FT: Russia upgrades Soviet-era bombs with jet engines to hit targets deeper in Ukraine

Russia has begun using jet-powered glide bombs capable of striking targets far beyond the frontlines, in what analysts describe as a significant upgrade to Moscow’s air arsenal and a new challenge for Ukraine’s increasingly strained air defences.

According to a Financial Times report, Soviet-era guided bombs known as KABs — previously launched by Russian Su-34 fighter jets with a range of up to 80 kilometres — are now being retrofitted with small jet engines, extending their reach to as much as 200 kilometres. Ukrainian military intelligence official Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the GUR, confirmed the new capability, saying such strikes were recorded for the first time in October against targets in Odesa, Mykolayiv, and Poltava regions.

Unverified images of one of the bombs that struck the Poltava region, shared by Ukrainian electronic warfare specialist Serhiy Beskrestnov, showed a Chinese-made turbojet engine — reportedly available for purchase online for about $18,000. Another jet-powered model currently in use, the Grom-E1, is an upgraded version of the Grom gliding munition, according to the report.

While the addition of jet engines increases the bombs’ range, it also limits their payload capacity to about 250 kilograms and restricts the duration of propulsion to part of the flight, missile expert Fabian Hoffmann from the University of Oslo explained.

The new weapon adds to Ukraine’s mounting difficulties in countering Russia’s air campaign. Kyiv’s air defences are already under pressure from nightly barrages of missiles and drones that have caused frequent power outages in major cities. Despite the recent delivery of additional U.S.-made Patriot systems from Germany, Ukraine’s interception rate has dropped sharply — from 37 per cent in the summer to just 6 per cent in September, FT said, citing data from the London-based Centre for Information Resilience.

Compounding the threat, Iranian-designed Shahed drones used by Russia have also been upgraded to fly faster and at higher altitudes, making them harder to intercept.

Military analysts say the deployment of long-range, jet-powered glide bombs represents another step in Russia’s adaptation of low-cost, precision strike technology — further eroding Ukraine’s defensive capacity amid dwindling Western military support.