On 30 January, several Ukrainian sources reported that Ukraine’s Armed Forces have successfully integrated full-size FAB-250 bombs into their drone warfare operations, conducting precision strikes on Russian targets in Bryansk Oblast.
According to the report by the Ukrainian air defense forces-linked Telegram channel, Nikolaevsky Vanyok, 14th Separate UAV Regiment of the Ukrainian Army’s Unmanned Systems Forces has successfully employed UAVs carrying 250 kg aerial bombs the night before.
Defense Express notes that the photo evidence, shared by the Telegram channel, includes an image showing the FAB-250M-54 high-explosive aerial bomb mounted on a UAV alongside a 120 mm mortar shell, demonstrating the scale of these weapons. The classified unmanned aircraft are designed for multiple missions, returning to base after payload delivery for rearmament and redeployment.
Militarnyi says that in the early hours of 30 January, the 14th Regiment deployed at least one modified aircraft to bomb the Novozybkov oil pumping station on the Druzhba pipeline in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast. The aircraft was armed with a 250 kg FAB-250 M54 bomb and two smaller munitions, “visually resembling artillery shells.” The aircraft’s return to Ukraine remained unclear, while as of 13:00, Russian media had not published any images of downed aircraft, Militarnyi added.
According to Defense Express, Russian forces are now aware of Ukraine’s capability to deploy full-size FAB bombs via drones. It is unclear what aircraft now carry the mass-produced FAB-250 aerial bombs.
Earlier developments
Earlier, photos surfaced from April 2024 of Ukrainian UAVs that crashed in Russia, identified by Militarnyi as E-300 SkyRanger light aircraft. It was modified into a drone with a bomb-carrying pylon and an onboard remote control electro-optical system, possibly also used for target acquisition, and precision bombing. Defense Express noted that the modified SkyRangers carried a lighter aerial bomb, FAB-100.
The targeted oil pumping station was located less than 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, while previous wreckage was found over 1,000 kilometers away, according to Militarnyi.
Defense Express says the successful deployment of FAB-250 bombs indicates either new aircraft introduction or Skyranger UAV payload capacity enhancement.
In November, videos from Russia’s Dagestan showed other light aircraft, A-22 Foxbat, also made into a UAV. However, due to their long range, these UAVs were on a one-way mission, and it remains unclear whether they can drop the bomb and return to base.
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- Frontline report: Russians lose 400-km radar in Ukrainian drone strike spree
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- Ukrainian forces master American V-BAT drone system
