Russia Likely Resumes Use of UMPB-5R Jet-Powered Guided Glide Bombs

Over the final 10 days of July, Russia attacked Pavlohrad, located about 75 kilometers from the front line, three times with guided aerial bombs. The strikes may indicate that Russia has resumed using UMPB-5R bombs equipped with jet engines.

Suspilne Dnipro reported the attacks.

The strikes took place on July 20, 23, and 30. The attacks killed seven people and wounded more than 45 others.

OSINT researcher Clément Molin noted the unusually long-range strikes on X. According to his assessment, the distance from the Russian aircraft’s launch point to the impact sites was about 150 kilometers, indicating an exceptionally long range for these bombs.

This may indicate that Russia has resumed using UMPB-5R guided glide bombs equipped with jet engines. The first cases of their use were recorded in late spring and early summer 2025, but they remained limited in number.

One of the most notable cases occurred on October 18, 2025, when Russian aircraft used a guided aerial bomb to strike the city of Lozova in the Kharkiv region for the first time.

According to the prosecutor’s office, the strike was carried out with a UMPB-5R bomb, equipped with a jet engine, that traveled approximately 130 kilometers.

Fragments of the bomb recovered at the crash site contained remnants of a jet engine similar to the Chinese Swiwin SW800Pro, which is also used in the S8000 Banderol missile. According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), this gives the UMPB-5R a range of up to 200 kilometers.

However, the UMPB-5R is not the only possible type of long-range aerial bomb Russia may have used. In October 2025, it was reported that Russian Su-34 aircraft had received new UMPK-500 unified glide and correction modules for FAB-500T aerial bombs.

The new module features an extended tail section and larger wings, increasing its claimed range to “over 100 kilometers.” Some estimates suggest the range could reach 160 kilometers when launched from an altitude of 12–14 kilometers. This version reportedly became the basis for the UMPB-5R.

In addition, Russian aircraft are equipped with long-range Grom-E1 guided bombs fitted with rocket engines from Kh-38 tactical missiles.

The Grom-E1 has a strike range of 10 to 120 kilometers when launched from altitudes of 500 to 12,000 meters and at carrier aircraft speeds of 140-445 meters per second. It is equipped with a 315-kilogram high-explosive fragmentation warhead.