Ukraine to receive 600 AASM bombs by the end of the year

By the end of this year, France will deliver 600 AASM precision-guided bombs to Ukraine.

The French National Assembly Defense Committee reported that the bombs would be taken from warehouses, not newly produced.

France also intends to produce 1,200 AASM Hammer guided bombs in 2025.

In 2024, the country’s defense industry was supposed to produce 600 of these guided bombs.

In Ukraine, these bombs have been integrated into Soviet MiG-29 fighter jets. They are also being integrated into F-16 fighter jets.

During the fighting in Ukraine, the bomb is dropped at relatively low altitudes, after which the aircraft begins to descend to avoid being detected by enemy radar and reduce the risk of being shot down.

The bombs are used with a high-precision system equipped with GPS and an inertial system.

This combination allows the bomb to be dropped at pre-recorded coordinates and ensures the bomb’s autonomy throughout the entire flight.

In addition, the bomb is unique in that it uses a rocket engine, which significantly increases the range at which it can strike targets.

Depending on the launch altitude, the maximum range is 15 km from low altitudes to 70 km from high altitudes.

The AASM is a modernization kit for existing free-fall unguided aerial bombs like the US JDAM, which are already used by Ukrainian tactical aviation.

The kit consists of a front part with a guidance system and flaps and a rear part with an accelerator designed to increase the range. France has two types of bomb kits in service: Hammer-250 for Mk. 82 bombs weighing 227 kg and Hammer-1000 for the 908 kg Mk. 84.