Paveway laser guided bomb (Photo: BI).
Kiev will receive Paveway IV air-guided bombs that will “allow Ukraine to strike back” at Russia after Moscow’s smart glide bombs destroyed a series of Kiev targets.
Paveway IV is part of a package of 1,600 ammunition that Britain pledged to aid Ukraine earlier this week. It is unclear how many precision-guided bombs will be delivered to Ukraine or when they will arrive.
The British government earlier this week pledged its largest ever military aid to Ukraine worth $622 million. The package includes combat vehicles, attack and air defense missiles and ammunition.
Paveway IV is essentially a device to convert unguided bombs into precision guided weapons. Thanks to this device, bombs can use laser or satellite guidance systems to find their way to the target.
In Ukraine’s arsenal there are also JDAM bombs donated by the US. The operating mechanism of JDAM is similar to Paveway IV. In addition, Russia also has its own version called UMPK, which can be integrated into regular bombs to turn into smart glide bombs.
In recent times, Russia has converted a huge stockpile of conventional bombs from the former Soviet Union into smart guided bombs, causing heavy destruction to the Ukrainian defense line. Many Ukrainian soldiers admit that Russian bombs containing from a few hundred kilograms to more than 1 ton of explosives are the most terrifying weapons on the front lines.
Military expert David Hambling told Newsweek: “Paveway IV will allow Ukraine to strike back” against Russian forces and target high-value targets such as Moscow’s command center and air defense systems.
“Effective air defense systems on both sides have significantly reduced the impact of tactical air power,” Hambling said. This is why aircraft need longer-range weapons like the Paveway IV to be able to attack from outside the danger zone”.
Meanwhile, expert Sergej Sulenny, founder of the Center for European Resilience Initiatives (Germany), said that although these Paveway IVs are “quite old”, they are “highly accurate” weapons and are technologically advanced. Technology is “very” reliable.
“This is a good weapon against soft (not fortified) targets,” he said. That means air defense systems, radars, weapons depots, depots and communications centers will be main target”.
Such devices make sense, he said, because they can compete with Russian glide bombs.
Paveway IV bombs are dropped from aircraft and weigh more than 220kg. According to the Royal Air Force, they have a laser guidance system, meaning they can operate even in bad weather or through enemy smoke screens.
On the other hand, expert James Black at RAND Europe also warned that Ukraine has a much smaller air force than Russia, so it is difficult for them to apply the same tactics as Moscow, which is to mobilize large numbers of aircraft to bomb massively.
Ukraine still faces the risk of planes being shot down, so they may be careful with Paveway IV. Therefore, expert Black believes that this type of bomb may not be the weapon that decides the outcome of the battlefield.
