Ukraine's surprising weapon: Outdated tech downs Russian bombs
The Ukrainian success in downing a KAB glide bomb has sparked speculation about the weapon used. According to one Ukrainian analysis, the equipment might be surprisingly simple. The key factor wasn't the weapon's capabilities but the training and skills of the soldiers operating it.
The successful downing of a KAB bomb, widely covered by Ukrainian media, was attributed to experimental weaponry, according to an official statement. An analysis on a Ukrainian Telegram profile suggests that the "experimental weapon" might be a simple, popular, and inexpensive system.
According to the Sunflower profile, the Ukrainians used the popular ZU-23-2 anti-aircraft system to shoot down the KAB. This is an older weapon, produced since the 1960s and widely used worldwide.
Despite the age and simplicity of the ZU-23-2, its capabilities can be enhanced with modern target detection and fire control systems.
This approach has been adopted by the creators of the Polish PSR-A Pilica system, where anti-aircraft guns are supplemented with an automatic target detection and guidance system. This solution allows several systems to operate together under the supervision of one operator, semi-automatically destroying detected and approved targets.
ZU-23-2 vs. KAB
While the effectiveness of the ZSU-23-2 can be significantly increased, the limits of modernization are determined, among other things, by the size of the projectile, making it difficult, though not impossible, to develop programmable ammunition. This is demonstrated by the Russians in the ZAK-23E system with 2A7M guns.
The KAB bombs used by the Russians are equivalent to American JDAM-ER bombs. These are ordinary, free-falling aerial bombs with an attached guidance module and foldable wings, allowing the bomb to glide for several tens of miles.
The mass use of KAB bombs gave the Russians a significant advantage, enabling effective attacks on fortified targets without exposing aircraft to anti-aircraft fire from MANPADS or short-range systems.
Destroying a FAB bomb is a significant success for Ukraine
Hitting a single bomb carrying hundreds of pounds of explosives is much more effective than artillery fire, where a single shell carries several or a dozen pounds of explosive material.
The widespread use of glide bombs was one of the reasons for Russian successes on the front, allowing them to break through Ukrainian defenses faster than before.
Therefore, if Ukrainians have indeed developed a way to effectively and inexpensively destroy KAB bombs using small-caliber artillery (and did not shoot down one bomb by sheer luck), it could mean an important shift in the balance of power. Ukraine may have found a way to defend against a threat it previously couldn't counter.
