The Russian Su-34 fighter-bomber used a heavy gliding aerial bomb FAB-1500M-54 with a UMPK module, turning the one-and-a-half-ton munition into a high-precision weapon with an increased range of application. The new complex has become one of the most powerful aerial strike assets in the Russian arsenal. This was reported by MWM.
The Su-34, designed as a specialized aircraft for striking ground targets, gained the ability to use a modernized aerial bomb weighing about 1.5 tons. Thanks to the installation of folding wings and a satellite correction system, a conventional free-fall bomb has been transformed into a gliding munition capable of hitting targets at a significant distance from the drop point.
The FAB-1500M-54 is one of the heaviest Russian munitions adapted for the universal planning and correction module. Its mass is about 1500 kg, with most of it being a powerful high-explosive warhead. After being dropped from the aircraft, an aerodynamic module unfolds, which increases the flight range and allows for trajectory correction.
The main carrier of this system is the Su-34 – a two-seat supersonic fighter-bomber with a reinforced airframe design and high payload capacity.
The appearance of the FAB-1500M-54 with UMPK marked the next stage in the development of Russian gliding munitions. Previously, similar complexes were mainly created based on lighter aerial bombs, but the transition to the one-and-a-half-ton class significantly increased the power of a single strike.