In recent years, Russia has possessed a new weapon that has been extensively used in Ukraine. If Western societies continue to adopt delaying tactics and fail to promptly provide more and better weapons for our Ukrainian partners, this new Russian weapon may break the balance in the Russia-Ukraine war and future conflicts.
This new Russian weapon is a 1.5-ton “glide bomb,” a variant of the iron gravity bomb from the Soviet era. Launched by aircraft from high altitudes, it is equipped with new pop-out wings and satellite-guided additional devices. This old-fashioned bomb, worth $20,000, can be retrofitted for just a few thousand dollars to autonomously target most of Ukraine’s fixed positions with precision, using a “fire-and-forget” mode, creating a crater 22 yards wide upon impact.
Notably, Russia has tens of thousands of legacy Soviet-era heavy gravity bombs. Russia is rapidly retrofitting these bombs and developing more powerful 3.4-ton bombs and cluster bomb variants.
The production and use scale of Russia’s glide bombs is substantial, with over 100 bombs reportedly used daily, devastating towns and shelters along the entire front line of Ukraine. The power of these bombs is 90 times greater than Russia’s 14-pound shells. Russian pilots can fly as far as they dare, with these bombs able to glide an additional 40 miles in glide mode. In comparison, some of Russia’s latest artillery systems launched from positions behind Russian lines only have a range of 44 miles.
In April alone, over 3,200 Russian glide bombs struck Ukraine, including many residential buildings.
This month, these bombs targeted shelters in the outskirts of Kharkiv, a northeastern city in Ukraine, helping Russian troops advance 20 miles towards this second-largest city in Ukraine. These glide bombs were instrumental in Russia’s capture of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine in February, its only significant victory last year.
Facing Russia’s formidable military onslaught, Ukraine will not choose to sit still but will attempt various methods to strike back.
On May 17, Ukraine launched over a hundred drones and missiles targeting strategic objectives in southwest Russia and Crimea, destroying at least three Russian ground attack aircraft and hitting critical facilities like petroleum, fuel, and power.
While such actions may further provoke President Putin, whatever Ukraine does, this Russian strongman seems to never lack opportunities to provoke. The weakness displayed by the United States and its allies under fire, including their fear of letting Ukraine strike Russian territory, not only encourages Putin’s aggression but also to a large extent emboldens other rogue states like China, North Korea, Iran, and Venezuela.
The stance of the United States and other allies appears to be shifting. On May 15, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “We are not encouraging or facilitating strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine must decide how to conduct this war.”
On May 3, British Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron stated that Ukraine has the right to strike directly at Russian territory and must decide how to use British weapons, particularly when Russia is attacking inside Ukraine.
The above three ways are considered as the main ways in which Ukraine can more economically and practically defeat this weapon.
First, the least expensive and lowest risk method is to enhance Ukraine’s electronic warfare capabilities, including GPS interference and deception to deflect bombs off target. However, according to Michael Peck, a well-known columnist at the Center for European Policy Analysis based in Washington, “Russia’s electronic warfare capabilities far exceed those of Ukraine and its Western allies.”
The second option is to increase long-range air defense systems, including the Patriot missile system from the U.S. and the SAMP-T system jointly developed by France and Italy, to intercept Russian fighters and bomber aircraft before they release bombs.
Reportedly, in February alone, Patriot systems deployed near the frontline shot down 15 Russian military aircraft. However, in March, Russia destroyed two such systems, leading Ukraine to pull back the remaining systems from the front lines. Ukraine has stated the need for 25 Patriot missile systems to protect itself. Ukraine will begin using 60 upgraded F-16 fighter jets from the 1980s this summer, which will also help Ukraine defeat Russian aircraft.
The third, most risky defense method involves using F-16 fighter jets, Western long-range missiles, and Ukraine’s existing Soviet-era fighter jets to target Russian glide bomb kill chains in occupied Crimea and beyond, including airports, arms depots, and bomb factories. Last year, Ukraine deployed U.S.-made glide bombs – the Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range (JDAM-ER). The U.S. plans to deliver upgraded GPS positioning systems to Ukraine in 2025 to counter Russian interference with the JDAM-ER.
Though Ukraine’s allies, including the U.S., have discouraged it from striking Russian territory and oil facilities out of fear of further inflaming President Putin and worsening global inflation, signs indicate a shifting stance. On May 15, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, “We are not encouraging or facilitating strikes outside of Ukraine, but ultimately Ukraine must decide how to conduct this war.”
On May 3, British Foreign Secretary and former Prime Minister Lord David Cameron stated that Ukraine has the right to strike directly at Russian territory and must decide how to use British weapons, particularly when Russia is attacking inside Ukraine.