The bomb has been given GPS and wings that were attached with metal straps. Despite its simple construction, it has become a real problem for Ukraine.
According to Arash Heydarian Pashakhanlou, a researcher at the Norwegian Defense Academy, the bombs gain greater range and better precision with the modification.
– Then they will be cheaper than cruise robots as well, he says.
The bombs are fired from warplanes into areas controlled by Russia, where Ukraine’s air defenses cannot reach. Then they glide up to 50 kilometers before hitting their target. Glide bombs have, among other things, been used in the area around Bakhmut.
Electronics required
Ukrainian military analyst Alexander Kovalenko tells The Moscow Times, that they pose a serious threat. There are also fears that Russia will equip even bigger bombs with the same technique.
Ukraine is believed to be reluctant to use its limited supply of expensive air defenses against relatively cheap Russian bombs. The cost of a single robot fired by the Western-supplied Patriot and Nasam air defense systems can amount to millions of dollars, writes The Moscow Times.
It is not entirely clear whether the Ukrainian air defense cannot knock out the bombs because they are too small, or whether it is simply a case of needing to economize on their air defense robots, said an analyst who spoke on condition of anonymity. to the newspaper.
“No game changer”
Jörgen Elfving, an analyst with a background in military intelligence who follows developments on the battlefield, however, does not believe that the glide bombs will have such a large impact on the war in general. According to him, it is probably not possible to manufacture that many.
– There are certainly plenty of old bombs, but they need electronic components for the modification.
Electronics are hard to come by in Russia because of the sanctions and own manufacturing is not a parade, according to Elfving.
– I don’t see this as a “game changer”.
