Russian forces used a guided FAB-3000 M-54 aerial bomb, equipped with a unified planning and correction module (UMPC), to target Ukrainian positions in Kharkiv Oblast for the first time, revealing Russian enhanced destructive capabilities.
Russian forces have already escalated the use of guided and unguided glide bombs against Ukraine, particularly in Kharkiv Oblast, with devastating consequences for Ukrainian frontline positions and critical infrastructure.
Russian sources widely circulated footage on Telegram of the FAB-3000 M-54 strike against a reported Ukrainian deployment point in Lyptsi, Kharkiv Oblast, on 20 June. Despite landing 10 meters (32 ft) away from its intended target, the bomb caused substantial damage.
The Russian propagandist state news agency TASS confirmed the Russian forces used the bomb to target a three-story building in Lyptsi, serving as a temporary deployment point for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Although the bomb did not achieve a direct hit on the building, it still marks the first combat use of a bomb of this caliber with UMPC in human history. The FAB-3000 has a reported radius of continuous destruction of 230 meters (754 ft), with fragments retaining their lethal force at a distance of 1,240 meters (4068 ft), according to Russian military channels.
Institute for the Study of War (ISW) notes that former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced the serial production of FAB-3000 M-54s during a visit to Nizhny Novgorod region in March 2024. These dumb-bomb variants, weighing over 3,000 kg (6613 lbs), can be converted into guided glide bombs with the addition of the UMPC modification.
According to ISW, the successful launch of FAB-3000s by Russian forces marks a “significant development” that will increase the destructive potential of Russia’s ongoing glide bomb attacks against Ukrainian forces and infrastructure.
The use of corrected bombs allows Russian aircraft to drop them from a distance of tens of kilometers from the target, keeping them outside the range of Ukrainian air defense systems, according to Radio Liberty.
Ukrainian forces plan to counter this weapon with the help of F-16 fighter jets, the first of which are expected to appear on the front lines this summer.
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