Russia Upgrades Air-launched FAB Bombs with Increased Precision, Stealth Features, Longer Range

Russian weapons experts have upgraded guided aerial bombs such as the FAB-250M-62, FAB-500M-54/62, RBC-500 and FAB-1500M54 to achieve higher target precision, reduced radar signature and increased gliding range.

The head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, said this in the context of the comprehensive modernization of universal planning and correction modules (UMPC) during a recent media interview.

Chemazov did not go into the technical features of the design and hardware and software updates of new products. However, Russian weapons experts revealed some details of the new project, based on the well-known design and hardware-software features of the UMPCs used today, the Telegram channel, Russian Weapons reported.

One of the priority stages of modernization may be the design of a new, more advanced airframe with an improved aerodynamic configuration. It may receive more swept tail vertical stabilizers, as well as a load-bearing fuselage and folding wing made of composite materials or coated with modern radio-absorbing materials.

Together with the elimination of obvious welds (visible at the interface between the pyramidal fairing and the UMPC fuselage) and the replacement of large clamps connecting the bomb to the UMPC module, the effective reflective surface of this product should decrease from 0.5 to 0.1 square meters, which will reduce its detection range by enemy air defense radar systems by approximately 1.7 times.

A composite glider with a more advanced aerodynamic design and a lower ballistic braking coefficient will increase the gliding range from 65 - 70 to 95 - 110 km.

The source code of the inertial navigation system will be updated, which will ensure optimization of the flight path both during normal release in horizontal flight at subsonic speed, and from pitching up at low supersonic speed.

The room protection of the antenna of the GLONASS correction module "Kometa" can be increased. Thus, the Su-34 will be able to operate with updated FABs from distant zones of the Patriot PAC-2 GEM-T+ air defense system, which minimizes the risks for the aircraft crews.