Soviet Union and Russian Federation developed a range of aerial bombs for use on its aircraft.
Naming The name of the bomb consists of the type of bomb (FAB-250M-46), its caliber in kilograms (FAB-250M-46), model by year of adoption (FAB-250M-46 - model 1946) and additionally (not always) an indication of its mass - if it differs significantly from the caliber (OFAB-250-270, FAB-1500-2600TS) and/or the design feature of the bomb or its production technology (FAB-500T - heat-resistant (термостойкая; termostoykaya), FAB-1500-2600TS - thick-walled (толстостенная; tolstostennaya), FAB-100sch - steel cast iron (сталистый чугун; stalistyy chugun), FAB-1000sl - steel casting (стальное литьё; stal'noye lit'yo), or for commercial purposes (KAB-500S-E - export).
Bomb types "AB" (АБ) in FAB stands for "aerial bomb" (авиационная бомба)
Main purpose
FAB (ФАБ) - high explosive OFAB (ОФАБ) - high-explosive fragmentation OFZAB (ОФЗАБ) - high-explosive fragmentation incendiary OAB, AO, ShOAB (ОАБ, АО, ШОАБ) - fragmentation ZAB/ZARP (ЗАБ/ЗАРП) - incendiary ZB (ЗБ) - incendiary tank ODAB (ОДАБ) - volumetric detonating FAB-TS (TS - thick-walled), KAB-Pr (Pr - Penetrating) (ФАБ-ТС, КАБ-Пр) - penetrating high-explosive BetAB (also - BETAB) (БетАБ) - concrete-breaking BrAB (also BRAB) (БрАБ) - armor-piercing PTAB (ПТАБ) - anti-tank PLAB/MPLAB/GB (ПЛАБ/МПЛАБ/ГБ) - naval anti-submarine aircraft bomb / depth bomb KhAB/KhB (ХАБ/ХБ) - chemical AK (АК) (round [glass] ampoule)/AZH (АЖ) (tin ampoule) - chemical ampoule (also filled with self-igniting incendiary liquid KS) KrAB-yad (КрАБ-яд) (poison) (also - CRAB-yad (КРАБ-яд)) - a smoking aerial bomb of toxic smoke AOKh (АОХ) - chemical-fragmentation KAB (КАБ) - guided bomb (KAB-Kr - television [homing head/seeker], KAB-LG - laser head [semi-active laser seeker], KAB-S - inertial seeker with satellite correction) RBK (РБК) - disposable bomb cluster (cluster bomb) RBS (РБС) - one-time bomb bundle
Auxiliary and special
SAB (САБ) - luminous (lighting) DAB (ДАБ) - smoke IAB (ИАБ) - simulation ASK (АСК) - aviation rescue cassette MGAB (МГАБ) - marine hydroacoustic (explosive sound source - VIZ) ASP (АСП) - aviation fire extinguishing agent AgitAB (АгитАБ) (also AGITAB) - agitation P, PAB (П, ПАБ) - practical M (М) - target UPLAB (УПЛАБ) - anti-submarine training FotAB (ФотАБ) (also FOTAB) - photographic NOSAB (НОСАБ) - night orientation signal DOSAB (ДОСАБ) - daytime reference signal OMAB-D (ОМАБ-Д) - sea-orientation (daytime) OMAB-N (ОМАБ-Н) - sea-orientation (night)
Models and types
High explosive High-explosive aerial bombs (FAB) are aerial bombs whose main destructive effect is the effect of an explosion. They have the most powerful and versatile lethal effect among main-purpose aerial bombs. The mass of the explosive in the bomb is approximately 50% of its weight, and the bomb also has a relatively strong body for penetration into the ground or into obstacles such as the floors of buildings and structures.
Main destructive forces:
Gaseous explosion products with high overpressure Shock waves in air or soil and seismic waves Fragments from crushing the bomb body.
Primary targets:
Logistics and communications facilities Military-industrial and energy facilities Combat vehicles Living force.
Modern general-purpose FABs weigh 250 kg or more. They can have several forms:
Blunt nosed (Тупоконечная) - designed for the most efficient placement inside the fuselage. Dropped at near- and subsonic speeds and altitudes of up to 15–16 km. High elongation (Большого удлинения) - they have a streamlined head section, designed mainly for aircraft with external suspension, including supersonic ones. They have less drag and are more stable. Thick-walled (TS index) - Designed for deployment against particularly strong targets (reinforced concrete weapons depots, equipment parking lots, runways, dams). Such bombs are distinguished by a more massive and durable head part, a thicker body, and the absence of a head point for the fuse and a fuse cup. +High explosiveAbbreviationImageDiameter (mm)Length (mm)Bomb mass (kg)Explosive mass (kg)NotesФАБ-50ЦК2199366025Solid forgedФАБ-10026796410070 (together with warhead)ФАБ-250285158925099ФАБ-250-М54325179526897ФАБ-250-М623001924227100ФАБ-250ТС300150025661,4 Thick-walled, Armor penetration 1 mФАБ-250ШЛ3251965266137Assault, surface explosionФАБ-5003922142500213ФАБ-500Т4002425477191 Heat resistantФАБ-500-M544501790528201ФАБ-500-M624002425500200ФАБ-500ШН4502190513221 Assault, Low-altitude ФАБ-500ШЛ4502220515221 Assault, surface explosionФАБ-1000 - - - -ФАБ-1500580300014001200 (with warhead)ФАБ-1500Т - -1488870Оружие и технологии России. Энциклопедия XXI век. Том 10 — «Авиационное вооружение и авионика» Heat resistantФАБ-1500-2500ТС - -2151436 Thick-walled, armor penetration 2500 mmФАБ-1500-М54 - -1550675,6ФАБ-2000 - - - -ФАБ-3000 - -30671387ФАБ-3000-М46 - -30001400ФАБ-3000-М54 - -30671200ФАБ-5000642310749002207ФАБ-5000-М54 - -52472210,6ФАБ-9000-М541200505094074297
High-explosive fragmentation
OFAB - a high-explosive fragmentation bomb is a regular high-explosive bomb, but with a lower explosive filling of about 30-35%, and special means of organized crushing of the body, such as a sawtooth inner side of the body or a system of longitudinal and transverse grooves (although on outdated models they might not have been installed).
Primary targets:
Military-industrial facilities Living force. Combat vehicles
+High-explosive fragmentationAbbreviationImageDiameter (mm)Length (mm)Bomb mass (kg)Explosive mass (kg)NotesОФАБ-100-120273130013342ОФАБ-250Т300205023992 Heat resistantОФАБ-250ШЛ325199126692 Assault, surface explosionОФАБ-250-270325145626697ОФАБ-250ШН325196626893 Assault, Low-altitudeОФАБ-500У4002300515159 UniversalОФАБ-500ШР4502500509125 Assault, with multiple warheads
Concrete-piercing and anti-submarine BetAB - a concrete-piercing aerial bomb. Designed for effective destruction of reinforced concrete shelters and runways. Structurally, they are divided into two types:
Free fall - designed for bombing from high altitudes. Structurally close to thick-walled high-explosive bombs. With a parachute and a jet accelerator - designed for bombing from any (including low) altitudes. Due to the parachute, the bomb tilts to 60°, the parachute is unfastened and the rocket accelerator is turned on.
PLAB - anti-submarine bomb. Designed to destroy submarines. May have different designs. Large-caliber bombs usually have a non-contact (hydroacoustic, barometric, remote, or more often combined) fuse, and hit the target with a high-explosive effect (hydrodynamic shock) at a distance. A low-power nuclear charge is well suited for them (as an example, the domestic PLAB 5F48 “Skalp”).
Small-caliber bombs are usually used as part of cassettes and have a contact fuse and a shaped charge bomb design. Concrete-piercing and anti-submarineAbbreviationImageDiameter (mm)Length (mm)Bomb mass (kg)Explosive mass (kg)NotesБетАБ-500350220047776БетАБ-500ШП325250038077 Assault, with jet acceleratorБетАБ-500У450248051045ПЛАБ-250-120240150012361
Incendiary and volume-detonating
ZAB - incendiary aerial bomb. Designed to destroy manpower and military equipment with fire. The mass of incendiary bombs does not exceed 500 kg. Structurally, incendiary bombs are divided into 2 types:
With pyrotechnic incendiary composition - used in all bombs less than 100 kg, and in some with a caliber of more than 100. The pyrotechnic composition is usually thermite with a binder. The body usually consists of combustible metal "electron" (an alloy of aluminum and magnesium). With a viscous fire mixture - used for bombs with a caliber of 100 to 500 kg. A fire mixture is organic flammable substances thickened to a viscous state with special substances (rubber, liquid glass, polystyrene). The fire mixture in a thickened state is dispersed during an explosion into large pieces, which burn for several minutes at a temperature of about 1000 °C. The design of the bomb also includes a cartridge with phosphorus and a small explosive charge; after detonation, the phosphorus spontaneously ignites in air and ignites the fire mixture. FZAB - high-explosive incendiary bomb. They are a combination of FAB and ZAB in one body. When a bomb is detonated, the incendiary part detonates first, and then the high-explosive part. ZB - incendiary tank. They are ZAB in a thin-walled casing without a stabilizer and without an explosive charge. Scattering and crushing is carried out by means of a hydraulic shock that occurs when it hits an obstacle. They can only be used effectively from low altitudes.
ODAB - volume detonating bomb. Provides greater effect against manpower and vulnerable equipment (including in open shelters) than FAB. When encountering an obstacle, the dispersing charge is activated, the body is destroyed, the fuel splits and scatters. The fuel evaporates and, mixing with air, forms a cloud of air-fuel mixture. After the time required for the formation of a cloud of sufficient size, the secondary detonating explosive charge ignites the air-fuel mixture. Incendiary and volume-detonatingAbbreviationImageDiameter (mm)Length (mm)Bomb mass (kg)Explosive mass (kg)NotesЗАБ-100-1052731065106,928,5ЗАБ-250-200325150020260ЗБ-500ШМ5002500317260ЗБ-500ГД5002500270-340 (depending on the type of fire mixture)218-290ФЗАБ-500М400250050086+49 (Explosive+fire mixture)ОФЗАБ-5004502500500250ОДАБ-500ПМ5002280520193АВБПМ -7100 (44,000 kg TNT equivalent)
Cluster
RBK - disposable bomb clusters. They are thin-walled aerial bombs, designed for the use of small-caliber aerial bombs (up to 20 kg). The name consists of an abbreviation and type of equipment. Some RBKs are equipped with a removable fairing, which allows the RBC to be effectively installed on aircraft with both an external sling and an internal weapons bay. Based on the method of dispersing combat elements, RBKs are divided into two types:
obturator type - have in their design a rigidly fixed obturator disk, which, after the remote fuse is triggered and the expelling charge is ignited by it under the action of powder gases, is separated from the glass and moves inside the bomb body along with the central pipe around which small aerial bombs are placed. The tail cone is separated, and the combat elements extend beyond the cassette. with a central ignition-explosive charge - the bomb design has a central perforated pipe with a charge and a side weakened section covered by a strip. When the fuse is triggered, the charge is initiated. The resulting gases destroy the cross-section of the bomb body and scatter aerial bombs, thereby achieving a large area of scattering of aerial bombs.
KMGU - Unified Container for Small-sized Load. Designed for transportation and release of BKF (container front-line units) with submunitions. During combat use, the KMGU itself is located on the aircraft’s weapons suspension unit and is not dropped (although in an emergency it can be forcibly dropped). Structurally, the KMGU is a streamlined body with controlled flaps, compartments for suspending the BKF and automation that allows you to adjust the block release interval.
Cluster bomb submunitions Relatively small caliber bombs are used as submunitions (bomblets) of cluster bombs. Due to the specifics of their use, in addition to the types of bombs described above, there are also specialized bombs, currently used mainly only in cluster bombs and KMGU.