A Ukrainian Air Force MiG-29 aircraft was spotted armed with a precision-guided glide bomb converted from an ordinary dumb munition. The idea of creating an equipment kit that allows turning free-falling projectiles into smart weapons was borrowed from primitive yet effective UMPK modules developed by russian grassroots inventors.
The photo, noticed by Status-6, suggests that the weapon's utility has been increased across multiple platforms, although there's no details when and where the shot was taken, or whether it was a test or combat deployment.
Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jet spotted with what appears to be the analogue of a Russian guided aerial bomb with the UMPK, installed under its wing.In June 2025, it became publicly known that Ukraine have begun tests of what can be considered to be its analogue of the Russian… pic.twitter.com/Ua0Oglxu5Y — Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) September 1, 2025
Here we should clarify that when the glide bomb was first presented, it was paired with the Su-24 attack aircraft in the trials footage provided to Defense Express by the manufacturer, the Medoid Design Bureau. This time, however, the system is mounted on a MiG-29, a more numerous aircraft at Ukraine's disposal, possibly adapted for integration into the new carrier. Alternatively, the Su-24 was only used for tests while the MiG-29 was the primary carrier all this time.
Ukraine is testing its own version of the Russian glide bomb (KAB/UMPK), Defense Express reports.The Ukrainian-made munition already reaches 60 km, with plans to extend range to 80 km. At a drop altitude of 10 km, it could potentially hit targets up to 100 km away—though… pic.twitter.com/BdauvzISv4 — NOELREPORTS (@NOELreports) June 25, 2025
After all, the number of Su-24M/MR attack aircraft within the Ukrainian Air Force is slim, furthermore, nowadays they lean towards a more strategic role as carriers of long-range missiles, like the Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles. Although this niche could theoretically be partially filled by the Mirage-2000 aircraft from France, officially delivered to Ukraine in February 2025.
In contrast, the MiG-29 remains the most numerous fighter in the Ukrainian military and enjoys fully localized maintenance. This aircraft's lift capacity is well enough to carry 500-kg air-dropped munitions. This much is certainly enough to carry domestic gilde bombs (sometimes called KABs), which are essentially converted Soviet-standard airbombs. Integrating the new tool will expand the fighter's functionality and, from the broader perspective, increase the scale and frequency of Ukrainian tactical strikes on russian invasion forces.
MiG-29 is not new to using smart glide bombs: earlier, modifications allowed the aircraft to host the American GBU-39 and the French AASM HAMMER. However, the limited supply of these imported weapons strains how much the fighter can use them in combat, so integrating a domestic alternative should alleviate this problem.
According to Medoid bureau, the glide bomb itself can travel distances up to 60 km after launch, with plans to increase the range to 80 km. The bomb's total weight with the added control surfaces and guidance suite, as mentioned earlier, is 500 kilograms.
Perhaps MiG-29's modifications to enable foreign weapons helped integrate the indigenous precision-guided bomb faster and more smoothly. This raises a question whether the Su-27 can be adapted, too, or maybe this process is already underway.
Currently, the Ukrainian Air Force needs to be capable of dropping at least 100 bombs daily — far over what partner countries can provide. The developers say the Ukrainian smart bomb at the prototype stage is already cheaper than Western counterparts.
