How Ukraine Innovated To Reduce Russian Glide Bomb Attacks

Devastating Russian glide bombs were becoming a serious problem for Ukraine because of the bombs' powerful explosive impact. But as has so often been the case in this war, Ukrainian innovation led to a response which has forced the Russians to cut back on their use.

The first step was employing electronic warfare to divert the bombs, followed by the use of less sophisticated but still effective weapons to shoot the bombs down. The final tactic was identifying and then launching strikes against the facilities where the bombs were manufactured and stored, significantly reducing the Kremlin's glide bomb inventory. There have been no reported glide bomb attacks since November on the sectors where they were most frequently used. JL

The Institute for the Study of War reports:

Ukrainian forces are using electronic warfare to down and divert guided glide bombs since glide bombs’ lack of a thermal energy signature prevents air defense systems from targeting the bombs. Russian forces launched the most guided glide bombs against Kharkiv City in May and September 2024 but Russian forces have not conducted any guided glide bomb strikes on Kharkiv since November 2024 and have been using aviation assets less frequently in northern Kharkiv Oblast. Ukrainian forces recently struck several large ammunition depots within Russia that stored guided glide bombs, limiting the Russian military's stockpiles.  Russian forces conducted three to four guided glide bombs strikes per day in the Lyman direction in November 2024 but are now conducting strikes with Shahed drones instead
Ukrainian forces are successfully innovating to combat Russian guided glide bomb strikes against Kharkiv Oblast. Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration Head Oleh Synehubov stated on December 29 that Russian forces started experimenting with and conducting D-30 universal joint glide munition (UMPB) guided glide bomb strikes against Kharkiv Oblast in March 2024 and have since modified them to have a range of up to 80 kilometers.[18] 

 

Synehubov stated that Russian forces started launching guided glide bombs from within Russian airspace roughly 40 kilometers away from the international Russian-Ukrainian border, allowing the bombs to strike targets up to 40 kilometers inside Ukraine. Kharkiv Oblast Police Force's Explosive Department Head Volodymyr Bezruk stated that D-30 guided glide bombs can deviate from a target by up to 50 meters and that the damages from D-30 UMPB and unguided FAB-250/500 glide bombs are similar because both bombs use the same type of warhead.[19] 

 

Bezruk stated that Ukrainian forces are using machine guns and electronic warfare (EW) interference to down and divert guided glide bombs since glide bombs’ lack of a thermal energy signature prevents portable air defense systems from targeting the bombs. Ukrainian Kharkiv Group of Forces Spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Yevheniy Romanov stated that Russian forces launched the most guided glide bombs against Kharkiv City in May and September 2024 but that Russian forces have not conducted any guided glide bomb strikes on Kharkiv City since November 2024 and have been using aviation assets less frequently in the northern Kharkiv Oblast border area. Romanov noted that Ukrainian forces recently struck several large ammunition depots within Russia that stored guided glide bombs, limiting the Russian military's guided glide bomb stockpiles.

 

The spokesperson of a Ukrainian brigade operating in the Lyman direction stated that Russian forces conducted roughly three to four guided glide bombs strikes per day in the Lyman direction in November 2024 but are now conducting strikes with Shahed drones instead.[20]