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Ukraine Uses Secret “Experimental” Weapon to Down Russian Glide Bombs

Wes O'Donnell
8 min readFeb 13, 2025

What could it be? Let’s analyze!

Glide bombs drop away from a Russian jet. The latest Grom-E1 versions use rocket assistance for a greater range. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service

Something new in Ukraine’s arsenal is making Russia’s much-hyped glide bombs look a little less… well, glide-y.

On February 6, Ukraine’s Air Force reportedly used an “experimental” weapon to blast a Russian-guided aerial bomb out of the sky over Zaporizhzhia.

Details? Classified.

Effectiveness? Confirmed.

Reaction from the Kremlin? Likely an emergency brainstorming session featuring increasingly desperate explanations.

The Ukrainian military, keeping its cards close to the chest, has not revealed the exact nature of this mystery weapon. However, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat confirmed that this isn’t the first time such a weapon has been used, suggesting that Russia’s glide bomb monopoly might be coming to an abrupt end.

“We need a comprehensive approach to counter these threats,” Ihnat stated. “That means both ground-based air defenses and air superiority to push Russian bombers as far away as possible.”

I agree. In fact, last summer, I wrote here about how Ukraine could use its new F-16s to push back the range of Russia’s glide-bomb-dropping aircraft. I still think the ideas hold up, so have a look:

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Wes O'Donnell
Wes O'Donnell

Written by Wes O'Donnell

US Army & US Air Force Veteran | Global Security Writer | Intel Forecaster | Law Student | TEDx Speaker | Pro Democracy | Pro Human | Hates Authoritarians

Responses (13)

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Sensor fuzed AAA would be effective at close range with radar tracking. Some Western systems can do this.
Russia has lost 20000+ artillery systems but are still firing 6000 shells a day. How is that possible? Every day, Russia lose another 20 - 50+…

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If true, that would be particularly embarrassing for Russia — imagine your high-tech bombs being swatted down by a 1950s-era weapon your own country designed.

Likely designed in Ukraine.

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The ideal weapon is one that only you have. If Ukraine can take down Russia's glide bombs and Ukraine has its own glide bombs, why, then only Ukraine has glide bombs.

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