The Ukrainian side has significantly increased the density of air defense systems along the front line and around key infrastructure, including energy and critical infrastructure facilities in cities and towns. This measure is currently neutralizing the potential of Russian glide bombs, said Serhii Sgurets, editor-in-chief of Defense Express, according to Espreso.
Russian guided bombs, though not highly accurate, cause massive destruction and pose a significant threat to Ukrainian cities, with a few capable of leveling a five-story building. Ukrainian forces have been seeking ways to intercept them, including using ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft guns, but the most effective solution is targeting the carriers, which remains challenging.
“However, the threat remains, as these bombs—even in their unguided variant, when they deviate—can still hit civilian targets, as recently seen in Kostyantynivka,” emphasized Zgurets.
The military expert also noted that while the threat of Russia’s guided bombs persists, their effectiveness as a weapon for destroying designated targets has significantly declined.
“Indeed, Russia had placed immense reliance on such bombs. It was one of the three areas where they had an advantage: personnel, guided bombs—which for a time had no countermeasure—and fiber-optic drones, where Russians were the first to deploy this type of weaponry. Now, we are catching up with the Russians in fiber-optic drone technology,” Zgurets remarked.
According to him, last year, Russia used 44,000 guided bombs. This year, it plans to produce 70,000 of these modular glide bombs, but a shift is beginning to emerge.
“We can track this shift through the hysteria in Russian public discussions. Just two days ago, there was an entire wave of internal Russian debates about what’s happening with their guided bombs. Previously, they would drop one or two bombs on a target, with at least one hitting close to the intended point. Now, they drop 8 to 16 bombs, yet none manage to hit their intended targets,” Zgurets explained.
At the same time, Ukraine has recently become the first country to employ thousand-pound (454 kg) Mark 83 bombs adapted with JDAM-ER (Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range) guidance systems. The 1000′ bomb “might have been specifically produced for the Ukrainian Air Force,” say reports.
This development follows Ukraine’s successful integration of five-hundred-pound (226 kg) GBU-62 JDAM-ER guided bombs, which were first delivered in 2023.
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