Direct proof of use
Direct Ukraine-war proof for this entry comes from reporting on FAB-3000-family bombs fitted with UMPK glide-and-correction kits. The War Zone reported that Russian Ministry of Defense footage published in July 2024 showed a Su-34 carrying and releasing what Russia described as a guided, winged FAB-3000-class bomb against a Ukrainian temporary deployment point in the North Group of Forces area of responsibility, associated with Kharkiv and Sumy regions.
FDD's Long War Journal assessed the July 2024 Russian footage as the first confirmation of FAB-3000 employment with UMPK in Ukraine after earlier June 2024 videos of claimed FAB-3000 strikes, most of them on the Kharkiv front. The same analysis identified the munition in the MoD imagery as FAB-3000 M-54, while this catalog record retains the FAB-3000M-46 GPB parent identity and treats wartime M-54/UMPK reporting as closely related FAB-3000-family conflict-use evidence.
JAPCC later summarized Russia's glide-bomb campaign in Ukraine and included a FAB-3000 with UMPK kit as part of the Russian glide-bomb set. Its operational account describes Russian glide bombs as stand-off weapons used at scale against static targets, Ukrainian positions, urban centers, resupply routes, command posts, and infrastructure.
Sources: The War Zone FAB-3000 Su-34 Launch, Long War Journal FAB-3000 Glide Bomb, JAPCC Glide Bomb Warfare Ukraine
Timeline
The public record begins with caveated 2022 reporting around Mariupol and becomes direct-use evidence in 2024. AeroTime and The Aviation Geek Club reported April 2022 imagery and claims linking FAB-3000M-46 bombs to Tu-22M3 activity around Mariupol and Azovstal, but those reports framed the imagery or claimed preparations as unconfirmed and are best treated as background rather than proof of battlefield use.
In March 2024, open reporting described renewed Russian FAB-3000 production as Moscow expanded its heavy bomb and UMPK glide-kit campaign. In June 2024, publicly circulated videos claimed FAB-3000 UMPK strikes near Lyptsi in Kharkiv Oblast. In July 2024, Russian MoD footage analyzed by The War Zone and Long War Journal showed Su-34 loading and release footage that directly tied the FAB-3000-family UMPK weapon to Ukraine-war operations.
Sources: AeroTime FAB-3000M-46 Mariupol, Aviation Geek Club FAB-3000M-46, Long War Journal FAB-3000 Glide Bomb, The War Zone FAB-3000 Su-34 Launch
Narrative
In the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War, the FAB-3000M-46 GPB page sits within a broader FAB-3000-family evidence lane. Technical reference sources and 2022 reporting identify the M-46 designation and legacy bomber context, while the strongest direct conflict-use sources from 2024 identify UMPK-equipped FAB-3000s and often use FAB-3000 M-54 or family wording. The exact subvariant is therefore caveated rather than collapsed into a single designation.
The documented role is heavy air-delivered stand-off strike. The War Zone describes the UMPK kit as adding wings and guidance to existing free-fall weapons and notes that the Su-34 footage showed the bomb mounted under the aircraft before release. JAPCC describes the broader Russian UMPK campaign as using converted Soviet-era bombs from stand-off ranges, primarily from Su-34 aircraft, to attack fixed battlefield and rear-area targets while reducing exposure of the launch aircraft to Ukrainian air defenses.
The available sources support Russian use of FAB-3000-family UMPK bombs in Ukraine, not Ukrainian use, transfer to Ukraine, or confirmed operational use of the M-46 subvariant in every cited incident. The 2022 Mariupol material remains useful for M-46 stock and bomber-context background, while the 2024 Su-34 and Kharkiv-front reporting is the core direct-use evidence for publication.
Sources: The War Zone FAB-3000 Su-34 Launch, Long War Journal FAB-3000 Glide Bomb, JAPCC Glide Bomb Warfare Ukraine, AeroTime FAB-3000M-46 Mariupol, Aviation Geek Club FAB-3000M-46
