- Ukraine approves indigenous turbojet-powered guided bombs for frontline combat operations
- Domestic guided bombs now hit military targets at a distance of up to 200 kilometers.
- Seven Ukrainian manufacturers now building guided bomb conversion systems in the country
Ukraine has officially approved several domestically-made guided aerial bombs for combat use, including turbojet-powered versions capable of striking targets up to 200 kilometers (125 miles) away.
Brig. General Andrii Lebedenko, deputy commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that several of these designs have already been used on the battlefield, while others remain in the testing phase.
“We already have systems that use more than just gliding. Now they have turbojet engines to increase their range to between 100 and 200 kilometers,” said Lebedenko.
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Ukraine expands range of indigenous guided bombs
The program began in 2024 as an effort to convert older unguided aerial bombs into precision-guided weapons after Ukraine lacked domestic manufacturers capable of producing such systems.
Ukrainian officials now say the country has seven manufacturers producing guided bomb systems, compared to none when the initiative was first introduced.
“This task was set for 2024. We did not have such manufacturers in the country. Now there are already seven. They already know how to do it,” Lebedenko said.
He also confirmed that Ukraine already operates aircraft capable of delivering domestically produced weapons, while expanding manufacturing capacity has become the next priority for the defense industry.
According to Ukrainian officials, the program has also created a growing community of engineers capable of designing glide kits and propulsion systems for increasingly sophisticated aerial munitions.
“In addition, a school of specialists and engineers has emerged who know how to create gliding systems. They know how to make them with engines,” Lebedenko said.
Some of the latest variants are no longer limited to gliding after launch because turbojet engines continue to propel bombs toward military targets at greater distances.
Indigenous pump designs go beyond conversion kits
In addition to upgrading older munitions, Ukraine has also developed fully indigenous guided aerial bombs, expanding its national precision strike capability.
Ukraine’s Brave1 defense innovation platform announced the country’s first indigenous guided aerial bomb after approximately 17 months of development.
The weapon carries a 250-kilogram warhead designed to attack fortified positions, command centers and other military targets located dozens of kilometers away.
The developers have described the weapon as a completely original Ukrainian design and not an adaptation of an existing foreign guided bomb.
Ukrainian military officials have also indicated that improving the precision of strikes remains more important than producing a greater number of guided bombs for operational use.
“We are looking for precision to be able to effectively destroy enemy command posts, drone control centers, infrastructure and other targets,” Lebedenko said.
Ukraine has also revealed greater manufacturing capacity, greater engineering expertise and greater operational range for its guided bomb program.
However, independent verification of battlefield performance remains limited because operational details surrounding combat employment have not been made public.
Via United24Media
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