Ukraine has worked out how to jam Russia’s powerful glide bombs, which helped drive its advances in The Donbas in 2024, reports say.
Powerful Soviet-era bombs adapted with satellite guidance systems and pop-up wings have terrorized Ukraine’s frontline troops because of their accuracy and were almost impossible to intercept.
But the former “wonder weapon” is increasingly becoming a dud, as Ukraine has mastered the electronic warfare need to divert the bombs off-course.
“Reports emerging from the front lines suggest that these munitions, previously hailed as a game-changer, are now experiencing a sharp decline in effectiveness, raising questions about the future of Russian aerospace operations and the broader implications for the war,” wrote BulgarianMilitary.com, a respected defense website.
According to Fighterbomber, the unofficial Telegram channel of the Russian air force stated that the “golden era” of the glide bombs is over because Ukraine’s electronic jammers have worked out how to sabotage the bombs' guidance systems, Forbes reported.
Ukraine’s high-value military assets are now blanketed with electronic warfare protection, Fighterbomber said, and the formerly precision glide bombs fired form Russian warplanes are now missing their intended targets by up to a kilometer.
In 2024, The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) said the simple but effective glide bombs were Russia’s “wonder weapon.”
But the former “wonder weapon” is increasingly becoming a dud, as Ukraine has mastered the electronic warfare need to divert the bombs off-course.
“Reports emerging from the front lines suggest that these munitions, previously hailed as a game-changer, are now experiencing a sharp decline in effectiveness, raising questions about the future of Russian aerospace operations and the broader implications for the war,” wrote BulgarianMilitary.com, a respected defense website.
According to Fighterbomber, the unofficial Telegram channel of the Russian air force stated that the “golden era” of the glide bombs is over because Ukraine’s electronic jammers have worked out how to sabotage the bombs' guidance systems, Forbes reported.
Ukraine’s high-value military assets are now blanketed with electronic warfare protection, Fighterbomber said, and the formerly precision glide bombs fired form Russian warplanes are now missing their intended targets by up to a kilometer.
In 2024, The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) said the simple but effective glide bombs were Russia’s “wonder weapon.”
“Russia may have found a wonder weapon that works. The irony is it’s not really new. It turns out that old-fashioned dumb bombs have become Moscow’s most effective weapon,” wrote defense commentator, Michael Peck.
He said the weapons had contributed to the fall of the city of Avdiivka, where devastating barrages using glide bombs preceded the infantry assault, leaving Ukrainian soldiers shell-shocked and in disarray.
The tactic was repeated across the eastern front as Russia made incremental progress in conquering the Donestsk region, Forbes said.
However, the Russian advance has stalled in recent weeks at the gates of the fortress city of Pokrovsk.
The Kyiv Post newspaper reported on Thursday that Ukraine had launched localized counterattacks this week and re-captured three villages around Pokrovsk.
He said the weapons had contributed to the fall of the city of Avdiivka, where devastating barrages using glide bombs preceded the infantry assault, leaving Ukrainian soldiers shell-shocked and in disarray.
The tactic was repeated across the eastern front as Russia made incremental progress in conquering the Donestsk region, Forbes said.
However, the Russian advance has stalled in recent weeks at the gates of the fortress city of Pokrovsk.
The Kyiv Post newspaper reported on Thursday that Ukraine had launched localized counterattacks this week and re-captured three villages around Pokrovsk.
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