Supplied by the French: The Ukrainian army uses new hammer slide bombs

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Looking back on the past year: The Ukrainian counter-offensive is not progressing as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (46) and his then army chief Valeri Zalushni (50) had thought. Not only does the Russians’ well-prepared defense infrastructure cause headaches for the Ukrainians, Putin’s troops are also succeeding in slowing the advance of Ukrainian fighters from the air. A possible Russian key to the failure of the counter-offensive: glide bombs.

“Our air defense is inefficient against the bombs,” the military magazine “Military Watch” quoted Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat (46) as saying at the time. The bombs pose a serious threat.

Ukraine uses ‘smart bombs’ against Putin’s forces

The situation has now changed: Ukraine now also has hover bombs – and has been using them with great pleasure in recent days. The Ukrainian Armed Forces posted a video on social media on Monday showing the use of an AASM Hammer glide bomb, freshly delivered from France, in the Kherson region.

In addition, a video appeared in recent days showing the use of glide bombs in the Russian-captured city of Avdiivka. It apparently shows the impact of an AASM on the city’s former coking plant. The Russian troops raised their flag there after the conquest.

Russian air defense now faces the same fate as the Ukrainians last year. The AASM Hammer glide bombs have a range of up to 70 kilometers. When they hit the target, the projectiles containing 250 to 1,000 kilograms of explosives have a devastating effect. AASM stands for “Armament Air-Sol Modculaire”, which in German means something like “Modular air-to-ground weapon”.

What makes this type of glide bomb special: It can not only be used as a guided glide bomb, but can also be converted into an air-to-surface missile. In their controlled form, the explosives are called so-called ‘smart bombs’. This is because the projectiles can change their trajectory in a targeted manner after firing, which is a major advantage over unguided ammunition.

That’s how expensive an AASM hammer slide bomb is

A glide bomb costs about 240,000 francs. The delivery of the guided bombs from Paris has not yet been officially confirmed, although reports appeared in Ukrainian media in late January that the French were preparing to deliver hundreds of bombs.

The French glide bombs differ from those of American or Russian design. They have their own engine and do not need a wing system to reach their destination. This means they can also be fired from low altitudes. The risk for fighter jets of being detected by enemy air defenses decreases as they fly lower.

Source: Blick