Russia plans to begin mass production of its new Drel “gliding” guided aerial bomb this year, a representative of state defense conglomerate Rostec said, according to Reuters.

Russian defense company Rostec Photo: Timon Schneider | Dreamstime.com

The bombs, one of the newest types of Russian weapons, are able to fly independently to a target at a greater distance and open over it at the “right moment”, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

“Until now, the product has passed all kinds of tests,” an anonymous representative of Rostech told TASS.

“Production of the first batch of the Drel aerial bomb is scheduled for 2024.”

This type of “sliding” aerial bomb flies a trajectory of several kilometers from the moment of launch from the aircraft. Such guided bombs have a longer range than conventional bombs because they have wings.

The drill is designed to destroy armored vehicles, ground radar stations, power plant control centers and anti-aircraft missile systems, I was told in TASS.

Military analysts say it is also resistant to radar detection, making it difficult to destroy.

Russian and Western sources claim that the “Drel” is a type of cluster bomb.

Cluster munitions are banned in more than 100 countries. They usually release a large number of smaller bombs that can kill indiscriminately over a large area. Those that don’t explode can remain a hazard for decades.

Ukraine, which received cluster munitions from the United States but pledged to use them only against targeted groups of enemy soldiers, said Russia had already placed its bombs in Ukraine, calling them an “extremely large threat.”

As reported by TASS, the representative of Rostec stated that the information about the use of bombs in Ukraine is confidential. Russian President Vladimir Putin said last July that Russia would use cluster bombs in Ukraine if necessary.

TASS also stated that if the explosive warhead of the “Drel” bomb does not work on a specific target, then after a certain time it will self-destruct and “will not pose a danger to the population after the cessation of hostilities” (photo source Dreamstime). )