Russia will launch mass production of new bombs for attacks on Ukraine – ISW

This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

On March 10, the spokesman for the Tavria troop grouping of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Captain Dmytro Lykhoviy, said that Russian troops had struck Myrnohrad, Donetsk region, with three D-30SN universal interspecies glider munitions.

According to him, the D-30SN advanced guided glider bombs essentially turn Soviet-era unguided gravity bombs into guided gliders.

The ISW report recalls that Russian troops used unguided glide bombs as recently as January 2024.

In addition, Russian military bloggers have recently claimed that their forces in unspecified areas of Ukraine have begun to strike with UMPB FAB guided gliders as opposed to using unguided gliders with unified planning and correction modules.

The UMPB guided glider bombs have a guidance system that includes a jamming-resistant GLONASS/GPS “Comet” signal receiver and folding wings similar to the Kh-101 cruise missile.

Military officials noted that Russian troops can launch UMPB guided gliding bombs from aircraft and Tornado-S and Smerch MLRS. Currently, Russian aviation is launching UMPB without jet engines, but in the future the aggressor plans to use such bombs with jet engines.

"Russian milbloggers claimed that UMPB guided glide bombs with a jet engine and fuel tank, currently absent from aerial glide bombs with UMPC, will allow Russian aviation to drop guided glide bombs from a lower altitude “similar to air-to-surface cruise missiles” and increase the maximum strike range to 80-90 kilometers," the experts emphasize.

The agency noted that the increased flight range of the UMPB guided glide bombs will allow Russian aviation to increase the depth of strikes on Ukrainian positions without the risk of detection or destruction of aircraft by the Ukrainian Air Force.

"Russian milbloggers claimed that the Russian defense industrial base (DIB) is attempting to mass-produce UMPB guided glide bombs. Russian forces will likely attempt to serialize production of UMPB guided glide bombs and increase their use across the frontline.," the ISW report says.

• On the night of March 10, the Russian army fired three rockets at Myrnohrad in Donetsk region, injuring 12 people. The Russian Federation also struck Dobropillia with drones. The bodies of two people were pulled from the rubble of a house. The same night, an elderly man died during the attack on Chasiv Yar.