[UGBS/M/L] FAB Series

FAB Series

ORIGIN: (Real World)
Russian Federation

GAMES FEATURED IN:
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
Ace Combat 05: The Unsung War
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Ace Combat 06: Fires of Liberation

COMPATIBLE AIRCRAFT
MiG-1.44 "Flatpack", MiG-29A Fulcrum, MiG-31 Foxhound, Su-27 Flanker, Su-35 Flanker, Su-37 'Terminator', Su-47 Berkut

OVERVIEW:
The Russian term for general-purpose bomb is fugasnaya aviatsionnaya bomba, abbreviated FAB and followed by the bomb's nominal weight in kilograms. Most Russian iron bombs have circular ring airfoils rather than the fins used by Western types.

In 1946 the Soviet Union developed a series of freefall bombs in four sizes (250 kg (551 lb), 500 kg (1,102 lb), 1,500 kg (1,653 lb), and 3,000 kg (3,307 lb) and sharing a single nose and a single tail fuze. The bomb could be dropped from up to 12,000 m (39,372 ft) and up to 1,000 km/h (625 mph). The original, 1946-series bombs had poor ballistic characteristics at supersonic speed, and their construction was fragile. As an interim measure, upgraded versions of the bombs were built with thicker walls and no nose fuze. The thick-walled version of the bombs were built until 1956.

The 1954 series of high-drag bombs was built in six sizes: 250 kg (551 lb), 500 kg (1,102 lb), 1500 kg (1,653 lb), 3,000 kg (3,307 lb), 5,000 kg (11,023 kg), and 9,000 kg (19,841 lb). The smaller (less than 3,000 kg) bombs had a single nose and a single tail fuze, while the larger weapons shared a single nose fuse and two base fuses. The FAB-9000 (9,000 kg / 19,800 lb) weapon was roughly comparable to the wartime Grand Slam bomb. Its use in the postwar era was apparently never seriously contemplated, but it was used by Russian aircraft designers as a substitute for early nuclear weapons when determining the size and clearances of bomb bays.

In 1962 a new series of streamlined, low-drag bombs was introduced, designed for external carriage by fighter-bomber aircraft rather than in internal bays. They come in only two sizes, 250 kg (551 lb) and 500 kg (1,102 lb). Both bombs have a single nose fuse.

Both the 54 and 62 series designs remain in use. The most common of these are the FAB-100, FAB-250, FAB-500, FAB-750, and FAB-1000, roughly corresponding to the U.S. Mark 80 series. These have seen widespread service in Russia, Warsaw Pact nations, and various export countries.

Larger bombs with less streamlined shapes also remained in the Soviet arsenal, primarily for use by heavy bombers. In Afghanistan in 1988 Soviet Tupolev Tu-22M bombers used massive FAB-1500 (1,500 kg / 3,300 lb) and FAB-3000 (3,000 kg / 6,600 lb) weapons to devastating effect.

Sources
Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
Ace Combat 05: The Unsung War
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Ace Combat 06: Fires of Liberation
Wikipedia - General Purpose Bombs

*Original Article by "Millie"*