Precision Guided Munitions in RuAF

AFAIK the SPBE-K is just one, albeit the most technical advanced, of the various possible payload the bomb would carry.
till ,no small cluster bombs for a question of aligning, almost partially, with the international conventions.

It supposedly has an IFF system, too.

The predecessor was used in Syria.

Russia has not signed those conventions on submunitions because the US has not, and the US delivered submunition ammo to Ukraine, like the 155mm BONUS rounds... so Russia can use them as she pleases.

Shouldn't they just redesign these bombs? I suppose this is a decent compromise to cut time but in the long run you would want a design with actual glide characteristics without these retrofits.

They should redesign these into a family of gravity bombs, with optional glide kids, or even rocket or turbojet engine of several sizes.

It should be possible to design better gravity bombs with newer materials, etc, more suitable for current conditions.

Shouldn't they just redesign these bombs?

There is a new generation of purpose build guided bombs with gliding abilities.
But the old ones are much more numerous. Cheaper.

and it is not FAB3000

Next step. They showed so many FAB-3000 and heavier bombs during Shoigus tours in the past months.
It will happen.

ODAB-1500

RPK-500

FAB-250

The 54 style bomb shape is no accident... it has two main design goals... the first is to make the bombs a little shorter than a more aerodynamic shape would allow and to effect some aerobraking so they pack well inside bombers or for use externally on subsonic aircraft, but also so they slow down more rapidly when released to reduce damage to the aircraft releasing the bombs at low altitudes.

The 62 models are streamlined for external carriage on fast aircraft and for efficient high speed drops.

The braking effect of the 54 is actually quite significant but no alternative for airbrakes or parachute retarded bombs... fitting a simple sheet metal fairing over the nose of the 54 style bombs has a significant effect on its flight performance... to the point where it is actually worth doing.

They didn't make the model 54 bombs in 1954 and the 62 models in 1962, they were two standard bomb types (shapes) that have been mass produced for decades in enormous numbers... these are cheap dumb bombs mass produced in enormous numbers.

These kits that allow at the same time standoff release and also precision to the impact point... essentially converting cheap dumb bombs to guided smart weapons that are also standoff weapons... which is a dream situation for anyone interested in not wasting money like the Russians or a nightmare for western MIC companies trying to squeeze every dollar out of the US taxpayer... the irony is that an American version would be expensive but simple and not designed to deal with jamming or other things the enemy might do to stop them, whereas the Russian models are cheap and are optimised to actually do a good job and not just be cheap.

They have, of course a wide variety of custom designed glide bombs in all different shapes and sizes and also a huge range of old and new missiles that are all still able to get a job done.

They wont have an enormous stock of older missiles as they would have been expensive but they would have made them in reasonable numbers for the time... likely rather more than a HATO country would make.

They have an enormous range of dumb bombs from HE and fuel air explosive and incendiary and of course cluster bombs as well and compared with the SDB the US uses that are maybe 200-300 pounds in weight, the 1500 weight class weapons are over 3,000 pounds in weight... and if they need them they also have FAB-3000 and FAB-5000 and even FAB-9000 types not to mention the father of all bombs at about 11 tons of material with a HE equivalent of about 45 tons.

Their cluster bombs are going to be devastating... the US will regret their decision to cross that line...

https://tass.com/defense/1731553
Tactical Missiles Corporation scales up high precision weapons production​
"Boris Obnosov stressed that it became possible on account of expanding and upgrading production facilities, increasing the headcount, improving labor productivity and shifting to the 24/7 work schedule," the ministry noted

MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. Russia’s Tactical Missiles Corporation boosts production of the most highly sought-after high precision munitions by five times, the Defense Ministry said.
"Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation Boris Obnosov reported to Army General Sergey Shoigu that the enterprise fully performed the state defense order for 2023, and production volumes of high-precision means of destruction were increased five-fold from the start of the special military operation for individual the most highly sought-after items of the product mix," the Defense Ministry said.
"Boris Obnosov stressed that it became possible on account of expanding and upgrading production facilities, increasing the headcount, improving labor productivity and shifting to the 24/7 work schedule," the ministry added.

https://tass.com/defense/1731543

Output volumes at Tactical Missiles Corporation’s units up three-fold — ministry​
Latest patterns of high-precision warheads that were put into serial production in 2023, as well as promising samples of arms, were also presented to the minister during the visit, according to the report

MOSCOW, January 12. /TASS/. The volumes of products made by a number of units of the Tactical Missiles Corporation (KTRV) have climbed three-fold due to an increase in labor productivity by 40%, the Russian Defense Ministry reported following Minister Sergey Shoigu’s visit to one of the corporation’s enterprise.
"Head of one of the units of the enterprise Dmitry Kovalyov told Russian Defense Minister that due to an increase in labor productivity by 40% and the switch to a 12-hour shift the volumes of products made by the section he heads have soared three-fold," the report said.
Latest patterns of high-precision warheads that were put into serial production in 2023, as well as promising samples of arms, were also presented to the minister during the visit, according to the report.

Supposedly the new version of the UMPK will receive wings made of composite material
and swept fins, which will reduce the RCS to 0,1sqm and increase the range to 95 to 110km,
depending of which bombs will be used.

There are also talks about fitting the whole thing with a simple rocket engine
to increase the range even further.

I hope they don´t consider a ground-launched version.

Jet assisted? Here it is


MD
@distant_earth83
The Russian Aerospace Forces began using aerial bombs with the UMPB module in Ukraine. What is known about them?

On March 8, a number of Ukrainian channels distributed photographs of a supposedly fallen bomb during one of the drops from an operational-tactical aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces. What's unusual about these bombs?

Constructive

◉ Judging by the presented images, a number of changes have appeared in comparison with the universal planning and correction module (UMPC). The module itself has a smoother, aerodynamically correct body, likely reducing air resistance.

◉ Also, the module presumably uses a new mechanization scheme with folding wings. In its design, it resembles the X-101 cruise missile.

◉ A presumably noise-resistant receiver of GLONASS/GPS signals “COMETA”, developed by VNIIR-Progress, is visible.

◉ The main innovation regarding the UMPC is the jet engine and fuel tank.

Key differences between UMPB and UMPC

◉ The first and most important thing is range. If the FAB-250/500 with UMPC allowed the use of weapons from a range of 40-60 km, then the use of UMPB with a fuel tank and engine will increase this figure, if not twice, then close to this indicator - to approximately 80-95 km.

◉ In fact, the Russian Aerospace Forces received an analogue of several NATO weapons: the Swedish GLSDB, the American Powered JDAM (PJDAM) and the French AASM/HAMMER.

Purpose and effectiveness

◉ Like the American PJDAM, the Russian UMPB is designed to destroy objects behind the so-called access denial zones (A2/AD).

◉ This is largely facilitated by the presence of a jet engine. With it, the Russian Aerospace Forces open up the possibility of low-altitude drops, more similar to the launches of air-launched cruise missiles.

◉ The American PJDAM concept assumed the creation of ammunition with a range of 300 nautical miles (555 km) with a warhead mass of 226 kg, so the actual range of the Russian “quarter” may be higher than the estimated 100 km.

◉ This will allow the Aerospace Forces to significantly increase the depth of attacks on reconnaissance positions and targets of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including trains with reserves, fuel and supplies, as well as airborne forces of personnel at a significant distance from the front line.

Separately, it is worth noting that the American Boeing was at the final stage of testing PJDAM in 2022, but, apparently, it was Russia that was able to receive the first production products.

Some bigger pics

What a nasty surprise for NATO.
Russian AD is capable of shooting down glide bombs. With or without engines.
But NATO... 

The fins on the purpose built "glide bombs" in the photos posted above by Hole indicate that these models have more limited range than
the glide kit gives regular bombs. The lift afforded by those fins is substantially smaller than the kit wings. They look more like missile
fins which work because missiles are propelled.

So it would be more appropriate to call those guided bombs which have increased accuracy of hitting targets.

It is like with a glider... when there is no propulsion you need extra wing to better glide... the longer you stay in the air the further you can glide, but if you add propulsion then all that extra wing just adds drag along with lift... it slows you down and limits your top speed.

To be clear they have missiles with wings, they have bombs with wings, and they also have dumb bombs from stocks to which they attach wing kits with guidance kits included that make them cheap glide bombs.

The custom designed glide bombs might have smaller wings but will also be custom made for the job and achieve good range and performance likely for specific missions, while the dumb bombs with the glide kits, those glide kits will be modular and used in a range of bombs, perhaps with different sized wings for different weight classes of bombs.

So 250kg bombs might have one wing size while 500kg and 1,500kg bombs have different wing sizes.

The wing size for each bomb weight is for all the dozens of different bomb types in each weight class from FABs and cluster bombs and incendiary bombs and incendiary tanks. Penetration bombs and fuel air bombs, etc etc.

It is good that the US sent cluster rounds for their artillery because Russia also probably had an enormous stock of such weapons that they would have otherwise had to keep and perhaps dispose of eventually.

Now Russia can use up the old stuff, which they will have in enormous numbers, but most importantly cluster munitions are excellent for exposed troops on a battle field all spread out so one bomb wont get them all... perfect targets for cluster munitions. Civilian vehicles are also horribly vulnerable because the light sheet metal they are made from wont stop fragments and packing them with sandbags to give some protection means more fuel use and slower targets.

Ukrainian sources have shared images of a new Russian gliding guided bomb with the UMPB designation. A notable feature was the inclusion of a jet engine, absent in conventional FABs with JDAM.

This feature not only extends the range of ammunition and enables the destruction of targets further from the front line but also allows for installation on a 300 mm rocket from the Tornado-S, creating a domestic counterpart to the American GLSDB system.

Undoubtedly, the visible progress of Russian industry in producing serial high-precision aircraft bombs is remarkable. While plans remained theoretical until 2022, the encounter with dense enemy air defenses during the SMO prompted the rapid development and mass production of new products.

This development naturally brings joy.

@rybar

Two Majors

Russia will literally take take all your tactics, techniques and technologies, improve them 10x, and proceed to **** you up.

Third Rome indeed.

how are they pulling 550kms out of their ass when Russians announce it as 100kms for something similiar? even claim 900kms if warhead is replaced with decoy.

If it's powered then it's more of a cruise missile than gliding bomb. At least if the range is 500km and you use a real jet engine and not just a dumb booster to add few10s of km.

At this point it's better to make a cheaper kh-59 that can be more versatile.