The RuMoD extensively captured in a video the bomb’s loading, carriage, release, flight and final target engagement in explicit detail.
Almost a month after it released footage of the massive 2,993 kg FAB-3000 bomb strapped with the UMPK (Universal Module for Planning and Correction) glide kit striking a land target in Kharkiv, Russia now officially published a video of the bomb and its launching Su-34 aircraft in action. The RuMoD (Russia Ministry of Defense) extensively captured in a video the bomb’s loading, carriage, release, flight and final target engagement in explicit detail.
The UMPK it applied to the FAB-3000 represents an evolution of Russian air launched munitions employed on Ukrainian land targets, which began with the kit being applied to the FAB-500 last year and later to the FAB-1500. The Soviet-era FAB-3000, whose production restarted earlier this year, was designed only for bombers and the Tu-22M3 was the only one currently in service which could employ it, until the Su-34 video emerged.
On a different note, the Su-34 is also seen carrying what appear to be other gliding munitions on hardpoints under the left wing. These resemble the D-30SN glide bombs that appeared in May, which are closer in design and purpose to the US-made GBU-39 SDB (Small Diameter Bomb) employed by UkRAF MiG-29s and Su-27s.
russian killers announced the launch of the super-powerful FAB3000 in Ukraine.
Thanks to Biden and his insane ban on attacking russian airports, they can launch from just behind the front lines.
If this bomb falls on a hospital or supermarket, both favorite targets of russian… pic.twitter.com/1xbyUrVgZr— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) July 14, 2024
RuMoD video and claims
The RuMoD video showed the massive bomb being lifted on a pulley chain, and after being mounted on the centerline forward hardpoint of the Su-34, is checked during the pre-flight inspection by the pilot. Various angles – recorded from other unknown aircraft – show the bomb being released, as well as a part of its ‘gliding’ journey.
The RuMoD statement describing the video said: “A Su-34 fighter-bomber crew struck at a temporary deployment point of the AFU with the FAB-3000 aerial bomb in the area of responsibility of the Sever Group of Forces.” The Sever (Russian for North) Group of Forces, whose existence was first mentioned a few months ago, is known to operate in the Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
“The strike was carried out with the FAB-3000 aerial bomb with a universal planning and the correction module,” added the RuMoD. “After successfully completing the flight mission, the crew returned safely to the departure airfield. According to the results of objective control, the target was hit.”
The overhead footage of the bomb hitting the target appears to be filmed by a UAV, however it is not possible to observe useful details about the nature of the target. The UAV feed shows the explosion occurred as the bomb eventually struck a settlement at the edge of a field.
Similarly to other bombs equipped with the UMPK kit, the FAB-3000 is shown being loaded on the Su-34 with the wing unit at the bottom. Upon release, the video shows the wings deploying before the bomb rotating on the longitudinal axis so the wings are on top.
That video also shows the massive bomb being chased by an aircraft, showing the full guidance kit’s design configuration. The wing module extends to the rear of the bomb, well beyond its tail-end, with a boom holding two fins positioned as a V-tail, possibly for stabilization. The ISW (Institute for the Study of War), quoting Russian reports, said that UMPC-kitted FAB-3000 and FAB-250 to FAB-1500 have ranges of 50-60 km to 60-70 km respectively.
A closer look at the video
Upon a closer inspection, the video shows some discrepancies. During the ground preparation before the flight, the weapon shown is effectively a FAB-3000, later equipped with a UMPK kit after being loaded on the Su-34. However, the video segments of the weapon release appear to show FAB-1500 bombs, as identified by their cropped tail fins, compared to the straight ones of the larger FAB-3000.
The launcher aircraft is also different in each segment, as the Su-34 is shown during the ground segment and the first bomb release with the weapon rails installed under the engines’ nacelles, while these are missing in the video of the second bomb drop. These differences and the FAB-1500s might point to the reuse of older footage by the RuMoD as placeholder for the actual FAB-3000 drop.
Took another, closer look at the video – the first 2 seconds & last 8 seconds certainly show UMPK-equipped FAB-3000 M-54 (see top two stills). Less certain about the footage in-between (see bottom two stills), especially at 0 : 02 – 0 : 07; possibly UMPK-equipped FAB-1500 M-54. https://t.co/CgmCi2X2TR pic.twitter.com/DBNNLjGlDL
— Guy Plopsky (@GuyPlopsky) July 15, 2024
The bomb shown being chased during the gliding phase is again a FAB-3000, as identified by the straight tail fins. However, it is unclear if this specific weapon is the one employed in Ukraine or, again, older footage from a test. In fact, considering the active presence of air defenses in Ukraine which are forcing Russian aircraft to rely on standoff attacks, it is unlikely that a pilot would risk chasing the bomb over hostile territory on its way to the target.
Having said that, it is likely that the RuMoD resorted to use a heavily edited montage of older videos to show the new bomb design in action, as happened in other instances. If we also consider the lower accuracy and range of such a heavy weapon, it is possible that the video was primarily meant to have a psychological effect by showing the destructive power that a 3 tons weapon can cause on Ukrainian targets.
Parth Satam’s career spans a decade and a half between two dailies and two defense publications. He believes war, as a human activity, has causes and results that go far beyond which missile and jet flies the fastest. He therefore loves analyzing military affairs at their intersection with foreign policy, economics, technology, society and history. The body of his work spans the entire breadth from defense aerospace, tactics, military doctrine and theory, personnel issues, West Asian, Eurasian affairs, the energy sector and Space.
