UMPK (
Russian: УМПК; Унифицированный модуль планирования и коррекции, Unified gliding and correction module) is a guidance kit first developed by the Russian
Bazalt Design Bureau for converting
unguidedSoviet bombs into
precision-guided munitions. This kit is an aerial bomb glide range extension kit, similar to the American
Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). The guidance system and gliding function of the UMPK kit can provide ordinary aerial bombs with longer-range and more accurate strike capabilities. They have been widely used by the
Russian Air Force during the
Russian invasion of Ukraine.
History
A guided glide kit for Soviet/Russian bombs was first proposed by
NPO Bazalt in 2003 as a cheap device that can be fitted to bombs to increase range and accuracy. Its prototype was first displayed at the "Aero India 2003" exhibition.[1] The upgrade, back then called MPK, continued being proposed in 2008.[2]
FAB-500 bombs with UMPK kits deploying their wings
At the beginning of January 2023, Russian users on social networks shared a photo of the
FAB-500 M-62 with an attached kit resembling a JDAM. The "artisan" quality of the kit may have indicated it was a prototype.[3][4][5]
At the end of March 2023, the spokesman of the
Ukrainian Air Force,
Yuriy Ignat, reported that the Russian military began to use winged modified aerial bombs with a warhead weighing 500 kg (1,100 lb) more often. Russian planes drop them from a distance of tens of kilometers on targets in the front-line zone without entering the Ukrainian air defense range.[6]
In April 2023, an
Su-34 accidentally dropped a bomb on the Russian city of
Belgorod. Some news outlets quoted Russian milblogger Fighterbomber that the bomb was an UMPK-upgraded one.[7]
The UMPK was first publicly acknowledged by
Russian MoD in May 2023.[8][9]
According to a November 2023 investigation by the British NGO
Conflict Armament Research, the new UMPK has, among other things, a more complex electronic system including SMART navigation controller and Kometa
satellite navigation module.[10]
Description
The UMPK aerial bomb glide kit is designed to convert traditional unguided bombs into guided bombs to provide greater strike accuracy. The maximum attack range depends on the altitude and trajectory of the aircraft before being dropped.[11]
The current manufacturer of the module is not officially named. Perhaps there are several companies producing them, as well as several variants of the module itself.[9]
A unit costs 2 million rubles, according to the Fighterbomber
Telegram channel,[12] which is equivalent to 24,460 USD[13] and is cheap for such a weapon.[12][13] During its invasion of Ukraine, Russia is unlikely to run out of bombs to which it can be fitted, as it has a very large inventory of unguided
aerial bombs.[13] The heavy use of civilian-grade electronics allows kits to be mass produced cheaply but also makes them unreliable compared to western equivalents resulting in bombs falling within Russia but safeguard systems mean detonations are rare.[14]
FAB-500 – the first bomb equipped with UMPK, and the most widely used.
FAB-1500 – used at least as early as September 2023.[16][17][18] The FAB-1500М54 guided bomb was displayed publicly when Russian Defense Minister
Sergey Shoigu visited the
Tactical Missiles Corporation military-industrial complex in the Moscow region in January 2024.[19]
FAB-3000 – On 20 June 2024, Russian milblogger FighterBomber published the alleged first usage of a FAB-3000 with UMPK kit in the village of Liptsy, Kharkiv region.[20]The Kyiv Independent also reported on this claim, although they could not verify its veracity.[21] More purported uses of the bomb in the same region took place in the next days with videos appeared online.[22] The Russian Ministry of Defense officially announced the use of the bomb on 14 July 2024 by publishing a video which showed a
Su-34 tactical bomber launching it.[23]
ODAB-500 – footage in a video published by the Russian Defense Ministry on April 4, 2024, shows a
Su-34 frontline bomber launching four ODAB-500
thermobaric bombs equipped with the UMPK guidance kit.[24]
ODAB-1500 – used at least as early as February 2024.[25]
Forbes magazine stated in August 2023 that the large-scale use of Russian guided bombs greatly hindered the
Ukrainian counteroffensive on the Zaporizhzhia front.[27]