avia.wikisort.org - Weapon

The FAB-500 is a Soviet-designed 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) general purpose air-dropped bomb with a high-explosive warhead, primarily used by the Russian Air Force, former Soviet republics and customer countries. The original M-54 model was rolled out in 1954, shaped for internal carriage by heavy bombers, a low-drag M-62 version in 1962 was intended for fighter bomber external hardpoint carriage.[2][3] The bomb is unguided, features a single nose fuze, and is compatible with most models of Soviet aircraft.[4]

FAB-500 M-62 General Purpose (GP) Bomb[1]
FAB-500 M-62, first in foreground
Type	High-drag and low-drag general-purpose bomb
Place of origin	Soviet Union
Production history
Produced	1954–present (M-54); 1962–present (M-62)
Variants	KAB-500
Specifications
Mass	500 kilograms (1,100 lb)
Length	2,470 millimetres (97.2 in)
Diameter	400 millimetres (15.7 in)
Filling weight	300 kilograms (660 lb)

Operational history

The FAB-500 was largely employed over Afghanistan by Soviet and allied Afghan forces during the 1980s and saw use during the Syrian civil war where it was carried by both Russian and Syrian warplanes.[5][6][7] The M62 variant of the FAB-500 was used by Russian military forces in the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8] On 13 March 2022 and 14 May 2022, FAB-500 bombs were found in Ukrainian cities Chernihiv[9] and Odesa.[10]

Operational envelope (FAB-500 M-62)

• Release altitude: 570–12,000 metres (1,870–39,400 ft)
• Release speed: 500–1,900 kilometres per hour (311–1,180 mph)[11]

Variants

• FAB-500 M-54 (ФАБ-500 М-54) – 1954 model, original high-drag model intended for internal carriage on heavy bombers, featuring a ballistic ring on the nose of the bomb to act as a vortex generator to aid the bomb’s stabilizers.[12][13]
• FAB-500 M-62 (ФАБ-500 М-62) – 1962 model, low-drag model designed for external carriage on hardpoints on fighter-bombers.[14][15]
• FAB-500 M-62T – heat-resistant, capable of withstanding high-temperature aerodynamic heating, arising during flight at high speeds. Developed for the MiG-25RB.[15]
• FAB-500 M-62 MPK (ФАБ-500 М-62 с МПК)
• FAB-500T (ФАБ-500Т)[16]
• FAB-500TA (ФАБ-500ТА)
• FAB-500ShN (ФАБ-500ШН) - parachute retarded thin cased bomb[14]
• FAB-500ShL (ФАБ-500ШЛ) - parachute retarded high explosive bomb[14][17]
• FAB-500 M46 (ФАБ-500 М46)
• FAB-500 M44 (ФАБ-500 М44)
• FAB-500 M43 (ФАБ-500 М43)
• FAB-500-300 (ФАБ-500-300) - thick cased high explosive
• FAB-500TS (ФАБ-500ТС) - thick cased high explosive and fragmentation[16][17][18]
• FAB-500TSM (ФАБ-500ТСМ)
• OFAB-500 (ОФАБ-500) - general purpose high explosive fragmentation bomb (contains 3 x 150 kg submunitions)[19]
• OFAB-500U (ОФАБ-500У) - delayed action fragmentation bomb
• OFAB-500ShR (ОФАБ-500ШP) - parachute retarded fragmentation bomb

See also

• FAB-250
• Mark 83 bomb - American counterpart

References

---