UMPK (bomb kit)

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UMPK
FAB-250 with an UMPK kit
TypeGlide bomb
Place of originRussian Federation
Service history
In service2023-present
Used byRussian Armed Forces
WarsRussian invasion of Ukraine

UMPK (Russian: УМПК; Унифицированный модуль планирования и коррекции, Unified gliding and correction module) is a guidance kit first developed by the Russian Bazalt Design Bureau for converting unguided Soviet bombs into precision-guided munitions. This kit is an aerial bomb glide range extension kit, similar to JDAM. The guidance system and gliding function of the UMPK kit can provide ordinary aerial bombs with longer-range and more accurate strike capabilities. They have been widely used by the Russian Air Force during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

History[edit]

FAB-500 bombs with UMPK kits deploying their wings

A guided glide kit for Soviet/Russian bombs was first proposed by NPO Bazalt in 2003 as a cheap device that can be retrofitted to already existing dumb bombs to increase range and accuracy. Its prototype was first displayed at the "Aero India 2003" exibition.[1] The upgrade, back then called MPK, continued being proposed in 2008.[2]

At the beginning of January 2023, Russian users on social networks shared a photo of the FAB-500 M-62 with an attached kit resembling a JDAM. The "artisan" quality of the kit may have indicated it was a prototype.[3][4][5]

At the end of March 2023, the spokesman of the Ukrainian Air Force, Yuriy Ignat, reported that the Russian military began to use winged modified aerial bombs with a warhead weighing 500 kg more often. Russian planes drop them from a distance of tens of kilometers on targets in the front-line zone without entering the Ukrainian air defense range.[6]

In April 2023, an Su-34 accidentally dropped a bomb on the Russian city of Belgorod. Some news outlets quoted Russian milblogger Fighterbomber that the bomb was an UMPK-upgraded one.[7]

The UMPK was first publicly acknowledged by Russian MOD in May 2023.[8][9]

According to a November 2023 investigation by the British NGO Conflict Armament Research, the new UMPK has, among other things, a more complex electronic system including SMART navigation controller and Kometa satellite navigation module.[10][11]

Description[edit]

The UMPK aerial bomb glide kit is designed to convert traditional unguided bombs into guided bombs to provide greater strike accuracy. The maximum attack range depends on the altitude and trajectory of the aircraft before being dropped.[12]

The current manufacturer of the module is not officially named. Perhaps there are several companies producing them, as well as several variants of the module itself.[9]

The bomb is equipped with Kometa-M system, which provides unobstructed connection to the bomb even in the presence of EW systems.[13]

A unit costs 2 million rubles, according to the Fighterbomber Telegram channel,[14] which is equivalent to US$24,460[15] and is cheap for such a weapon.[14][15] During its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is unlikely to run out of bombs to which it can be fitted, as it has a very large inventory of unguided aerial bombs.[15]

There are several variants of the kit:

  • FAB-250 – used at least as early as May 2023.[16]
  • FAB-500 – the first bomb equipped with UMPK, and the most widely used.
  • FAB-1500 – used at least as early as September 2023.[17][18][19] The FAB-1500 М54 guided bomb was displayed publicly when Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu visited the Tactical Missiles Corporation military-industrial complex in the Moscow region in January 2024.[20]
  • ODAB-500 – footage in a video published by the Russian Defense Ministry on April 4, 2024, shows a Su-34 frontline bomber launching four ODAB-500 thermobaric bombs equipped with the UMPK guidance kit.[21]
  • ODAB-1500 – used at least as early as February 2024.[22]

Notable uses[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bazalt proposes to equip free-fall aerial bombs with a special planning and correction module" ГНПП "Базальт" предлагает оснастить авиационные бомбы свободного падения специальным модулем планирования и коррекции. aviaport.ru (in Russian). 2003-02-12. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  2. ^ "Bazalt proposes to complete all previously developed aerial bombs with planning and correction modules" ГНПП "Базальт" предлагает доукомплектовать все ранее разработанные авиабомбы модулями планирования и коррекции. vpk.name (in Russian). 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  3. ^ Fighterbomber (5 January 2023). "Who out there wanted an honest-to-God JDAM?" Кто там хотел православный JDAM?. Telegram. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  4. ^ "Російський аналог JDAM: звідки взявся, наскільки реальний та як у РФ тим самим розписались у безпорадності "Гефеста"" [The Russian analogue of JDAM: where did it come from, how real is it, …]. defence-ua.com (in Ukrainian). 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  5. ^ "Russia is testing the FAB-500 bomb planning and correction module" У Росії тестують модуль планування і корекції авіабомб ФАБ-500. mil.in.ua (in Ukrainian). 2023-01-05. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  6. ^ "Ігнат розповів про нову загрозу: авіація рф щодня скидає десятки бомб у прифронтовій зоні" [Ignat on a new threat: Russian aviation drops dozens of bombs daily on the frontline]. ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  7. ^ "У российской авиации, вероятно, появилась технология, способная вернуть ей превосходство в воздухе над ВСУ. Но только теоретически В реальности эта технология могла привести к падению двух российских авиабомб на Белгород" [Russian aviation may have acquired technology that could restore its air superiority over UAF. But only theoretically. In reality, this technology could be the cause of two Russian bombs dropped on Belgorod]. Meduza (in Russian). 2 May 2023. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  8. ^ "Statement by the head of the press centre of the "West" group" Заявление начальника пресс-центра группировки «Запад». Telegram. 2023-05-08. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  9. ^ a b "UMPK: universal module for aerial bombs" УМПК: универсальный модуль для авиабомб. vz.ru (in Russian). 2023-10-23. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  10. ^ "The British described the updated Russian UMPK for FAB-500 bombs" Британцы описали обновленные российские УМПК для авиабомб ФАБ-500. topcor.ru Репортёр (in Russian). 2023-12-19. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  11. ^ "Russia develops guidance modules for air-dropped munitions". Conflict Armament Research. 2024-01-18.
  12. ^ "Russia is winging its dumb bombs just before a combat flight". BulgarianMilitary.com. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  13. ^ "Russian FAB-500 bomb can be fried with jamming source of 1MW". BulgarianMilitary.com. 2023-07-14. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  14. ^ a b "It became known about the almost daily use of Russian planning bombs UMPC". en.topcor.ru Репортёр [Reporter]. 22 February 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2024.
  15. ^ a b c "Just How Dumb Are Russia's Winged Smart Bombs?". Popular Mechanics. 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  16. ^ "Доработка авиабомб ФАБ-250 позволила сделать из них высокоточные боеприпасы" [Refinement of FAB-250 bombs made it possible to turn them into precision munitions]. TASS (in Russian). 2023-05-03. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  17. ^ a b "FAB-1500 strike on AFU formation under Antonivskyi bridge caught on video" Удар ФАБ-1500 по скоплению ВСУ под Антоновским мостом попал на видео (in Russian). Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  18. ^ "Newsweek: "Smart" FAB-1500 bomb will increase pressure on Ukraine's air defense" Newsweek: "Умная" авиабомба ФАБ-1500 усилит давление на ПВО Украины (in Russian). Rossiyskaya Gazeta. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  19. ^ Axe, David (2023-09-07). "Russia's Got A Giant New Glide-Bomb". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  20. ^ "The Russian Ministry of Defense for the first time showed a 1½-ton bomb with the UMPK" Минобороны России впервые показало полуторатонную авиабомбу с УМПК. RIA Novosti (in Russian). 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  21. ^ "Russian Su-34 Bomber Targets Ukrainian Positions with New Guided ODAB-500 Thermobaric Bombs". armyrecognition.com. 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  22. ^ "Was the ODAB-1500 Aviation Bomb Used by the Enemy for the First Time: What Is Its Main Danger?". en.defence-ua.com. 2024-03-30. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
  23. ^ Axe, David (2023-08-27). "What Are Ukrainian Troops Most Afraid Of? Russia's Cheap, Powerful Glide-Bombs". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  24. ^ "Guided glide bomb wiped out a German-made IRIS-T radar near Kherson". BulgarianMilitary.com. 2023-12-30. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
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