AASM HAMMER guided bombs in Ukraine. First results
AASM bombs under the wing of a French plane
In mid-January, the French authorities promised to transfer to the Kyiv regime a large number of controlled aviation AASM or HAMMER bombs. The first batch of this weapons They were going to ship by the end of the month. By now, bombs have reached Ukraine, and the Kyiv Air Force is trying to use them. However, the effectiveness of another foreign model in a real situation turned out to be extremely low, and Russian air defense again demonstrated its capabilities.
First results
Reports of the start of combat use of AASM (Armement Air-Sol Modulaire - Modular Air-to-Ground Weapons) or HAMMER (Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) bombs began to arrive in early March. First, foreign media reported about the new weapons of the Ukrainian Air Force, and then the propaganda of the Kyiv regime joined them. As always, they wrote about the highest efficiency and enormous damage to the enemy. However, no evidence was provided.
Soon, Ukrainian propaganda published a video allegedly showing the use of a French bomb. The video, shot from an unmanned aerial platform, showed a distant explosion in an urban area. The viewer was asked to simply believe that it was an AASM bomb, and its target was a Russian facility.
However, the joy of “winning” was short-lived. Already on March 6, the HAMMER aerial bomb first appeared in the reports of the Russian Ministry of Defense. One such product was intercepted and destroyed in the previous day. Unfortunately, aircraft capable of becoming carriers of such weapons were not destroyed during this period.
Various products from the AASM line
The next day, the AASM bomb was again included in the report - another such product was destroyed by air defense forces and means. On March 8, such ammunition was mentioned by the press center of the “South” group. On the same day, the press service of the Ministry of Defense summed up the preliminary results. Over the past week, a total of seven HAMMER bombs have been intercepted in different sectors of the front. In addition, one MiG-29 aircraft capable of carrying guided weapons was shot down. It is curious that not all such successes were previously reflected in the daily reports, and the weekly report additionally pleased the public.
Already on March 9, the following message was received about the destruction of an AASM flying product. It should be expected that this will not be the last news of such kind. In addition, the process of destroying Ukrainian military aircraft capable of carrying French bombs and other foreign-made weapons of various classes will continue.
Thus, yet another foreign “miracle weapon” does not live up to the hopes of the Kyiv regime. In just over a week, about a dozen attempts to use AASM HAMMER aerial bombs were successfully stopped, and each time a threat was created for their carriers. At the same time, the “military forces” can only boast of an incomprehensible video that allegedly shows an airstrike. It is obvious that such trends will continue, and French bombs will become just another removable obstacle in the path of the Russian army.
foreign aid
French President Emmanuel Macron personally spoke about the future supply of AASM bombs to Ukraine in mid-January. Then he said that in the foreseeable future an additional batch of dozens of cruise missiles and hundreds of guided bombs would be transferred to the friendly regime. However, the type of the latter was not named. However, soon the Minister of Defense Sebastian Lecornu clarified this issue - AASM HAMMER products are being prepared for transfer.
AASM and head modules for various purposes
The minister also disclosed the number of weapons for shipment. They plan to deliver 600 bombs by the end of the year. First batch of 50 units. was supposed to leave French warehouses by the end of January, and then similar shipments were planned monthly. Technical and other aspects of such supplies were not specified at that time.
Probably, the first batch of fifty bombs was sent to the Kyiv regime within the specified time frame. In addition, by now one or two more batches could have been transferred. In total, the Ukrainian Air Force now has up to 100-150 bombs at its disposal. They also prepared a number of carriers in the form of Soviet-built aircraft. To use imported weapons, they had to be equipped with some new devices.
Since the beginning of March, trained aircraft have been trying to use French bombs. They manage to go to the launch areas and drop their weapons. However, further events are developing according to a predictable and unpleasant scenario for the Ukrainian side. Air bombs are successfully detected and intercepted by Russian air defense.
Soon
To date, up to a dozen bombs have been destroyed in the air, i.e. 5-10 percent from the delivered quantity - depending on the number of delivered batches and actual shipment volumes. In addition, it cannot be ruled out that a certain number of AASM HAMMER products were destroyed during precision weapons strikes on enemy warehouses and air force bases. In this case, the percentage of losses will be significantly higher.
However, Paris plans to continue supplying bombs. This will give the “military forces” the opportunity to use such weapons for a long time and even count on some damage to Russian facilities. The Russian army will have to take measures aimed at reducing such enemy capabilities and reducing the bomb threat.
Bomb in flight configuration
First of all, air defense will continue to intercept guided weapons. In addition, in order to reduce or even nullify the potential of AASM bombs and other weapons, the fight against enemy front-line aviation will continue. As a result of the combat work of our fighters and air defense, the strength of the Ukrainian Air Force is constantly decreasing, and at the same time the possibility of using missiles and bombs is decreasing. Accordingly, if the Kiev regime is left without combat-ready aviation, any deliveries of guided bombs will become useless.
Technical factors
Let us recall that the promising AASM or HAMMER aerial bomb has been developed since 1997 by order of the French Ministry of Defense. In 2000, the winner of the competitive stage of the program was SAGEM (now part of the Safran group), which received a contract for further work. Testing and fine-tuning of the new bomb took a long time, and it was only accepted into service in 2008. It soon went into production and was produced for the French Air Force and Navy, as well as for several foreign countries.
From the point of view of the general concept, the AASM bomb is an analogue of the American JDAM product. A set of equipment was developed for installation on a free-falling bomb, turning it into a controlled one. This provides for the re-equipment of ammunition of different calibers and the use of different guidance devices. Due to this, they actually created a family of bombs with different characteristics and potential. In addition, this approach simplified the implementation of upgrades and the creation of new modifications.
An additional head module with a seeker - infrared or semi-active laser - can be installed on the body of a standard bomb. The AASM tail module has an inertial and satellite navigation system, an autopilot and rudders with drives. The flight is carried out according to pre-entered coordinates or with guidance to a specific target.
Guidance accuracy for different devices ranges from 3-10 m. Power is determined by the type of base bomb. The AASM kit can be used with ammunition calibers from 125 to 1000 kg with the corresponding warhead weight.
Depending on the base ammunition, as well as on the parameters of the carrier at the time of release, early versions of HAMMER could fly at a range of no more than 30-50 km. Subsequently, a tail module with a compact solid propellant engine was introduced. With its help, the range was increased to 50-70 km.
Air bombs of the AASM family can be considered as non-motorized aircraft of medium size - the length of such a product can reach 3-4 m with a diameter of 250-270 mm or more. As practice has shown in recent days, Russian radars are quite capable of detecting such air targets in a timely manner and providing target designation to fire weapons. Then the SAM or ZRPK successfully intercepts them. In addition, air defense is capable of operating against bomb carriers, and such targets are simpler from the point of view of detection and destruction. The defeat of carrier aircraft from the Ukrainian Air Force is facilitated by their considerable age and obsolescence. Also important is the limited range of AASM bombs, due to which the aircraft must enter the engagement zone of medium- and long-range air defenses.
Unsuccessful debut
Thus, the Kiev regime received another foreign “miracle weapon” and began to use it against Russian troops. The imported model predictably did not live up to all expectations and turned out to be not the most difficult target for our air defense. Obviously, this situation will not change, and other AASM HAMMER bombs will also face an unenviable fate - destruction in warehouses or in the air.
However, official Paris plans to continue deliveries and eventually transfer several hundred guided bombs. The real potential of such weapons, even in large quantities, is questionable. However, the 600 promised products may increase the load on our air defense. At the same time, the enemy should not count on the fact that such a load will be excessive and the defense will weaken.
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