AASM bomb destroys a building with a Russian drone crew in the Zaporizhzhia region
3 November, 2024 Ruins of the building. Photo credits: Soniashnyk Telegram channel. Ukrainian Air Force aircraft destroyed the position of the Russian crew of unmanned aerial vehicles with an AASM bomb.
The Soniashnyk (Sunflower -Ed.) Telegram channel published the video of the incident. It is reported that the location of the enemy's manpower was located in one of the buildings in Nesterianka, Zaporizhzhia region. The channel details that a MiG-29 fighter jet of the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade of the Air Command Center performed the bombing.
Later, during the broadcast of Army TV, it was stated that a French AASM bomb had hit the Russian position. The footage shows a high-precision munition piercing the roof of the building and a powerful explosion, completely destroying it along with the Russian soldiers.
The moment of detonation of the bomb.Photo credits: Soniashnyk Telegram channel.
The use of air-to-surface munitions
Ukrainian aviation is increasingly conducting precision bombing strikes with European and American-made weapons. On September 25, it was reported that rocket artillery and aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine targeted the enemy's command post in the Zaporizhzhia region. The relatively small volume of explosions during the air strike suggests that the Ukrainian Air Force may have used GBU-39 bombs.
Ukrainian MiG-29 with AASM 250 HAMMER bomb.Photo credits: Tysk
The Air Force is also actively working in the Kursk region. Previously, Ukrainian aviation struck at the location of the Russian military in the village of Krasnooktyabrskoye in the Kursk region.
AASM
The AASM is an upgrade kit for already existing unguided bombs like the American JDAMs that are already used by Ukrainian tactical aviation. The kit consists of a front part with a guidance system and flaps and a rear one with an accelerator designed to increase the range.
AASM-250 Hammer suspended under the wing of a MiG-29 fighter of the Ukrainian Air Force.2024, Ukraine. Photo credits: The War Zone
France has two types of bomb kits in service: Hammer-250 for Mk.82 bombs weighing 227 kg and Hammer-1000 for 908-kilogram Mk.84. The nose of the AASM upgrade kit can be equipped with three guidance systems: inertial with GPS correction, inertial with thermal imaging seeker, or similar with a laser beam guidance system.
According to the developer, the first type of system has a hit accuracy of 10 meters, and the last two only 1 meter.