Russian bomb mishap: Massive FAB‑3000 devastates Belgorod village
9:11 PM EDT, July 2, 2024
Russians are intensively attacking targets in Ukraine with gliding bombs from the FAB family equipped with UMPK modules. These bombs are dropped from high altitudes, allowing them to travel tens of miles. However, Russian bombs are often faulty, and sometimes, instead of hitting targets in Ukraine, they fall within Russian territory. This time, a massive 3-ton FAB-3000 bomb caused enormous damage in the Belgorod region.
On July 2, 2024, in the Russian village of Yugo-Zapadnaya, south of Belgorod (approximately 50 miles from Kharkiv), a powerful FAB-3000 bomb was lost by the Russian air force.
The bomb left behind a 26-foot crater and damaged 39 buildings and 19 cars. At least six residents were injured.
It is worth noting that this is not the first incident of Russians losing a bomb, but it is only the second involving the powerful FAB-3000 bomb, which contains about one and a half tons of explosive material.
FAB-3000 bombs - compensating for lack of precision with explosive power
The FAB-3000 is currently the largest Russian bomb, equipped with UMPK (Unified Module of Planning and Correction) modules. These are a Russian copy of the JDAM-ER modules, which, when mounted on an old unguided free-falling aerial bomb, turn it into a precise weapon with enormous explosive power. It is worth noting that besides utilizing old bombs, Russians have also resumed the production of new ones.
The UMPK modules include a guidance section based on a combination of inertial navigation (less precise but works under any conditions) and satellite navigation (more precise but susceptible to jamming). Additionally, the conversion kit contains foldable wings and a tail section with control surfaces, allowing for a controlled gliding flight.
As a result, a cheap weapon with over one hundred times the explosive power of an artillery shell (TNT load is up to 18-22 pounds) capable of destroying even the most powerful fortifications is created. With the FAB-3000 bomb weighing three tons (half of which is TNT), even missing by a few dozen or 328 feet doesn't make much difference. The shockwave causes destruction even hundreds of feet from the explosion site, and the range of the fragments can exceed 0.6 miles.
The range of these bombs depends on the dropping speed and altitude; the higher and faster, the better. This allows the Russians to drop bombs 37-43 miles away from the target, which is far beyond the range of Ukrainian short-range air defense systems (a maximum of approximately 25 miles).
The only effective deterrents against aircraft carrying these bombs are medium-range systems like the S-300, Patriot, or SAMP/T. Ukraine no longer has missiles for the former, and their availability outside of Russia (the only manufacturer) is minimal. In the case of Western systems, Ukraine has received too few batteries relative to its needs.
