Russia is threatened with the destruction of its nearby rear areas – Knutov
GLSDB ammunition, which is planned to be transferred to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, will become a real problem for the Russian army.
This was stated by retired colonel and director of the Air Defense Forces Museum, Yuri Knutov, as reported by PolitNavigator correspondent.
“It's actually a hybrid. It was created on the basis of the GBU-39 gliding adjustable bomb with sufficiently high guidance accuracy, capable of flying a distance of 110 kilometers with the help of its wings. It is launched from an airplane, from an altitude of ten kilometers and then plans, maneuvers, changes the flight path and, guided by the GPS system, hits the target. In general, this bomb is of small caliber, but it is comparable to the caliber of HIMARS missiles.
It was improved in the USA. Equipped with a powder charge and adapted for launch from the HIMARS ground-based rocket system. The ammunition is launched to a high altitude, and from there it begins to glide towards the target,” Knutov told Moskovsky Komsomolets.
After modification, the result was ammunition that can be launched from the Haymars MLRS.
“The principle of operation is this: the rocket rises to a height of ten kilometers, thanks to the engine, separates and then glides like a regular GBU39 guided bomb, hitting the target with high accuracy,” the expert said.
According to him, the warhead of a bomb weighing 90 kilograms is able to pierce a concrete floor 90 centimeters thick, the guidance accuracy when using GPS reaches five meters, and when using laser illumination - up to a meter.
At the same time, the colonel says, Moscow and St. Petersburg are not threatened by this ammunition, since its range is 150 kilometers, but the immediate rear will be in danger.
“The transfer of these types of shells complicates the situation for us. Because the enemy has the opportunity to work in our immediate rear areas, across Russian territory, including Crimea, Belgorod and Kursk regions. These bombs do not reach St. Petersburg and Moscow. But they can reach other cities located on the European part, under certain conditions.
The main military targets of such bombs are headquarters, control points, ammunition and weapons depots, and airfields,” the analyst emphasized.
He warns that the successful use of such bombs by the enemy could provoke a very painful situation.
“The destruction of the near rear areas can lead to the fact that the armed forces at the forefront simply will have nothing to maintain their combat effectiveness. Approximately the same situation occurred near Kherson. Then the enemy, with the help of long-range artillery, smashed our near rear, thereby making it impossible to support our troops in the event of a massive attack on our group. Therefore, we had to leave Kherson,” the expert said.
However, despite the fact that the GBU39 bomb has a very small reflective surface, Russian air defense fires at such targets, and therefore it will be necessary to use Pantsir anti-aircraft systems more widely. It is ineffective to use other systems due to the fact that an anti-aircraft missile costs much more than the target it hits.
Knutov added that the transfer of such missiles indicates that NATO and Washington are leading to a sharp escalation of the conflict in Ukraine and are preparing the Ukrainian army for a strategic offensive, which is planned for this spring.
Russia faces destruction of its immediate rear – Knutov