The formidable power of smart super bombs in the Russia-Ukraine war

A regular bomb equipped with a JDAM-ER guidance kit becomes a smart bomb (Photo: Mil.in.ua).

Last week, the US confirmed that it had provided Ukraine with JDAM-ER smart bombs. In fact, this is a kit, including a global positioning device and an advanced control system, that can turn ordinary bombs into smart bombs capable of high-precision guidance.

The JDAM-ER bomb is particularly dangerous on the battlefield as it flies up to 72km and can weigh up to 900kg, causing great destruction when attacking the target. When released from an aircraft, these bombs automatically aim at predetermined coordinates and act as a "drop and forget" weapon.

The JDAM-ER is said to be Ukraine’s answer to the smart bombs in Russia’s arsenal. Like the JDAM, Russia’s KAB series of smart bombs can be laser-guided, satellite-guided, or GPS-guided. The KAB comes in different variants based on size, including the KAB-500, KAB-1500, and KAB-250. Unlike the JDAM, the KAB is a bomb with a built-in guidance and navigation system, rather than being an add-on kit to a conventional bomb.

The most popular Russian smart bomb used in the war in Ukraine is the KAB-500L with a high-explosive warhead.

A KAB-500L bomb (Photo: Wikipedia).

Although the two bombs have quite similar mechanisms, military expert David Hambling told Newsweek that a key advantage JDAM-ER has over the KAB line is its high resistance to jamming and electronic warfare measures on a large scale on the battlefield.

The KAB uses Russia’s GLONASS global positioning system for guidance. Like the US GPS, GLONASS is vulnerable to jamming. The JDAM-ER, on the other hand, uses an inertial navigation system, ensuring the bomb stays on course even when it is targeted by electronic warfare.

Inertial navigation systems work by processing measurements such as speed and direction to calculate the bomb's trajectory. "While it can lose accuracy over time, it's ideal for a bomb that only travels a few minutes to reach its target," Mr Hambling said.

The expert concluded that JDAM could be more accurate than KAB on the battlefield, more reliable, and compatible with other systems. However, he still appreciated the effectiveness of KAB, but emphasized that Russia rarely used this type of bomb in the past, often using unguided weapons.

"This may be because Russia does not possess many expensive high-tech guided bombs and munitions or because Western sanctions affect Russia's ability to manufacture modern weapons," he speculated.

The KAB-500 is capable of destroying well-camouflaged targets with high destructive power. It can be equipped with high explosive warheads, concrete-piercing warheads, causing serious destruction to the opponent's fortified structures.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/uy-luc-dang-gom-cua-cac-sieu-bom-thong-minh-trong-chien-su-nga-ukraine-20230314100515297.htm