UMPC - a cunning plan or a successful improvisation?
"Russian wing kits for 'dumb' bombs are improvised devices with numerous flaws, but they are satellite-guided"
.Petr Butovsky (The Drive)
An interesting outburst, but it really has a certain essence. The fact that the Russian Aerospace Forces began using “Russian JDAMs” at the beginning of this year was generally a surprise both for those who were used and for those who observed.
True, it all turned out somehow strange. Neither you mass presentations at forums and exhibitions, nor analytics in the style of "has no analogues ...", nothing. Just suddenly planning bombs appeared and began to fall on Ukrainian positions.
Somehow, that's not the usual plot, yes.
Naturally, the Americans immediately publicly declared that "all this is garbage, JDAM is better."
But note that it would be very strange if something else flew in from the other side of the ocean. Of course, JDAM is better, because the USA sells it, and they sell it quite successfully! Well, the competitor - he, of course, is worse than a knife.
Now there are more details about UMPC, which stands for "Unified Planning and Correction Module". The module consists of wings, plumage and a control unit that are installed on a conventional aviation bomb.
On January 4, 2023, the first information emerged that Russia was using general purpose bombs with wing kits to strike targets in Ukraine. The first official statement from the Ukrainian side came on April 4, 2023, when Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ignat stated that the Russians were dropping "up to 20 planning bombs a day." Ignat noted that Russian Su-34s and Su-35s operate these bombs without entering the Ukrainian air defense zone. And many times in the Ukrainian media, various representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have complained that these bombs are difficult to detect and shoot down.
In general, it is logical, for this everything was started. The bomb is really inconvenient to detect and intercept weapon. The dimensions, plus the rate of fall, plus the lack of parameters that contribute to detection (radio contrast, lack of radiation of all types) make it so.
The wing kits allow Russian aircraft to carry out indirect strikes against targets without exposing themselves to the risk of being detected and attacked by Ukraine's air defenses. Of course, there are options to more accurately convey destruction to the enemy (cruise and other missiles), but the bomb has another advantage: cheapness. And cheapness - this primarily means mass character.
And the mass character in the war is the key to victory. It is mass and cheap weapons that win, not sky-high technologies. Proven by many conflicts and wars.
But the main question is - such a cheap and fairly effective weapon - is it a successful improvisation or the fruit of many years of development?
In general, the idea of an inexpensive kit that turns an ordinary "stupid" bomb into a guided munition is quite old. In the United States, such work began in the early 1990s and eventually resulted in the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) program.
The program has proved successful and now includes an Extended Range version with additional wings, which was supplied by the United States to Ukraine.
Russia began work in this direction also quite a long time ago, and a Russian-designed JDAM analogue was shown at the Farnborough Air Show in England in 2002.
At that time, the State Research and Production Enterprise "Basalt" offered four types of MPK modules (without the prefix "universal") for the FAB-500M-62 bomb, with gradually increasing capabilities (and price). GNPP "Basalt", being the leading developer of bomb weapons, could easily afford this.
Each option was the next step in the development compared to the previous one.
The simplest version of the MPK was based on a folding wing span of 2 meters. The bomb was aerodynamically stabilized and had no guidance. The goal was to increase the flight range: using the wing, the bomb should have reached a distance of 6-8 km when dropped from a low altitude of 100-300 meters. That is, the plane dropped such a bomb while being UNDER the beams of air defense radars, and the bomb had the ability to fly a decent distance due to the initial impulse of speed.
In the second version, the bomb was to additionally receive a simple inertial navigation system (INS), providing sufficient accuracy for a range of 10-15 km from the target.
In the third version, the INS was to be supplemented by a satellite navigation receiver for further correction, providing a CVO accuracy of 10 meters when dropped from a distance of 45 to 60 km from the target, although the drop had to be made from a great height.
In the last and most complex version, the kit was equipped with a pulse-jet engine, increasing the flight range to 80-100 kilometers.
For several years, Russia has represented the MPC module at international exhibitions. The project was redone several times, and quite significantly, but was never put into production.
In fact, it is not at all known whether the IPC module went beyond the general design stage at that time - all that was shown at the exhibitions were drawings and mock-ups. Which in general did not give the work of "Basalt" the proper degree of confidence. As world practice shows, sometimes there is an abyss of time from a model to a rocket, and the number of unrealized projects in the world is in the thousands.
In addition, our country has long had such a sin: to show a mock-up at an exhibition, to trumpet what a terrible and effective weapon it will be, and ... that's all. Even if we take what was shown at the domestic forums "Army ...", there are already dozens, if not hundreds of models that are not implemented in metal or plastic.
The attitude of the world's arms buyers, respectively. You do it and we'll see. And not always the bride ends with success. So the modules from "Basalt" did not interest anyone. Here lies the answer to the question why the project was not completed. There are perhaps two reasons.
Firstly, it seems that we did not plan to get into a long-term large-scale war in which the army would need weapons in very large quantities and, therefore, at a low cost.
Secondly (the version of the Americans), in Russia they were not interested in making cheap kits, since much more could be earned on new (and expensive) guided bombs like KAB-500S.
This was normal for peacetime; in a military conflict, preferences change.
The proposals of the SCNP "Basalt", thank them, were created according to the principle "if America has something, we must also create it."
And now, after almost a year of SVO, FAB-500 equipped with UMPC modules began to be suspended on VKS aircraft
The UMPC module is very decently different from the same JDAM precisely in terms of design, which indicates that Russian designers have gone their own way without copying American products, but retaining only the principle of the approach: create a kit for turning a conventional bomb into an adjustable one.
Indeed, the principles of mounting modules are different. The point here is that Russian bombs are welded monolithic structures, of course, non-separable.
American bombs are of a different design, so to install the JDAM module, you need to dismantle the tail section and replace it with a guidance unit. And this should be done by specialists in a repair or manufacturing enterprise.
The Russian module is installed on the bomb in the field and does not require special equipment for this. However, life itself hints that the personnel who install the modules were nevertheless trained accordingly. Drops of bombs from aircraft in the sky of the Belgorod region, as it were, are evidence of the obviousness of this moment.
The Americans believe that the design of the Russian module is worse. Here the question is the approach to implementation in general, because complication is not very useful in a combat situation. Here you can simply remember what kind of hemorrhoids American soldiers have in terms of repairing small arms. The analogy is visible, isn't it?
The Russian module is an autonomous flying device with a bomb attached to it. Well, or which is attached to the bomb, it is not so important. The important point is that the bomb can exist separately, and the module can exist separately. transport, storage, etc. And meet only in the airfield workshops, where the technicians simply screw the bomb to the module.
It's hard to understand what's wrong here. But the Americans and I have a completely different approach to understanding such things.
And in order to illustrate this, I will allow myself a few quotes from an American Piotr Butovsky, who is very knowledgeable in aviation topics, who allowed himself several characteristics of the UMPC. True, one can not agree with Mr. Butovsky on everything.
“From the available illustrations, it can be seen that the UMPC is a home-made device, made hastily and quickly thrown into battle, without carrying out the required tests in full. It is not known which company produces the current UMPC modules, but it is unlikely that the GNPP Bazalt company, which designed similar modules 20 years ago, or the GNPP Region company, which produces all Russian aviation guided bombs, is unlikely.
It is, of course, possible to draw such conclusions based on photographs, but this does not indicate a high level of expertise. Of course, a person savvy in terms of deduction will be able to draw a conclusion from a drop of water about the existence of Niagara Falls, Sir Conan Doyle told us about this a hundred years ago, but it’s perhaps imprudent to judge weapons like that.
“Online critical analysis of the UMPC module, conducted anonymously by an employee of a Russian company professionally dealing with such topics, indicates poor performance and a high failure rate.”
Translation: a couch expert, having at his leisure put one mind-containing organ (which in Russia very often knows more than the head) to the nose, came to the conclusion that all this is a so-so decision. And it won't work.
But the enemy, to whom this 500-kg charm flies to visit, has a slightly different opinion. And, it seems to me, the opinion of the Ukrainian military in this case is worth much more than the conclusions of some "employee of a company doing about the same thing."
“The same source indicates that after attaching the UMPC module, the weight of the FAB-500M-62 bomb actually exceeds the carrying capacity of the most common Russian weapon mounts, which is 500 kilograms. This could cause the bomb to come off during maneuvering."
Actually, on this, Butovsky can be congratulated on the fact that he dug up such an “expert” somewhere. If Mr. "expert" was at least a little aware of the capabilities of Russian aircraft, he would be aware that both the Su-34 and Su-35 take on suspension such charms as the KAB-1500 of various modifications. The abbreviation of the bomb says that the mass of the product is 1500 kg. And it “lands” on the same hooks as the X-29 rocket, which weighs more than a ton. That is, the Su-35 takes three of these bombs, the Su-34 two or four.
In general, ignorance of the performance characteristics of enemy aircraft often leads to very unpleasant consequences. This is always worth remembering.
“Another drawback of the UMPC is that the bomb fuse switches to the “ready” state as in a conventional bomb, i.e. at the moment of separation from the aircraft (in other winged bombs, the fuse is turned on later, during the glide). This means that if the wing does not open, the bomb could fall and explode, including in Russian or Russian-controlled territory. This is what the people of Belgorod faced on April 20.”
A little past again. In the Belgorod region, there were descents of ammunition from the suspension of the aircraft, but despite this, NO EXPLOSIONS HAPPENED! There are enough frames on the Web, as one of the bombs was dug out from a depth of twenty meters, no less. What does it say? The fact that in terms of security systems, the bomb + UMPC tandem is doing great.
Yes, the depletion of ammunition is unpleasant and can be a tragedy. But everything worked out in Belgorod, and apart from the damaged car, there were no losses.
In general, there are a lot of “experts” on the Web of various levels of awareness who give out revelations that the UMPC is the subject of a handicraft assembly, are not accurate, unreliable, do not fly to the stated distances, and so on. We have such a time ... everyone who a couple of years ago was an expert in the fight against covid, now en masse turned into military experts.
One such provincial Wasserman issued from aviation that “UMPC is an improvised device that still needs a lot of work. Of course it has flaws because it was made in a hurry."
Made in a hurry. Over twenty years ago. Such an impromptu device that the state defense concern developed in four versions. And which was shown at a foreign exhibition a very long time ago. 21 years old to be exact.
To be honest, it all looks weird. Yes, not everything is smooth and smooth with us, yes, there is something to criticize for, but: does this case fit into the category of “needs criticism”?
It is indisputable that at the time of the beginning of the NWO, no one knew about the UMPC. When JDAM was brought to Ukraine and the bombs showed their effectiveness, what did ours do? Yes, they got into the archives of "Basalt" and got the documentation on the UMPC. Quickly made equipment and launched into production. And the modules went to the troops, and began to be used against the enemy.
What can I say?
Only that well done and true patriots. Indeed, they did without exhibitions, forums, videos of the Ministry of Defense and other husks. But there is a module that can be installed on the most common bomb and turn it into a guided one.
And the fact that the work was carried out not on the knee, as some "experts" assure, but in quite normal conditions. Recently, images of bomb fragments from the UMPC appeared on the Web, among which was the Kometa-M module with an antenna connection of a satellite navigation receiver.
A lot of questions from the agenda immediately left. Kometa is a whole family of satellite navigation equipment developed by VNIIRT Progress in Moscow. The first "Comet" was shown 16 years ago and it was quite a weighty thing. But over time, the size and weight were reduced, and today the Comet allows you to receive GPS / GLONASS signals even in conditions of intense opposition.
The Kometa-M antenna currently installed on the UMPC module was created seven years ago specifically for small drones, including Orlan-10 and Orlan-30, and weighs less than 150 grams. What is generally at the level of standards, the manufacturer claims that the reception quality is at a high level.
That is, UMPC can, of course, be inferior to JDAM in some ways, but, in fact, these are products of the same class that use satellite navigation for flight correction, which means that, at least in theory, they are capable of providing the appropriate level of accuracy.
Like the forerunner, the MPK module, the modern UMPC product was first used only on the FAB-500M-62 bomb (high-explosive aerial bomb, weight 500 kg, model 1962), the most common Russian aerial bomb. However, on May 3, 2023, TASS, citing a “source in the defense industry,” reported that production and use of UMPC kits for smaller 250-kilogram bombs had been launched.
Well, it will be completely unsurprising that information that in the near future such kits will begin to be used for bombs weighing 1 kg.
No wonder. Moreover, it was originally incorporated in the design of the IPC, its versatility, hiding under the letter "U". The calculations were made a long time ago, there was no point in recalculating them at all, the bombs remained absolutely the same as those that were in service with the Soviet army.
And if the question was asked what is UMPC, a cunning plan or a successful improvisation, the answer is hidden somewhere in the middle. There was no cunning plan, there was a development that, by a happy coincidence, got to smart people who quickly set up the production of modules.
It is difficult to call it improvisation, improvisation, according to the definition, is the activity of creating or doing something not planned in advance, using everything that can be found.
Translation - we sculpt from manure and sticks. How terrible home-made products were sculpted in Ukraine of the past.
That was the improvisation. And we had, on MT-LB, ship turrets with automatic guns were molded. A jeep with a block of NARs is also an improvisation.
But the production of previously developed products, and even the installation of more modern control and navigation units on them - sorry, but you can’t call it improvisation. This is a quick response to the current situation. And in this case, you can only be glad that everything turned out that way.
Perhaps UMPC is inferior to JDAM in some way. And perhaps not inferior at all. But the main thing is that he is. And our pilots have the ability to drop bombs with this module without entering the enemy's air defense coverage area. Guided bomb - sorry, this is not shooting NARs from a helicopter cabriolet. She can get where she is sent, and not to the target area.
So if all the improvisations with weapons and equipment would be like this, the layouts could be somewhat different.
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