Russian weapons found using imported household appliance components says Ukrainian report
The same agency asserts that Russian weapons, especially missiles, perform worse than what local propaganda suggests. Oleksandr Ruvin, the director of the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Investigations, offered insights about the capabilities of various missile types and their components during an interview with the portal vechirniy.kiyv.ua.
7:48 AM EST, February 22, 2024
Ruvin says Russians routinely use components directly taken from imported household appliances. Ruvin also mentioned that some weapons perform poorly due to a shortage of particular components.
Components from household appliances found in Russian weapons
Ruvin claims that some Russia-manufactured missiles, such as the Iskander, perform significantly less accurately than Russians claim. In addition, the Kinzhal (Ch-47) missile fails to reach its announced speed of 10 Ma (over 7,456 miles/hour).
Furthermore, an ongoing shortage in missile parts has led Russians to use components from reconnaissance drones, states Ruvin. They may use drones such as the Orlan-10, supposedly manufactured by Russia, but depend heavily on Western and Chinese electronic components.
To explain further, the weapon that contained a domestic fan component that the Ukrainians identified is the KAB-500, a general-purpose laser-guided bomb (in the basic variant 500L). The KAB-500 was designed to be a destructive laser-guided weapon in response to the American Paveway system.
The weight of the KAB-500L bomb is above 1,102 lbs, with the explosive charge making up a substantial part of the weight, coming in at 992 lbs. This bomb can accurately hit targets up to 23 feet away. It's often used to take out fire points and fortifications in tandem with a shock wave and can be deployed from Su-24 or MiG-27 aircraft. The KAB-500L works within a minimum height of 1,640 feet and a maximum range of 16,404 feet, with functional speeds ranging from 310 to 684 miles/hour. This bomb operates under an automatic mode, colloquially termed drop and forget.
