Click to see full-size image. (https://t.me/fighter_bomber)
Russia has developed a precision-guided small diameter gliding munition that is very similar to the United States GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB).
Photos showing the wreckage of the new Russian munition in the special military operation zone in Ukraine were first posted to social media on March 8. And on March 9, the Russian Fighterbomber channel on Telegram shared an additional photo of the munition and identified it as the UMPB D-30SN.
The UMPB, translated from Russian УМПБ [Универсальный Межвидовой Планирующий Боеприпас], stands for “Universal Interspecific Glide Munition”.
D-30SN has a diameter of 300 mm and is armed with a warhead weighing some 100 kg. It is guided by a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system. Fighterbomber said that the munition was designed to be dropped from warplanes or launched from the ground with the assistance of a rocket motor from the Tornado-S 300 mm multiple launch system.
Photos of the D-30SN wreckage found in Ukraine show that it is indeed equipped with lugs typically used for loading onto warplanes.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
At the same time, the munition’s head is equipped with the same data port used on the 9М542, the precision-guided rocket of the Tornado-S. This confirms that the munition was also designed to be launched by the system from the ground.
Click to see full-size image. Via X.
The exact range of the D-30SN was not revealed by Fighterbomber or any other source. However, taking into account the characteristics of the munition, it is safe to assume that it has a range of well over 100 kilometers when launched from air or the ground.
Fighterbomber said that the tests of the new munition were going successfully. This means that the system is yet to officially enter service with the Russian military.
Earlier this year, Ukraine received the ground-launched version of the American-made SDB. However, its forces are yet to use it on a mass scale.
Small diameter gliding munitions have a small radar cross-section and minimal infrared print, which makes them extremely difficult to detect and intercept.
The D-30SN will be a lethal addition to the arsenal of the Russian military, as it will allow it to strike well-protected targets way behind the frontline with pinpoint accuracy. The ground-launched version will also provide a quick reaction time, which is essential in operations involving the suppression of enemy artillery and air defenses.
The fast development of the munition also demonstrates the capabilities of the Russian military industrial complex, which is clearly winning the arms race with its rivals in the West kicked off by the conflict in Ukraine.
