UMPK (bomb kit)

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UMPK
TypeGlide bomb
Place of originRussian Federation
Service history
In service2023-present
Used byRussian Armed Forces
WarsRussian invasion of Ukraine

UMPK (Russian: УМПК; Унифицированный модуль планирования и коррекции; Unified gliding and correction module) is a guidance kit first developed by the Russian Bazalt Design Bureau for converting unguided Soviet bombs into precision-guided munitions. This kit is an aerial bomb glide range extension kit, similar to JDAM. The guidance system and gliding function of the UMPK kit can provide ordinary aerial bombs with longer-range and more accurate strike capabilities. They have been widely used by the Russian Air Force during the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

History

FAB-500 bombs with UMPK kits deploying their wings

Guided glide kit for Soviet/Russian bombs was first proposed by NPO Bazalt in 2003 as a cheap device that can be retrofitted to already existing stocks to increase range and accuracy of dumb bombs. Its prototype was first displayed at the "Aero India 2003" exibition.[1] The upgrade, back then called MPK, continued being proposed in 2008.[2]

At the beginning of January 2023, Russian users on social networks shared a photo of the FAB-500M-62 with an attached kit resembling a JDAM, however, the "artisan" quality of the kit may have indicated it was a prototype.[3][4]

At the end of March 2023, the spokesman of the Ukrainian Air Force Yuriy Ignat reported that the Russian military began to use winged modified aerial bombs with a warhead weighing 500 kg more often. Russian planes drop them from a distance of tens of kilometers on targets in the front-line zone without entering the Ukrainian air defense range.[5]

In April 2023, Su-34 accidentally dropped a bomb on the Russian city of Belgorod. Some news outlets quoted Russian milblogger Fighterbomber that the bomb was an UMPK upgraded one.[6]

The UMPK was first publicly acknowledged by Russian MOD in May 2023.[7][8]

According to a November 2023 investigation by the British NGO Conflict Armament Research, the new UMPK has, among other things, a more complex electronic system including SMART navigation controller and Kometa satellite navigation module.[9][10]

Description

FAB-250 with UMPK. Note the installation of aerodynamic nosecone.

The UMPK aerial bomb glide kit is designed to convert traditional unguided bombs into guided bombs to provide greater strike accuracy. The maximum attack range depends on the altitude and trajectory of the aircraft before being dropped.[11]

The current manufacturer of the module is not officially named. Perhaps there are several companies producing them, as well as several variants of the module itself.[8]

The bomb is equipped with Kometa-M system, which provides unobstructed connection to the bomb even in the presence of EW systems.[12]

Supposedly, the unit costs 2 million rubles (equivalent to $24,460) — which is cheap for a guided weapon. Russia’s inventory of unguided aerial bombs runs very deep and will not be prone to exhaustion.[13]

There are several variants of the kit:

  • FAB-500 - The first bomb equipped with UMPK, and the most widely used.
  • FAB-1500 - Was used at least as early as September 2023.[15][16][17] During the visit of a delegation led by Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu to the Tactical Missile Corporation military-industrial complex in the Moscow region in January 2024, the FAB-1500-М54 guided bomb was publicly displayed.[18]

Notable uses

  • IRIS-T air defense system radar was targeted by UMPK roughly 25 km from the frontline.[20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "ГНПП "Базальт" предлагает оснастить авиационные бомбы свободного падения специальным модулем планирования и коррекции // АвиаПорт.Новости". www.aviaport.ru. Retrieved 2024-03-11.
  2. ^ "ГНПП "Базальт" предлагает доукомплектовать все ранее разработанные авиабомбы модулями планирования и коррекции". ВПК.name (in Russian). 2008-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  3. ^ "Російський аналог JDAM: звідки взявся, наскільки реальний та як у РФ тим самим розписались у безпорадності "Гефеста"". defence-ua.com. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  4. ^ "У Росії тестують модуль планування і корекції авіабомб ФАБ-500". Мілітарний (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  5. ^ "Ігнат розповів про нову загрозу: авіація рф щодня скидає десятки бомб у прифронтовій зоні". www.ukrinform.ua (in Ukrainian). 2023-03-30. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  6. ^ "У российской авиации, вероятно, появилась технология, способная вернуть ей превосходство в воздухе над ВСУ. Но только теоретически В реальности эта технология могла привести к падению двух российских авиабомб на Белгород". Meduza (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  7. ^ "Минобороны России". Telegram. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  8. ^ a b "УМПК: универсальный модуль для авиабомб". ВЗГЛЯД.РУ (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  9. ^ greenchelman (2023-12-19). "Британцы описали обновленные российские УМПК для авиабомб ФАБ-500". Репортёр (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  10. ^ "Russia develops guidance modules for air-dropped munitions". Conflict Armament Research. 18 January 2024.
  11. ^ "Russia is winging its dumb bombs just before a combat flight". BulgarianMilitary.com. 2023-07-25. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  12. ^ "Russian FAB-500 bomb can be fried with jamming source of 1MW". BulgarianMilitary.com. 2023-07-14. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  13. ^ "Just How Dumb Are Russia's Winged Smart Bombs?". Popular Mechanics. 2023-04-24. Retrieved 2024-04-09.
  14. ^ "Доработка авиабомб ФАБ-250 позволила сделать из них высокоточные боеприпасы". TACC (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  15. ^ a b "Удар ФАБ-1500 по скоплению ВСУ под Антоновским мостом попал на видео". Российская газета (in Russian). 2023-10-21. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  16. ^ "Newsweek: "Умная" авиабомба ФАБ-1500 усилит давление на ПВО Украины". Российская газета (in Russian). 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  17. ^ Axe, David. "Russia's Got A Giant New Glide-Bomb". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  18. ^ Новости, Р. И. А. (12 January 2024). "Минобороны России впервые показало полуторатонную авиабомбу с УМПК". РИА Новости (in Russian). Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  19. ^ Axe, David. "What Are Ukrainian Troops Most Afraid Of? Russia's Cheap, Powerful Glide-Bombs". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  20. ^ "Guided glide bomb wiped out a German-made IRIS-T radar near Kherson". BulgarianMilitary.com. 2023-12-30. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
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