Russia's use of "glide bombs"—inexpensive yet highly destructive ordnance—has intensified its offensive in Ukraine. Over 200 glide bombs were deployed in a week to strike Vovchansk, a northern Ukrainian town, amid Russia's cross-border advances near Kharkiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky reported that 3,000 such bombs were dropped across Ukraine in March alone.
Oleksii Kharkivsky, the police chief of Vovchansk, described the horrific aftermath of glide bomb attacks. "There are no words to describe it," he said. "You arrive to see people torn apart." The extensive use of glide bombs is a recent development, proving devastating for Ukrainian forces.
Glide bombs are created by adding fold-out wings and satellite navigation to old Soviet bombs, making them cheap yet powerful. According to the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), these bombs were crucial in Russia's February capture of Avdiivka, a once heavily fortified eastern town.
Currently, Russian forces are using glide bombs to attack Kharkiv, and Ukraine has struggled to counter them. Police chief Kharkivsky has been evacuating frontline border villages in the Kharkiv region, where Russian advances have increased the scale of attacks significantly. "In the past six months, we were hit by five to ten glide bombs weekly, but this month, it's much more," he noted.
Russia's ability to stockpile glide bombs stems from their ease of production. Professor Justin Bronk of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) explains that Russia has a vast supply of Soviet-era free-fall iron bombs, which are fitted with pop-out wings and satellite guidance to allow long-distance gliding. This adaptation gives these bombs much of the functionality of a multi-million dollar missile for a fraction of the cost, approximately $20,000 to $30,000 each.
The concept of glide bombs isn't new. The Germans used the Fritz-X during World War II, and in the 1990s, the US developed the Joint Attack Direct Munition (JDAM), which added steerable tail fins and GPS guidance to traditional bombs, extensively used in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The destructive power of glide bombs is immense. The most commonly used is the FAB-1500, weighing 1.5 tonnes. In comparison, a Russian 152mm shell contains about 6.5kg of explosives, while the smallest glide bomb, the FAB-500, contains over 200kg. These bombs can turn fortified Ukrainian positions into vulnerable targets, as their explosive power is likely to cause cave-ins or fatalities even in well-fortified areas. The blasts also have severe effects on the human body.
Professor Bronk explains that glide bombs complicate Ukraine's defensive strategy, as Russia can continually bombard fixed positions until they're destroyed. Ukrainian security analyst Mariia Zolkina describes the use of glide bombs as a worrying development, creating a "new era" in the military situation by allowing Russia to eliminate defensive lines without infantry.
George Barros of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) warns of a potential escalation with evidence suggesting a Russian factory is setting up to produce glide bombs weighing over three tonnes. If deployed, these could have a devastating impact on Ukrainian fortifications and morale.
Countering glide bombs is challenging. Professor Bronk notes that intercepting them mid-flight isn't feasible due to the large quantities. The best solution is targeting the planes that drop them, but this involves significant risks. The US Patriot missile system can shoot down these planes if positioned near the front lines, but it risks being targeted by Russian drones and ballistic missiles.
Long-range missiles or drones could target Russian air bases, a strategy Ukraine has used. In April, Ukraine claimed to have destroyed at least six military aircraft with drone strikes on an airfield in Russia's Rostov region. However, the US prohibits Ukraine from using its weapons systems on internationally recognized Russian territory, limiting these actions.
President Zelensky has repeatedly called for more air defense missiles and modern fighter jets, but until these are provided, Ukraine faces a tough battle. Zolkina notes that the increased use of glide bombs has severely impacted morale, with military personnel and civilians alike feeling unsafe.
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