The 500 kg bomb is a weight-class entry for air-dropped bombs rather than one national design. It covers representative general-purpose and high-explosive bomb bodies such as Indian 500 KG GP Bomb products and Soviet/Russian FAB-500-family examples, with open sources documenting FAB-500-class use in Ukraine and Syria and carrier references linking the class to aircraft such as the F-7NI, H-5, and Su-34.
Russian forces have used 500 kg FAB-500-class bombs in Ukraine: Amnesty identified FAB-500/FAB-500 M62 evidence from the March 2022 Chernihiv strike, while JAPCC describes FAB-500 bombs fitted with UMPK kits as part of Russia's glide-bomb campaign.
Role detailsHuman Rights Watch documented Russian-Syrian use of 500 kg-class unguided aircraft bombs in the September-October 2016 Aleppo bombing campaign, including FAB-500-series evidence and RBK-500 cluster-bomb remnants, while cautioning that weapon identification was source-limited for some building-collapse strikes.
Role detailsThis page treats 500 kg bombs as a weight class. Rows identify sourced examples and exact designations rather than one manufacturing lineage.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
 | Soviet 1954-model 500 kg general-purpose bomb | CMO-DB lists this exact designation and Harbin H-5 loadout context, while the catalog keeps it as a separate linked subvariant page. Sources: CMO-DB FAB-500M-54 GPB |
| FAB-500 with UMPK | FAB-500 bomb body fitted with a glide-and-correction kit | JAPCC describes Russian forces fitting FAB-500 bombs with UMPK kits for stand-off glide-bomb employment in Ukraine. Sources: JAPCC Glide Bomb Warfare Ukraine |
The sources connect 500 kg-class bombs to aircraft in three different ways: public loadout references, conflict-use reporting, and general carrier-aircraft armament notes.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Strike aircraft | JAPCC identifies Su-34 Fullbacks as Russia's primary glide-bomb launch platforms in Ukraine and describes UMPK kits fitted to FAB-series bombs including FAB-500. Sources: JAPCC Glide Bomb Warfare Ukraine |
 | Twin-jet light bomber | CMO-DB lists the Harbin H-5 Beagle [Il-28 Copy] with FAB-500M-54 GPB in its loadout table. Sources: CMO-DB FAB-500M-54 GPB |
 | Single-engine fighter and light attack aircraft | DefenseNigeria says the F-7NI carries unguided bombs weighing between 250 kg and 500 kg on its four wing pylons. |
The catalog treats this entry as a weight class, not a single factory model. That matters because sources may use 500 kg as a broad aircraft-bomb class, a FAB-500 family label, or the name of a specific national product.
| Context | Source-backed detail | Page implication |
|---|---|---|
| Exact bomb body | Rosoboronexport and Weaponsystems.net describe FAB-500 M62 family characteristics, while CMO-DB separately lists the FAB-500M-54 GPB. | Representative specs and variant rows stay tied to the named example. |
| Conflict reporting | Amnesty identifies FAB-500/FAB-500 M62 evidence in Ukraine, and HRW identifies FAB-500-class weapons in Syria. | Conflict-use rows are supported at FAB-500-class level, with caveats where sources do not identify every release aircraft or subvariant. |
| Carrier/loadout references | CMO-DB lists H-5 carriage of FAB-500M-54, DefenseNigeria lists F-7NI carriage of 250-500 kg unguided bombs, and JAPCC connects Su-34s to FAB-series glide bombs. | Carrier links show documented compatibility or use context, not universal 500 kg bomb compatibility. |
CMO-DB lists the FAB-500M-54 GPB as a 500 kg general-purpose bomb and shows it in a Harbin H-5 Beagle loadout table.
Sources: CMO-DB FAB-500M-54 GPB
Weaponsystems.net describes the FAB M62 series as a low-drag Soviet aviation-bomb family introduced in the early 1960s, including a 500 kg member.
Sources: FAB M62 | Weaponsystems.net
Human Rights Watch reported Russian-Syrian use of larger unguided bombs including FAB-500 and ODAB-500 classes during the Aleppo bombing campaign.
Sources: HRW Aleppo Bombing War Crimes
Amnesty International investigated the March 2022 Chernihiv strike and reported evidence pointing to at least eight unguided bombs, likely FAB-500-class weapons.
Sources: Amnesty Chernihiv FAB-500 Bomb Strike
