The Ukraine war is also the scene of new weapons and technologies. A bomb from Russia could now cause problems for the Ukrainian armed forces.
Kiev/Moscow – On the night of March 24, ten of the most modern fighter jets that the Russian Air Force has to offer flew over Ukraine's northeastern border. They tested the use of a weapon that has not yet existed in the Ukraine war: glide bombs. As the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reports, the drop weapons are said to have the potential to significantly influence the course of the war.
Russia's new weapon hit the headlines after a fighter jet accidentally dropped a bomb over the Russian border town of Belgorod, injuring a building and at least three people.
Russia uses new weapon: glide bombs enable new warfare in the Ukraine war
Gliding bombs differ from conventional "falling" bombs in one crucial respect. Each explosive device is equipped with propulsion components – a kind of "wing". This makes it possible to control the bomb even in the horizontal direction and thus hit targets at a greater distance. The effective range of the glide bomb is estimated to be between 50 and 70 kilometers and is therefore significantly higher than that of a conventional bomb.
A Russian MiG-31BM fighter jet of the Parzific fleet during a maneuver in April 2023. (Archive photo) © ITAR-TASS/Imago Images
Colonel Yuriy Ihnat, the spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, told the Telegraph that the bombs posed a "very big threat". With the help of gliding technology, Russian fighter jets are now able to avoid risky missions near the front line. According to Ukrainian sources, most of the glide bombs are carried out from a distance of 40-50 kilometers within Russian territory, after which the fighter jets turn off so as not to get within the range of Kiev's air defenses.
For the Ukrainian armed forces, this different kind of warfare is a setback. Published US secret documents showed that the Ukrainian Air Force was in poor condition. In addition, the defenders on the front lines would have only a small number of long-range air defense systems, as these would be located far behind the front line to protect Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine war: Glide bombs could disrupt counteroffensive
The new gliding bombs are currently being used mostly on the borders of eastern Ukraine. "At the moment, the enemy is using tactical aviation for combat missions along the border with Russia, on the front line and on the sea coast. In all these regions, the enemy has been using gliding bombs intensively for about a month," said Colonel Ihnat. Every day there are at least 20 explosive devices dropped.
0
Also Read
NATO "pre-alarm" triggered: Russian fighter jet almost crashes Poland patrol
READ
"Just brutal" - poll predicts fiasco for Biden and victory for Trump
READ
No Ukraine conquest for Putin: US sees signs of rethinking – ceasefire possible?
READ
New soldiers for Putin's war: Russia's new scam successful – despite "extremely high casualties"
READ
Shrinking Russia: British intelligence now predicts enormous problems in Putin's empire
READ
Fancy a voyage of discovery?
My Area
At the moment, there are still "problems" in intercepting the sliding explosive devices, the colonel reports. The reason for this is the size of the glide bombs and their integrated jammers, which make timely detection on the radar difficult. As reported by The Telegraph, war experts suggest that the new weapon could force Kiev to change its plans for the long-awaited "spring counteroffensive" at the last minute.
Russian glide bombs vulnerable to fighter jets
According to Colonel Ihnat, the best antidote to the Russian glide bomb is fighter jets that have a long-range radar and missile system. These include, for example, the F-16 fighter jet. "Just one or two F-16s would be enough to deter them, because the Russians would see that some of these things are in the air, and they would avoid the approach," says Ihnat.
This would mean that Ukraine would once again be dependent on help from the West. At the beginning of the year, US President Joe Biden was still hesitant about the delivery of fighter jets of this type. (aa)
