Recently, Ukraine has faced a number of challenges that require it to adapt and develop its own defense capabilities. One of the important directions of this development was the decision to manufacture its own guided aerial bombs (KAB). It is not only a response to urgent national security needs, but also a strategic step aimed at strengthening the country’s defense capabilities and reducing dependence on foreign suppliers.
Starting from 2023, the expression “attack of the Russian Federation with guided aerial bombs” became familiar to all Ukrainians after the daily reports of the General Staff and military-civilian administrations of Ukraine about the situation in the state. Every day, the settlements of Kharkiv Oblast, Donetsk Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Kherson Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast and Zaporizhzhia are subjected to numerous airstrikes, the number of which reaches hundreds per day. According to the Public Relations Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, from January 1 to May 31, 2024, the Russian Federation used more than 10,000 anti-tank missiles against Ukraine. This indicates that their number has increased almost 20 times compared to 2023. Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that the Russians use more than 3,000 guided aerial bombs every month, and the number of strikes is increasing. The Russians are constantly increasing their production, this type of weapon remains a real problem for our defenders and civilians.
While the Russian Federation massively uses anti-aircraft missiles, Ukraine relies on Western “smart bombs”, such as the American JDAM-ER. These are sets of equipment that turn simple bombs into guided ones using inertial navigation and GPS, their range reaches 72 km. In addition, the Ukrainian Air Force uses small-sized guided aerial bombs GBU-39, capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 110 km. The Ukrainian military also uses other guided aerial bombs, but their number is significantly lower than the Russian one.
However, the situation may change in the near future. On June 9, Serhii Golubtsov, Chief of Aviation of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, announced that in a few weeks the tests of Ukrainian-made guided air bombs will begin in the Armed Forces. He noted that work is currently underway in Ukraine on the development of high-precision kits for Soviet aviation bombs, which, thanks to the presence of two consoles, should provide an increased flight range and achieve high accuracy. According to him, in the case of successful tests and the start of serial production, domestic high-precision bombs will allow to increase the intensity of their use at the front.
Why was the production of Ukrainian CABs started only now?
Having significant military and scientific and technical potential, Ukraine remained without its own production of guided aerial bombs for many years. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it inherited a significant part of the Soviet military-industrial complex. However, many enterprises and technologies remained in other republics, in particular in Russia. This made it difficult to develop independent production of high-tech weapons. Before the beginning of the conflict in Donbas in 2014, Ukraine relied to a large extent on the supply of weapons and components from the Russian Federation, however, after the breakdown of military-technical cooperation, our country faced the need to find new sources and develop its own production facilities.
In addition, during the last decades, Ukraine experienced periods of political instability, which also hindered the long-term planning and implementation of large military-technical projects. Changes in governments and the lack of a single strategy for the development of the defense industry delayed the start of the production of anti-aircraft guns.
Economic difficulties also played an important role – the high cost of development and production of guided aerial bombs required significant financial resources. Economic crises, particularly in 2008 and 2014, limited the state’s ability to invest in such projects. The war then placed a huge burden on the state budget, and financial resources were directed to priority needs such as the provision of the Armed Forces, humanitarian aid and infrastructure reconstruction, while investment in new production facilities for the manufacture of air defense systems was limited.
At the beginning of the war in 2022, Ukraine did not have fully developed and tested technologies for the production of modern KABs. This process requires significant time for research, development, testing and certification. Along with this, there are also infrastructural limitations, because the production of KABs requires an appropriate production infrastructure, including specialized plants and equipment. Existing enterprises were focused on other types of weapons, their reorientation of production required time and resources. At the same time, during the hostilities, a large part of the infrastructure, including defense enterprises, was damaged or destroyed. This created additional difficulties in the restoration and deployment of new production of KABs.
Also, there is a lack of qualified personnel for the production of anti-aircraft guns – highly qualified engineers and technical personnel are needed for the development and production of high-tech weapons, but many specialists were involved in other important defense projects or were mobilized into the ranks of the Armed Forces.
In the conditions of war, the organization of new production of KAB also faces many bureaucratic and logistical problems, it is necessary to coordinate actions between various departments, which requires time and certain efforts. Along with this, at the beginning of the war, Ukraine focused on obtaining ready-made weapons systems from Western partners in order to strengthen its defense capabilities as soon as possible, which diverted resources from the development of its own production of anti-aircraft missiles.
Also, one of the main problems is the difficulty of operating air defense systems on existing Ukrainian aircraft, which are technologically inferior to Russian ones. Many of our aircraft, including Soviet-made ones, have outdated avionics systems that are not always compatible with modern air defense systems. Technologically, the Su-30M, Su-34 and Su-35 fighters, which the Russian Federation uses to attack Ukrainians with anti-aircraft missiles, are an order of magnitude higher than our Su-24M, Su-27 and MiG-29. These outdated Ukrainian fighters are many times more difficult to work in conditions of active countermeasures by Russian air defense, which has a large number of long-range systems such as the S-300 and S-400. For the effective use of air defense systems, it is necessary to modernize the on-board equipment of aircraft, this includes the installation of new navigation, communication and control systems, which requires highly qualified engineers, time, as well as significant technical and financial resources.
However, despite all these difficulties, Ukraine is setting up its own production of CABs, while our designers do not copy Russian UMPKs (universal flight modules and corrections), but make their own, unique ones. Russian UMPKs are designed for use with unguided aerial bombs, such as the FAB-250 and FAB-500 high-explosive bombs. They are “wings” with a satellite gunner and a control module, which are adapted to an aerial bomb, which allows unguided to become a full-fledged air defense system. As you know, in order not to fall under the influence of Ukrainian EW, they are also equipped with “Comet” digital arrays, a satellite gunner and a control module. Despite the fact that Ukraine has a sufficient fleet of aircraft and bombs, it makes no sense for our developers to copy the Russian UMPK, intact samples of which periodically end up in the Armed Forces due to the failure of old Soviet ammunition, they make their own unique modern designs.
The main advantage of KABs is their relatively low cost – about 20 thousand dollars per unit, which is much cheaper than most cruise missiles, the production of which requires spending about 1 million dollars. They also have a significant range, because planes can launch air defense systems from an altitude of 10-12 km at a distance of 40-80 km, while they have medium or high accuracy and high power. Due to such characteristics, border areas, for example, Kharkiv Oblast, suffer from Russian KABs. Moreover, the planes that attack them do not enter the field of air defense of the Ground Forces of Ukraine, for example, “Wasp” or “Strila-10”. Due to the fact that they have a combat range of up to 8-10 km, they cannot neutralize Russian anti-aircraft missiles.
Therefore, earlier Ukraine relied more on Western models of “smart bombs”, but the insufficient pace of the transfer of these weapons and their limited number have now served as an impetus for the search for its own alternative solutions in the production of anti-aircraft missiles.
Aviation expert, test engineer of “KP Antonov” Kostyantyn Kryvolap, noted on this occasion:
“We have the same FABs (high-explosive air bombs) as the Russians, left over from Soviet times. 30 years have passed, it is necessary to carefully look at what can still be used, in what conditions the bombs are. Work out the elements that can still be used. Theoretically, it can be a new filling. The production of bombs, although quite risky, is actually very simple.”
How many Soviet FABs currently exist in Ukraine is unknown. First, this information is a state secret. Secondly, we should mention the series of explosions at ammunition depots in Ukraine over the past 15 years. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many aerial bombs burned there.
Will the production of their own guided aerial bombs change the course of the war
The production of own guided aerial bombs can change the course of the war due to the following factors:
Increasing combat capabilities
Guided aerial bombs have high accuracy, which allows them to strike important military targets of the enemy with minimal collateral losses among the civilian population. The production of anti-tank missiles will make it possible to destroy with high-precision strikes such important targets as command posts, logistics nodes, ammunition and fuel and lubricant warehouses. This will significantly weaken the enemy’s combat capability, reducing his ability to conduct offensive operations and coordinate defense.
Frightening effect
The presence of high-tech weapons, such as anti-aircraft missiles, creates a deterrent effect for the enemy. This forces him to reassess his plans and tactics, and also expands Ukraine’s capabilities to conduct asymmetric warfare. The enemy will be forced to spend more resources on the defense of its facilities, which can reduce its effectiveness in offensive operations.
Reducing dependence on external supplies
Own production of anti-aircraft guns reduces Ukraine’s dependence on foreign arms suppliers. This ensures the stability and uninterrupted supply of necessary equipment in wartime conditions. In the event of a deterioration of the international situation or the introduction of new sanctions, Ukraine will be able to independently meet its needs for guided aerial bombs.
Increasing the morale of the military
The Ukrainian military, having access to modern and effective weapons, will be more motivated and confident in their abilities. This will increase their morale and effectiveness on the battlefield.
Economical development
The production of air defense systems will stimulate the development of the defense industry, create new jobs and contribute to the economic growth of our country. Investments in this sector can lead to the development of related industries such as aerospace, electronics and other high-tech sectors.
International image and support
Demonstration of the ability to independently produce high-tech weapons increases the authority of Ukraine in the international arena. This may contribute to increased support from Western partners, including the provision of technological assistance and increased sanctions pressure on Russia.
Therefore, the production of own guided aerial bombs has the potential to significantly change the course of the war for Ukraine, the combined effect of these factors can become key in ensuring victory and long-term security of Ukraine.
