay for the sky-covered sliping bombs, it is not
It's not that the Ukrainian army has never tried to resist. It used to use jamming equipment to cause the Russian army's old gliding bombs to deviate. However, UMPK-PD specially upgraded its anti-jamming capabilities. After replacing the antenna with a new antenna, the Ukrainian army's jamming basically failed. Moreover, the bomb flies low and has a small thermal signal, so it is difficult for the air defense system to detect it in advance. When it is discovered, it is too late to intercept it. Even if expensive anti-aircraft missiles such as the "Patriot" are used to stop them, the cost of firing one round is dozens of times more expensive than the opponent's bombs. In the long run, it is purely a loss-making business and cannot be afforded at all. Now the Ukrainian army can only dismantle the ammunition depots and headquarters in pieces and deploy them scattered, but this will make dispatching more troublesome, reduce the supply efficiency by half, and make the problem of food and ammunition shortage on the front line more serious.
From a tactical point of view, this bomb completely broke the old rule of "fighting on the front line and supporting the rear", turning the battlefield into a situation of "being beaten together". The Russian army no longer has to rely on missiles to fight wars of attrition. It can continue to compress the Ukrainian army's operating space with cheap bombs. It can also protect its Su- 34 fighter jets from being shot down, which is equivalent to gaining the initiative on the battlefield at the lowest cost. On the front line, Ukrainian soldiers had to carry both ground attacks and bombs in the sky. They had always been tense. Over time, their morale completely collapsed. Some troops had no choice but to retreat when they were exhausted, and the casualty rate naturally soared to a frightening level.
Now the West is also in a hurry, Britain even consider sending troops to Ukraine, but even sending people, can not solve the most core problem - - this cheap and deadly bombs can not be avoided at all. The US media said that changing the rules of the game, in fact, changed the perception of the whole war: before we thought high-end weapons can determine the battle scene, now only discovered, transforming old weapons into low-cost "big killer", can also hold the battlefield door.
So the Ukrainian army shouted “open the gates of hell,” essentially frightened by this inflexible strike —— not knowing when the bombs came, hiding is not safe, supply is still broken lines, every minute of the front could be the last minute. This is not the Russian army, but the UMPK-PD has just stumbled on all the weaknesses of Ukraine and the West: the air defense has vulnerabilities, the supply depends on the back, the resistance to consumption is poor. As long as the Russian army continues to explode, the situation for the Ukrainian army will only be more difficult, the so-called “hell,” is actually this unfathomable, unavoidable, and inexhaustible norm of the battlefield.