The Russian Ministry of Defence announced in March that Russia had started mass production of three-tonne FAB-3000 high-explosive aviation bombs.
“[Russian Defense Minister] Sergei Shoigu was informed that the production of FAB-500 aerial bombs has been multiplied at the enterprise, the production of FAB-1500 has been doubled, and since this February this year, mass production of FAB-3000 has been organized,” the ministry said in a statement.
FAB is a Russian acronym for “High-Explosive Aviation Bomb”
The announcement attracted a lot of skepticism, even derision.; not just from Ukrainian military bloggers but also from Russian.
It was clear that the FAB-3000 bombs would be used with UMPC (Universal Module for Planning & Correction) glide kits.
It was believed that the inertia of the heavy bomb and the high speed before impact would not allow the UMPC kit to steer the bomb accurately onto the target.
Russia’s FighterBomber TC, for example, pointed out that the relative inaccuracy of the FAB-3000 UMPC would negate the higher destructive power of its warhead. “A single FAB-3000 falling 20 m from the bridge will cause the same damage as a FAB-500.”
Videos of the initial strikes by RuAF using the FAB-3000 with UMPC appeared to corroborate some of the fears of the Russian bloggers. At least two videos posted online showed the bomb missed the target by small but significant margins.
Videos of FAB-1500 and lighter FAB bombs fitted with UMPC kits had not revealed such inaccuracies. Lately, online videos of FAB-3000 strikes have shown improved accuracy. Also, the number of videos being posted suggests widespread use of the bomb.
On July 8, the Military Informant Telegram Channel reported that Russian specialists had corrected the problems that surfaced following the operational deployment of the FAB-3000 UMPC aerial bombs.
Russian engineers have new UMPC kits for the FAB-3000, featuring larger rudders and more powerful actuators for control surfaces.
MoD released a video of the FAB-3000 with a UMPC kit mounted on a pylon under the fuselage of a Su-34. The video, which was highly likely captured by a chase aircraft, showed the FAB-300 UMPC being released from the aircraft at high altitude. Following the release, the bomb rolled over and deployed its wing and other aerodynamic surfaces. It was then seen flying in a rock-steady glide.
