Ukrainian Air Force Su-25 attack aircraft were modified to carry and launch French AASM Hammer precision-guided bombs. This is evidenced by a video published online by Mazut SD that demonstrates multiple instances of deploying this weapon in combat missions.
While there previously were some indications that Ukraine's Su-25s have also been enabled to use AASM Hammers alongside MiG-29s, those scattered facts did not provide such a complete picture for understanding as the following footage.
Read more: Capabilities and Specs of AASM Hammer, the Rocket-Bomb Hybrid Weapon That France Wants to Give Ukraine
Two Su-25s are featured in the video as carriers of AASM Hammer guided bombs. Logically, at least two aircraft of the type have undergone the upgrade required to adopt the French weapons, originally intended for Western multirole fighters.
The technique of releasing an AASM Hammer from a Su-25 is similar to the one we saw earlier, in a similar video starring a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter. To specify, the bomb is launched from a nose-up position: up until the release point, the Su-25 flies as low to the ground as possible to avoid being seen by enemy radars, then quickly climbs up at a certain angle to extend the distance that the Hammer would be able to glide on its own.
Also, with a closer look, you can see that Ukrainian Su-25s also dropped a few AASM Hammers of the "naval" version, dressed in a special thermal protective coating. For a brief reminder, those are ordinary bombs covered with a layer of insulating material similar to concrete in order to minimize erosion in open sea conditions and delay detonation if a fire breaks out on a ship storing them. This practice is often seen on US Navy aircraft carriers.
One Su-25 can take two AASM Hammers on a combat mission, the number of pylons for suspending the bombs is also two, accordingly.
Another notable detail, the events of this video likely take place around summer 2024, generally coinciding with the appearance of the first hints that Ukraine had adapted its Su-25s to use the French AASM Hammer bombs — initially stated by the Chief of Aviation of the Ukrainian Air Force Command Serhii Holubtsov in an interview with RFE/RL's Donbass.Realities project in June 2024.
Worth adding, the ability to utilize French precision-guided aerial bombs gives Ukrainian attack aircraft a certain advantage over their russian counterparts because the russians have been long complaining that their Su-25s remain still unadapted for the use of guided bombs with UMPK guidance kits, conceptually similar to AASM Hammer.
Against this background, Defense Express reminds that in May 2024, there were signs that the F-16s slated for Ukraine would also be integrated with AASM Hammer bombs. There is no data if this idea was actually implemented but the possibility remains that necessary updates will be made in 2025.
Read more: The Ukrainian Air Force Uses Unusual Bombs Equipped with AASM Hammer Kits (Photo)
