Russian bomb defused in Zaporizhzhia: Safety concerns rise

The Ukrainian State Emergency Service recently neutralized an unexploded Russian KAB-500 aerial bomb that fell in the Zaporizhzhia region. Due to a damaged detonator, it was impossible to transport the bomb to a safe location, requiring the services to act on site.

The Russian Federation has long struggled with the unreliability of its missiles. In recent months, there have been numerous reports of rockets of various types accidentally dropped on Russian territory. Additionally, there have been incidents where ammunition reaches its intended target but fails to explode, even with some of the most modern missiles in the Russian arsenal, such as the Kh-47 Kinzhal.

The problems of the Russian Federation continue, as evidenced by the recent discovery of an unexploded half-ton aerial bomb, KAB-500, near the town of Polohy in the Zaporizhzhia region. Ukrainian services reported that the ammunition posed a severe threat due to a modified detonator, making it impossible to transport the bomb safely.

Given the risk of moving the missile, sappers decided to neutralize the KAB-500 on site. They conducted a controlled detonation near the town while exercising caution.

The unexploded bomb found in the Zaporizhzhia region is one of the more commonly used bombs by the Russians during the conflict in Ukraine. It belongs to the "fire and forget" type of missile and is highly effective, thanks to its weight exceeding 1,100 pounds. The KAB-500 is based on the FAB-500 and has eight different versions.

The most popular variants of the 1,100-pound KABs are the KAB-500L and the KAB-500Kr. The KAB-500L, named for its laser-guidance system (denoted by L), has a 27N warhead based on Contact Image Sensor (CIS) technology with a correlational data processing system.

Designed as a counterpart to the American Paveway system, it weighs over 1,150 pounds, with the warhead containing 990 pounds of explosive material. The semi-active laser head and control surfaces, which correct the flight, allow the KAB-500L to hit targets with accuracy up to 23 feet.

Another popular version in the Russian Federation is the KAB-500Kr, which weighs 1,235 pounds and has an explosive charge of 838 pounds. In contrast to the laser version, which has a range of 5.6 miles, the KAB-500Kr can reach up to 10.5 miles. It uses a high-sensitivity television head for guidance and features control surfaces for flight correction.