Ukraine's aerial strike strategy: French bombs change the game
Ukrainians are striving to retain control of the Kursk region to initiate peace negotiations, while the Russians have deployed significant forces there to reclaim territory. This area is crucial enough for Ukrainians to utilize the remnants of their air force capabilities. Let's explore what exactly the Ukrainians attacked with.
4:46 PM EST, November 27, 2024
Currently, Ukraine's air force is operating with limited resources. Besides a handful of F-16s, the MiG-29 planes are in the best condition among those still in service. Additionally, some Su-27, Su-24, and Su-25 assault aircraft remain operational. However, the situation is challenging due to losses, wear, and a lack of available spare parts.
It's worth noting that the Ukrainian fleet of MiGs has been bolstered by more than 20 units from Poland and Slovakia, with a repair base in Poland and Bulgaria. As a result, these aircraft carry out most combat missions.
Below, you can see footage of a pair of AASM Hammer-guided bombs striking two buildings in the Kursk region. The execution of the air strike suggests a significant target, such as a field command centre or a location for Russian drone operators.
Unique aerial bomb from France
Ukrainians regularly receive small batches of AASM Hammer (Armement Air-Sol Modulaire, Highly Agile Modular Munition Extended Range) guided bombs from France, which prove more effective in their operational conditions than the American JDAM-ER.
AASM Hammer bombs are modular and are added to standard unguided bombs from the Mk family. Currently, Safran produces kits for the MK82 and 84 bombs, weighing approximately 500 lbs and 2,000 lbs, respectively. There are plans for a model for the 1,000-lb Mk83 as well.
Beyond the standard module featuring a guidance system, flight correction, and folding wings, the French design also incorporates a solid-fuel rocket motor. This allows the bomb to accelerate after being dropped even at low altitudes, extending its range up to 9 miles in such conditions.
This is especially advantageous because flying at low altitudes protects against medium-range anti-aircraft systems by reducing radar detection to 31 miles or less. This limits threats from systems like the Pantsir-S1 or the Tor, which range 9 miles or less. In contrast, when dropped from high altitude, the range of the AASM Hammer glide bombs can exceed 43 miles.
Moreover, French bombs, when equipped with the appropriate guidance heads (which are interchangeable), are resistant to electronic warfare systems that impair hit precision. The basic configuration uses INS and GPS navigation, which can be susceptible to interference. Still, heads guided by a reflected laser beam or equipped with a thermal imaging camera are available.
These latter two options offer pinpoint accuracy (3-10 feet) under all conditions, even against moving targets. The laser beam-guided head requires the target to be illuminated by a plane or a drone's laser designator until impact.
The optoelectronic head, however, is the latest and most costly "fire and forget" solution, recognizing the thermal image of the target and autonomously tracking it using onboard electronics and machine learning algorithms.
