Modern military conflicts raise the question of the relevance of the use of heavy-duty aerial bombs and special-purpose artillery. The experience of military operations in Libya, Syria and Ukraine has shown that the world’s armies are once again faced with the task of occupying cities.
The big city is the best battlefield, for the weak and less technically advanced side of the conflict. In a metropolis, it is possible not only to gather a group of tens of thousands of fighters, but also to protect it from the superior firepower of the enemy, as well as to supply it with material for a long time and to make up for the losses in personnel, weapons and military equipment. Neither the mountains, nor the forests, nor the jungles provide such an opportunity.
In the United States, for example, occupying cities with a population of up to 100,000 is not a big problem. It is easy to completely isolate and put out fire control throughout the settlement. A city of this size does not contain large reserves of material and technical means and resources in order to maintain a significant body of defense troops for a long time.
“Superbombs” and “Superguns” is back
However, the situation changes dramatically during the attack on large cities, with a population of over 300-400 thousand people. It was for such big cities that the heaviest battles unfolded, during all the recent armed conflicts.
A feature of the defense of the cities was the mass use of the existing ones and the construction of new underground shelters. For this, even specialized tunneling equipment was used. As a result, where the enemy was on the defensive for a long time (according to the experience of military operations, for example, in Syria), real underground roads were created along which cars were moving.
It is important to note that the problem of city invasion in our time has become more complicated due to the reduction of the limit of allowable collateral damage, which completely and categorically excludes even the theoretical use of tactical nuclear weapons. But rockets alone are not enough. This means that the era of the usual “superbombs” and “superguns” is back.
The arsenal of the Air Force of the Russian Federation has powerful means of destroying the air force. These mainly include the five-ton free-fall FAB-5000M-54 high-explosive bomb. The mass of the head of this ammunition reaches 4200 kg and the mass of the explosive is 2210.6 kg. There is no evidence that such weapons were used during the “special” military operation in Ukraine.
This bomb was constantly being updated, but the fact is that it was put into operation in 1943. They were used during the battles of the Kursk Bulge, during the liberation of Orel and during the attack on Koenigsberg. According to some reports, Soviet troops also used them during the war in Afghanistan.
Especially in this regard, it should be noted that the only carrier of the FAB-5000M-54 in the VKS, is the long-range bomber Tu-22M3.
Development work is currently underway to develop an airborne volumetric bomb, which has received the unofficial designation “High Power Aircraft Vacuum Bomb” (AVBPM). Another informal name for this ammunition is “The Pope of All Bombs”. It was created by analogy with the name of the US Air Force bomb GBU-43 / B “Mother of All Bombs” (MOAB, Mother Of All Bombs).
Artillery is cheaper than aircraft
When attacking large cities and fortified areas, the available artillery calibers (152 mm, 155 mm and even 203 mm and 240 mm) are clearly not enough for the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation as well as for other armies. This requires special power (OM) artillery.
During World War II, German troops used 420 mm and 615 mm caliber cannons when conducting military operations in dense urban areas. During the attack on Koenigsberg in April 1945, the Workers ‘and Peasants’ Red Army (RKKA) used 305 mm shells. As a rule, the use of special power shells and cannons had a very significant effect.
An example of a military manual, which is being studied at the Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, was the 400 mm French M 1915/16 projectile developed by St. Chamond. Two strikes on Fort Douamont, occupied by German troops, were enough to start a retreat across the front line.
In the 1950s and 1960s, the USSR leadership finally believed in the universality of nuclear missiles and considered that the further development of special-purpose barrel artillery was not very promising. Research and development work in this area has been suspended.
At the same time, it is by no means an indisputable fact that at present, all fire missions can be solved by aviation and high-precision missile weapons.
Compared to special forces artillery, this certainly does not seem cheaper. For example, the cost of a modern multirole fighter aircraft is over $100 million, and for a refurbished warplane, you would have to pay several tens or even several hundred thousand dollars. In addition, there are many situations where the militant use of aviation is simply impractical or even impossible.
In this context, the cost of creation and the cost of operation, for example, of 356 mm shells do not look at all like some exorbitant values. Of course, modern special forces artillery must have high mobility, adjustable ammunition, fully transferable to digital guidance systems.