Russia unveils Su-34 with four jet-capable UMPK glide bombs

Russia unveils Su-34 with four jet-capable UMPK glide bombs

Mounted on the FAB-500T bomb, the new UMPK kit features an elongated body with improved aerodynamics and space for a small turbojet motor.

Russia’s Su-34 Fullback fighter-bombers are now flying with four bombs equipped with improved (UMPB/UMPK) glide bomb kits. The new kit has an elongated body capable of carrying a small jet motor.

The first official footage from the Russian Ministry of Defense, released on July 15 and July 24, 2026, shows a Su-34 dropping a bomb.

The kit bolts on to FAB-500T unguided ammunition. You can see the Cyrillic/Russian language stenciled on the body of the bomb. The entire system is identified by Russian ‘soldier bloggers’ and military analysts as UMPB-5/UMPK-5R or UMPB-PD.

The new bomb first appeared as a nearly intact unexploded ordnance in Poltava Oblast, northeastern Ukraine, in October 2025. At least some of the wreckage photos from the time appeared to show the remains of a turbojet.

A close-up of the engine revealed that it was a commercial SW800Pro-Y manufactured by Chinese company Swiwin. An image of the same wreckage is marked with the words UMPK-5R.

Russian Ministry of Defense video

The latest footage did not clearly capture the rear end of the bomb to confirm the presence of the engine exhaust. This would have helped determine whether the weapon was powered or not.

The two fighting in the video took place under the jurisdiction of Russia’s Zapad Corps, which covers the Kharkiv and Lugansk regions of northeastern Ukraine. Both releases see the Russian Ministry of Defense officially identify the Su-34 and UMPB/UMPK glide bombs (although they have been doing this for some time), but do not specify whether they are jet-powered.

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Screenshot from a July 15 video showing a FAB-500T equipped with four UMPK-5R/UPMK-PD kits during takeoff by a Su-34. (Image source: Russian Ministry of Defense)

In an engagement on July 15, Su-34s attacked “manpower and temporary deployment points of the Ukrainian Armed Forces” with “aerial bombs with universal glide and modification modules” after receiving “target coordinates from reconnaissance.” This targeting data can be obtained by teams such as ground-based Joint Terminal Attack Controllers (JTACs) using a combination of simple tactical battlefield surveillance drones and handheld optics.

In a July 24 announcement, the Russian Defense Ministry said the Su-34 “multipurpose supersonic fighter-bomber” had destroyed a “military stronghold” and “command post” in Ukraine. Both videos showed all four bombs being dropped, but no ground targets were shown to be hit.

Other videos this month showing the use of FAB-250, 500, 1500 and 3000 bombs with UMPBs capture overhead drone “objective control” footage of various ground targets being hit, rather than bombs being dropped. In other words, there is almost no video that captures both the release of the UMPB-equipped glide bomb and the destruction of the target.

The Su-34 can also be seen in official and unofficial footage flying a mix of glide bomb outfits. A July 13 RuMoD video shows a Su-34 taking off with four short UMPK kits.

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Screenshot from a July 13, 2026 video showing a Su-34 taking off with four short UMPK kit bombs. (Image source: Russian Ministry of Defense)

An image from July 17 on the ‘AviamiR’ TG channel shows a Su-34 with a mix of FAB-250-270 bombs with a shortened UMPK kit and a more sophisticated UMPK D-30SN (equivalent to the Russian GBU-39 SDB).

different image Showcased a larger D-30SN loadout than last year.

In other words, the Su-34 seen in the July 15 and July 24 videos appears to be a Su-34 NVO variant, which Russian military aviation analysts have noted has a small ‘bump’ on the spine behind the cockpit. This was evaluated as a Beyond Line-of-Sight (BLOS) satellite communications link.

russian glide bomb

Kommersant Reported in October 2025, the latest version of the UMPK kit has a range of up to 100 km and can reach 200 km with range extension boosters. This claim must be treated with caution, but anything close to this distance will significantly improve standoff performance.

Without jet motors, the new UMPK kit can cover a distance of 95-100 km at a speed of approximately 1,000 km/h when the FAB-500T is dropped from 12 km.

The publication also adds that the new UMPK-PD/UMPK-5R kit features an elongated body, enlarged wings, a redesigned rear fairing and a different wing deployment mechanism that improves aerodynamics. The UMPK wings, seen on FAB bombs since last year, are two-part folding wings that direct the entire bomb into an upward flight position upon release.

that ISW (Institute for War Studies), citing a Russian report, stated that the UMPK kits FAB-3000, FAB-250 and FAB-1500 have a range of 50-60 km and 60-70 km respectively. According to TasThe range of early models did not exceed 50-60 km for FAB-3000 and 40-70 km for FAB-250, FAB-500 and FAB-1500.

In the past, Ukrainian media, citing Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU) officials, reported that such ammunition was used against targets in the Kharkiv region (Lozovaya, about 90 km from the front line) and the Sumy region (Khoten village, about 10 km from the front line).

Ukraine has also introduced its own glide bombs. However, we have yet to see the weapon in action.

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