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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Evolution of Russian UMPK (Bomb Correction and Guidance Modules) |
| 2023-12-17 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. Text taken from the Telegram channel of infomil_live [ColonelCassad] “Russia is increasing the production of correction and guidance modules for aerial bombs,” this is the headline of a new interesting study by Conflict Armament Research (CAR), dedicated to the UMPC. Western researchers paid special attention to the filling, comparing the two modules they received - one from January 2023 (first image), the second from October 2023 (second image). The first thing they noticed was that it was more the archaic structure of the earlier version of the UMPC, which is not surprising. The guidance unit is a primitive electronic system consisting of a voltage regulator (left), a navigation board (center) and an inertial measurement unit (right). The conclusions reached by analysts from CAR are that UMPC marks a new level of high-precision weapons in the hands of the RF Armed Forces, this a real evolution that significantly increases the effectiveness of front-line aviation on the battlefield.The second thing that caught my eye even when compared with the newer model is a more complex structure, consisting of five main elements, including the inertial measurement module "SMART" and the fairly well-known “Comet” satellite data reception module, which is also installed in the “Geranium”. As stated, "SMART" allows you to throw bombs 35-40 kilometers, after which the wings and satellite guidance come into play; the bomb is planning on the target, which we have repeatedly seen in the footage. At the moment, it is reliably known about the ability of aerial bombs with UMPC to cover at least 60 kilometers in the air.By the way, the first documented case of using UMPC occurred only in March 2023, while in The article states that one "sample" found by the Ukrainian military near Bakhmut in January of this year. This suggests that the Russian army skillfully hid the appearance of new ammunition for almost three months. Also, interestingly, CAR complain about the lack of markings on some boards. Later, researchers will come to the conclusion that this is being done on purpose so that the same curious people would not figure out the supply routes of some components. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #2 Maybe that counts as "skillful hiding" in some Russian sense of the phrase. Ouch. You’ve clearly been sharpening your scalpel again, SteveS. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2023-12-17 20:33 |
| #1 the Russian army skillfully hid the appearance of new ammunition for almost three months. These assemblies are part of a bomb designed to blow up everything within so many meters, so probably not a lot of useful post-event wreckage. Maybe that counts as "skillful hiding" in some Russian sense of the phrase. The guidance unit is a primitive electronic system consisting of... a whole bunch of commercial off-the-shelf components. No need to invent the wheel when you can buy flight controllers, GPS modules and servos in bulk on eBay. And for production, there are lots of little factories in China to do the assembly work. From a biological point of view, bombs are evolving to become smaller and more precise. And more intelligent. Once one weapon system gets the 'gene' for smart guidance, it can easily spread to others. Traditional war-fighting is about to run up against fast, cheap and out of control. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2023-12-17 11:03 |