Ekaterina Girnyk11:10, 03/31/24

It is noted that without Western F-16 fighters, the prospect that glide bombs will force the Ukrainians to retreat is quite real.

Russian glide bombs , a powerful Soviet-era weapon, give the Russians an air advantage because they are very difficult to shoot down. And without Western fighters to provide adequate air cover, Ukrainian soldiers have “little to protect them except prayer,” The Times writes .

Since the start of the war, Ukraine has defended its skies thanks to the bravery of Ukrainian pilots and the eventual arrival of modern Western air defense systems, including Patriot, Nasams, Gepard, Iris-T and SAMP/T. Instead, Putin relied on a combination of expensive missiles and cheap drones to attack Ukraine from a safe distance.

But by modifying Soviet-era bombs to allow them to glide toward their target, and adding basic satellite navigation systems, Russia gains air control over the cities and villages of Donbass.

KAB and FAB glide bombs can be fired more than 60 kilometers behind the Russian front line and hit a target in a matter of minutes, making them difficult for Ukrainian air defenses to shoot down. In addition, according to Russian military officers, Russian engineers could even add a jet engine and fuel tank to glide bombs, increasing their range to 90 kilometers and turning them into a basic cruise missile similar to the V1 used by the Nazis during World War II.

So far, glide bombs remain inaccurate, which is why Russian generals are looking for ways to improve targeting. During the first two years of the war they were careful about protecting their fighters. But to make glide bombs more accurate, Russian pilots must fly dangerously close to the front line, running into Ukrainian air defenses.

At the same time, with Russian missile attacks expanding, Kyiv must decide whether to protect civilians or cover its troops in the Donbass. In addition, Ukraine is having to ration its air defense missiles due to delays in aid from the United States. In contrast, for Russia there is no limiting factor when it comes to the glide bombs themselves, and the calculation comes down to whether they are willing to risk the planes, the publication writes.

“Russia’s reward for destroying the front line may increasingly be worth the risk of losing an aircraft. The difference between dropping bombs at a distance of 70 kilometers versus 40 kilometers is the difference between targeting an entire village and striking a specific Ukrainian position. As Ukrainian air defenses begin to fall short interceptors, Russian aircraft will be able to move closer to the front line, increasing their accuracy and therefore their impact on combat operations,” The Times notes.

At the same time, as one of the Ukrainian fighters notes, so far the troops are more afraid of Russian FPV drones, and the bombs have caused only 1-2 percent of casualties, and there has not yet been a case of them making direct attacks on headquarters or supply lines.

But without Western F-16 fighters to counter the Russian jets with air-to-air missiles, the prospect of glide bombs forcing the Ukrainians to retreat is a real possibility, the newspaper notes.

Russian glide bombs at the front

The head of the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation, Sergei Kuzan, noted that Su-34 aircraft and guided bombs are the main advantage of the Russian Federation at the front, and they will be used as long as there is such an opportunity.

At the same time, Sergei Beskrestnov, a specialist and consultant in the field of military radio technologies, stated that the universal flight and RF correction modules, which make conventional aerial bombs controllable , received new antennas that suppress electronic warfare.

(C)UNIAN 2024