Glide bombs contain characteristics of classic (gravity) aerial bombs and cruise missiles
Everyone has long known what a cruise missile is, as they are often used in a variety of military conflicts and operations. But what is a winged or glide bomb, and how does it differ from conventional (gravity) aerial bombs? In fact, this weapon is far from new. It was invented in Germany during the Second World War as a weapon to destroy ships. It is difficult to attack a ship with conventional bombs, in order to cause serious damage, a direct hit is required, which, for obvious reasons, is not so easy to achieve. For these purposes, the Germans initially used dive bombers, but the increasing anti-aircraft defense of British ships made their use impossible. As a result, German designers came up with the idea of creating gliding guided bombs, which are considered effective weapons to this day.
History of planning bombs
To destroy ships, German engineers invented radio-controlled winged bombs. Work on the design of this weapon began as early as 1939, and in the fall of 1940 the first tests of the guidance complex passed. At first, the bomb control unit was installed on standard 500-kilogram bombs. Then they began to equip all types of bombs, including the powerful Ruhrstahl SD 1400, which could even penetrate the deck armor of heavy cruisers.
The first aerial bombs were dropped before the aircraft reached the target, with the gunner using spoilers to control the bomb to ensure a direct hit. True, this also turned out to be a difficult task, because the plane overtook the bomb, and the gunner could not see it well. To solve this problem, the pilots began to slow down the aircraft and gain altitude.
German WW2 glide bomb Ruhrstahl SD 1400
Just a few years later, the US Air Force took up the development of a planning bomb. Several models were in use from May 1044. American bombs were attached, in fact, to a small glider, which made it possible to drop them far from the target and thus avoid being hit by anti-aircraft artillery. In this regard, radar homing heads, as well as infrared guidance systems, were installed on the bombs.
What is the advantage of guided aerial bombs
As you can easily guess from the foregoing, planning guided bombs differ in range, that is, they allow you to hit targets at a great distance from the place of discharge, as well as high accuracy. Thanks to this, they allow you to hit enemy targets without flying into the zone of destruction of his air defense systems, be it the S-300 and S-400 or the American Patriot missile defense system.
To control and increase their flight range, they have wings that allow the bombs to glide, and homing heads that come in various types (satellite navigation, infrared or laser guidance, radio command guidance, etc.). Some guided aerial bombs are additionally equipped with small rocket engines. This does not yet make them winged, however, it significantly increases the flight range.
A guided aerial bomb capable of traveling long distances from the point of release
But why do we need planned bombs at all, if there are cruise missiles that can cover much greater distances? It’s all about the combat charge ratio in relation to the total mass of the structure. Air bombs are capable of carrying much more charge with a relatively low mass of the entire structure. In addition, they are cheaper to manufacture than rockets.
Russian glide bomb UPAB-1500
One of the most famous Russian-made high-explosive planning bombs is the UPAB-1500 V, which weighs 1500 kg. It is equipped with inertial and satellite navigation systems. The warhead of the bomb is 1010 kg. The maximum flight range from the drop point, depending on the modification, is from 40 to 70 km. The bomb is dropped at an altitude of 15 km.
Powerful Russian planning bomb UPAB-1500
The bomb was first presented in 2019 at the MAKS-2019 aviation and space show. It is designed to destroy ground and surface strong and extra strong targets. In particular, it is capable of destroying reinforced concrete shelters, command posts, railway bridges, ships and other similar targets.
American glide bomb JDAM
Problems with the accuracy of American bombs, which were identified during the war in Iraq in 1991, became the impetus for the creation of new, more accurate glide bombs. As a result, JDAM appeared in the mid-90s. They are currently manufactured by Boeing, which previously merged with McDonnell Douglas, which made the bombs until 1997.
JDAM, in fact, is not even a bomb, but attachments that are installed on conventional aerial bombs weighing from 220 to 900 kilograms. Wings that are activated after the drop increase the range of the bombs to 72.4 km.
JDAM – American equipment that unguided aerial bombs turn into gliding and high-precision
JDAM has a GPS control system, which allows significant improvements in laser-guided bombs with infrared imaging technology. For the latter, bad weather conditions can be an obstacle. But for satellite guidance, as you know, weather conditions do not matter. According to experts, another important advantage of JDAM is its cheapness. The attachment kit, including the bomb, costs about $30,000.
Переходите по этой ссылке прямо сейчас, чтобы подписаться на наш ЯНДЕКС.ДЗЕН КАНАЛ. Здесь вас ждет масса интересных материалов, подготовленных для вас нашей редакцией.
Finally, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with another type of bombs, which, in fact, do not exist, but theoretically can be used during military conflicts or terrorist attacks. We are talking about a dirty nuclear bomb, which poses a serious threat to humanity.
