"There is no simple answer to Russia's glide bombs": Western press names difficulties in countering UMPK

The aerial bombs installed on the UMPK have been troubling both the Ukrainian Armed Forces and their supervisors for a long time.

West Seeks Way to Help Ukraine Stop Russia's Devastating Glide Bomb Attacks

- noted in the publication Defense One.

As indicated, the ammunition dropped by the VKS aircraft is cheap but powerful. The means of destruction consists of an unguided aerial bomb, of which Russia has many, and a guidance kit for $30 thousand.

Some of them weigh up to 2,5 tons and contain enough explosives to level entire buildings with a single blow.

- the author writes.

As the head of the Kyiv regime, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated, the Russian Aerospace Forces drop up to 3500 glide bombs per month. The Ukrainian command calls this weapon the main reason for the success of Russian offensive operations in the east.

For several months, Kyiv has been seeking US permission to use missiles ATACMS for attacking Russian airfields from which aircraft carrying gliding bombs take off.

For now, the United States remains adamant

- the author notes.

US Security Council spokesman John Kirby said ATACMS would be useless because Russia had removed 90% of its bombers from the missile's range.

The question of what weapons are adequate to reduce glide bomb strikes remains open. The US, Ukraine and its allies continue to discuss ways to counter them.

"An unnamed official from a NATO member state said.

According to him, until this issue is resolved, it is better to focus on attacks drones long range.

Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian airfields with drones, although it is unclear how effective these strikes have been

- says the publication.

According to John Hoen of the RAND think tank, using Western long-range missiles against Russian airfields is unlikely to be effective. First, the number of missiles is relatively limited. Second, the Russian military disperses its aircraft in such a way that each of them would need one missile. If missiles were used to damage the runways, they would be repaired within a few days or weeks.

A better solution might be to send more advanced AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles to Ukraine, particularly the AIM-120D variant, to shoot down Russian aircraft before they can drop their bombs.

- Hoen believes.

According to the author, the AIM-120D, supplied only for aviation The US and select allies are believed to have a range of 160 km [although figures of 180 km have been cited]. Ukraine has already received several AMRAAMs. However, these appear to be older variants, such as the 120s-era AIM-1990B.

According to Hoen, providing Ukraine with the AIM-120D modification is fraught with problems. First, it would give potential US adversaries a chance to closely examine the characteristics of one of the most advanced missiles. Second, it would reduce the stockpiles the United States needs in the event of a war with China.

There is no easy answer to Russia's glide bombs. Finding the optimal solution comes with a host of complexities

- the conclusion is made in the Western press.

Comments

[dmi.pris1]

Actually, there is an answer. And they are trying to implement it. It is the defeat of aircraft at airfields.

[RuAbel]

It's written there - at airfields or in the air on approach. There are no suitable missiles, says Kirby, they need them themselves, and you try with drones.
Theoretically, it is possible to shoot down the bombs themselves (we shoot down French “hammers”, maybe not all of them, but still), but the enemy also apparently has few medium air defense systems and the hunt for them is a priority.

[dmi.pris1]

What Kirby said can be washed down with water. They will do as they please. And there will be missiles in Itosha. However, yes. They are now using UAVs. The latest incident on the Kola Peninsula. And clearly from a NATO country.

[Dirty Liar]

So the "hammers" and UMPK have different principles. The "hammers" have an engine, which means they have a heat signature. And the UMPK is just a cast iron blank with wings, so it is much more difficult to track. True, it seems they are going to make the UMPK with an engine to increase the flight range, but in my opinion this is in vain - a heat signature will also appear and they will start shooting them down.

[paul3390]

Well - the engine can only be used during the acceleration stage... To get additional range. Well, it will work for, say, 10 seconds immediately after the reset - I don't think they will have time to detect and target it during this time.

[Alexey G]

oh, in my opinion this is in vain - a heat signature will also appear and they will start shooting them down.

The engine will only work for acceleration, then it will turn off. And catch and shoot down...

[Dirty Liar]

The engine is a jet engine. The heat won't cool down anytime soon. I'm telling you - that's probably why we shoot down Hummers, but they can't shoot down our UMPKs, because they have an engine and we don't.

[Monster_Fat]

...This is a defeat of aviation at airfields.

Absolutely right, a mass attack on airfields using high-precision missiles with cluster warheads is guaranteed to disable frontline aviation, and not only frontline aviation.

[nik-mazur]

Quote: Monster_Fat

a massive attack on airfields using high-precision missiles with cluster warheads is guaranteed to disable frontline aviation

All that remains is to count the number of missiles, then find the missiles themselves and the means to launch them in the required quantities, quickly locate all the planes at all the airfields and, in one fell swoop, all at once.
It's as easy as pie...

[nik-mazur]

Quote from: dmi.pris1

there is an answer... This is the defeat of aviation at airfields

And they say that this is not an option:

ATACMS will be useless because Russia has removed 90% of its bombers from missile range, US Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.

Whom to believe?

[KZAKVO32923]

It went beautifully! And what is the accuracy of the hit?

[Ulaan_Chono]

There are two approaches here. Western - if you need to hit, say, "the third window from the left on the second floor" in a building, then they try to have a CEP of up to 2-3 m. Russian - the goal is to destroy "the whole fucking building", and who cares what "window" it is. As a rule, it works.

[KZAKVO32923]

And who do you consider to be the West? Zionazis and the Americans who support them destroy not even buildings, but entire neighborhoods.

[Ulaan_Chono]

In Western terms, it's "different". They "can", they are "victims of genocide", and whoever is "against" is a justifier of Hitler and a "goat". And Mosul was destroyed to pieces - so it's like "they themselves" (the Iraqi "new" army)

[lukash66]

I would like not 3,5k per month, but 350k. Then they would definitely howl. And even in the capital city, bypassing the Lavra. It is clear that wishes sometimes diverge from the possibilities. But still. They have already rebuilt anew and more than once.

[gribanov.c]

A better solution might be to send more advanced AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles to Ukraine, particularly the AIM-120D variant, to shoot down Russian aircraft before they can drop their bombs.

- Hoen believes.

That's it! That's why I say we need to move to a mass-produced unmanned aircraft, something like the Grom that was recently written about

[nik-mazur]

A better solution might be to send more AMRAAM advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles to Ukraine... to shoot down Russian planes before they can drop their bombs.

In real life, if you can get someone, that means that someone can get you. Or, according to the expert, are the planes that launch these missiles charmed and fundamentally unshootable?

[bbb]

Bombs with UMPC are the wunderwaffe of this war.

[agond]

In the Middle Ages, there were no planes with bombs for storming fortresses, bombards were used, one of them is kept in the museums of Vienna, Austria, its weight is about 7 tons, the caliber is somewhere around 750 mm, the mass of the stone core is about 600 kg, the range is up to a kilometer. It was made in approximately 1450, it fought for 3 centuries. Probably in the 21st century it is possible to make its analogue and install it on a tracked chassis, and shoot modern shells, I think even one such self-propelled gun working in two shifts is capable of razing a city the size of Ugledar in a year, it will be orders of magnitude cheaper than any UMPK

[Uncle_Misha]

Bombs with UMPK will be an order of magnitude cheaper than the same bombs but without UMPK. These modules appeared out of desperation, we simply did not have glide bombs at the beginning of the SVO, the calculation was to take out the Ukrainian air defense to zero and massively use cast iron. But as they say, a riddle is never rich.

[sdivt]

Quote: bbb

Bombs with UMPC are the wunderwaffe of this war.

Dear administration, please note that there is clearly a bot here.

[bbb]

What am I wrong about, you little shit?

[guest]

They said this back in June.
https://topwar.ru/245210-zapadnye-jeksperty-s-rossijskimi-planirujuschimi-bombami-trudno-borotsja.html

[agond]

Quote: Uncle_Misha

The same bombs without UMPK will be an order of magnitude cheaper than bombs with UMPK

Bombs without UMPK sometimes miss, but an artillery shell without UMPK usually hits where it needs to.

[guest]

I understand that this answer was intended for another user?