Changes

During the [[Special Military Operation on the territory of Ukraine]] in the 2020s, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation converted thousands of conventional 500kg, 1000kg, and 1500kg gravity bombs from an enormous stockpile built up since the 1960s, with a "glide kit", attaching wings that unfold after being dropped and adding a precision guidance system in a nose kit.<ref>[https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/8831623.html Evolution of UMPK], colonelcassad. December 16, 2023. colonelcassad.livejournal.com</ref> The Russian modified glide bombs have an advantage over [[Western alliance|Western]] [[cruise missile]]s, in that none of its weight is wasted on carrying an expensive engine and fuel, they carry a very large warhead, and are relatively cheap in comparison to Western cruise missiles. They have been called the Russian counterpart of the US [[JDAM]], only much less expensive.<ref>https://westobserver.com/news/europe/russian-glide-bomb-compared-to-american-jdam/</ref>

During the [[Special Military Operation on the territory of Ukraine]] in the 2020s, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation converted thousands of conventional 500kg, 1000kg, and 1500kg gravity bombs from an enormous stockpile built up since the 1960s, with a "glide kit", attaching wings that unfold after being dropped and adding a precision guidance system in a nose kit.<ref>[https://colonelcassad.livejournal.com/8831623.html Evolution of UMPK], colonelcassad. December 16, 2023. colonelcassad.livejournal.com</ref> The Russian modified glide bombs have an advantage over [[Western alliance|Western]] [[cruise missile]]s, in that none of its weight is wasted on carrying an expensive engine and fuel, they carry a very large warhead, and are relatively cheap in comparison to Western cruise missiles. They have been called the Russian counterpart of the US [[JDAM]], only much less expensive.<ref>https://westobserver.com/news/europe/russian-glide-bomb-compared-to-american-jdam/</ref>

Various versions of the Russian glide bomb were used to devastating effect in the [[NATO war in Ukraine]].<ref>[https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/renaissance-of-the-bomb-gliding-fabs Renaissance of the Bomb - Gliding FABs] Russian Glide Bombs - a true menace, MIKE MIHAJLOVIC, MAR 10, 2024. bmanalysis.substack.com</ref>

Various versions of the Russian glide bomb were used to devastating effect in the [[NATO war in Ukraine]].<ref>[https://bmanalysis.substack.com/p/renaissance-of-the-bomb-gliding-fabs Renaissance of the Bomb - Gliding FABs] Russian Glide Bombs - a true menace, [[Mike Mihajlovic]], MAR 10, 2024. bmanalysis.substack.com</ref>

The appearance of an upgraded UMPK kit made a qualitatively different leap in the destruction of [[Ukrainian Armed Forces]] targets from the air. The UMPK PD ( increased range ) is a larger wing area, making the gliding range increase by approximately 25-30%. Instead of 50-60 kilometres (for FAB-500), the range increased to 78-85 kilometres.  

The appearance of an upgraded UMPK kit made a qualitatively different leap in the destruction of [[Ukrainian Armed Forces]] targets from the air. The UMPK PD ( increased range ) is a larger wing area, making the gliding range increase by approximately 25-30%. Instead of 50-60 kilometres (for FAB-500), the range increased to 78-85 kilometres.