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The FAB-500 is a
The FAB-500 is a Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
-designed general purpose air-dropped bomb
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the Exothermic process, exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-t ...
with a high-explosive
An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An expl ...
warhead
A warhead is the forward section of a device that contains the explosive agent or toxic (biological, chemical, or nuclear) material that is delivered by a missile, rocket, torpedo, or bomb.
Classification
Types of warheads include:
* Explosiv ...
, primarily used by the Russian Air Force
" Air March"
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, former Soviet republics and customer countries. The original M-54 model was rolled out in 1954, shaped for internal carriage by heavy bombers, a low-drag M-62 version in 1962 was intended for fighter bomber external hardpoint carriage. The bomb is unguided, features a single nose fuze, and is compatible with most models of Soviet aircraft.
Operational history
The FAB-500 was largely employed over Afghanistan by Soviet and allied Afghan forces during the 1980s and saw use during the Syrian civil war where it was carried by both Russian and Syrian warplanes. The M62 variant of the FAB-500 was used by Russian military forces in the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
. On 13 March 2022 and 14 May 2022, FAB-500 bombs were found in Ukrainian cities Chernihiv
Chernihiv ( uk, Черні́гів, , russian: Черни́гов, ; pl, Czernihów, ; la, Czernihovia), is a city and municipality in northern Ukraine, which serves as the administrative center of Chernihiv Oblast and Chernihiv Raion within ...
and Odesa
Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...
.
Operational envelope (FAB-500 M-62)
* Release altitude: * Release speed:Variants
* FAB-500 M-54 (ФАБ-500 М-54) – 1954 model, original high-drag model intended for internal carriage on heavy bombers, featuring a ballistic ring on the nose of the bomb to act as a vortex generator to aid the bomb’s stabilizers. * FAB-500 M-62 (ФАБ-500 М-62) – 1962 model, low-drag model designed for external carriage on hardpoints on fighter-bombers. * FAB-500 M-62T – heat-resistant, capable of withstanding high-temperature aerodynamic heating, arising during flight at high speeds. Developed for the MiG-25RB. * FAB-500 M-62 MPK (ФАБ-500 М-62 с МПК) * FAB-500T (ФАБ-500Т) * FAB-500TA (ФАБ-500ТА) * FAB-500ShN (ФАБ-500ШН) - parachute retarded thin cased bomb * FAB-500ShL (ФАБ-500ШЛ) - parachute retarded high explosive bomb * FAB-500 M46 (ФАБ-500 М46) * FAB-500 M44 (ФАБ-500 М44) * FAB-500 M43 (ФАБ-500 М43) * FAB-500-300 (ФАБ-500-300) - thick cased high explosive * FAB-500TS (ФАБ-500ТС) - thick cased high explosive and fragmentation * FAB-500TSM (ФАБ-500ТСМ) * OFAB-500 (ОФАБ-500) - general purpose high explosive fragmentation bomb (contains 3 x 150 kg submunitions) * OFAB-500U (ОФАБ-500У) - delayed action fragmentation bomb * OFAB-500ShR (ОФАБ-500ШP) - parachute retarded fragmentation bombSee also
*FAB-250
The FAB-250 is a Soviet-designed general purpose air-dropped bomb with a high-explosive warhead, primarily used by the Russian Air Force, former Soviet republics and customer Countries. It is very widespread throughout the Third World and used ...
*Mark 83 bomb
The Mark 83 is part of the Mark 80 series of low-drag general-purpose bombs in United States service.
Development and deployment
The nominal weight of the bomb is 1,000 lb (454 kg), although its actual weight varies between 985 ...
- American counterpart
References
Aerial bombs of Russia Cold War aerial bombs of the Soviet Union Military equipment introduced in the 1950s {{Russia-stub