Ukrainian Air Force Strikes Russian Drone Team With Precision JDAM-ER Bomb: Strategic Airstrike in Kharkiv Oblast

A Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 fighter jet was captured on video deploying a 226-kilogram JDAM-ER precision bomb against a Russian drone operations team.

Ukrainian forces executed a strategic airstrike targeting Russia's drone control and communications center in Vovchansk. The footage, which has gained significant traction on social media platforms, shows a Ukrainian Air Force Su-27 fighter jet releasing a 500-pound (approximately 226 kilograms) Joint Direct Attack Munition Extended Range (JDAM-ER) precision glide bomb on Russian drone operators who had positioned themselves in the upper sections of a grain elevator.

The widely circulated video on X begins with a panoramic view of the grain elevator structure. Subsequently, a Ukrainian Su-27 aircraft approaches at high altitude and releases the bomb, precisely striking the upper floors of the building. The impact generates a powerful explosion, with debris and smoke erupting skyward.

The military operation took place in Kharkiv Oblast, where the Ukrainian Air Force effectively utilized advanced bombing technology against Russian drone teams occupying strategic positions.

Military analysts have identified the ordnance as a GBU-62 equipped with a JDAM-ER kit. According to local media reports, this weapon system has been modified to function with Ukraine's older Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets.

The GBU-62 is fundamentally a 500-pound bomb based on the standard Mk-82 design. Its enhancement with a JDAM GPS/INS guidance system enables the bomb to autonomously navigate toward targets using satellite positioning and internal navigation systems. The Extended Range module provides glide capabilities, allowing the bomb to travel horizontally through the air rather than falling vertically, which enables aircraft to engage targets from safer distances.

In a separate incident the previous day, Ukraine's Azov 1st Corps, a component of the National Guard, reported that their combat drone operators had successfully neutralized a Russian MTU-72 armored bridgelayer in Donetsk. This specialized Russian military vehicle, designed to help other vehicles traverse obstacles like rivers or trenches, was destroyed, effectively preventing Russian armored units from crossing difficult terrain barriers.

Meanwhile, exclusive drone footage obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday revealed the extensive damage to Myrnohrad, a Ukrainian town now surrounded by Russian forces. The aerial imagery shows widespread destruction to streets and buildings throughout the settlement.

Oleksii Hodzenko, press officer for the drone battalion of the 38th Marine Brigade, stated, "They are trying to simply erase the (town) from the face of the Earth."

Ukraine's eastern military command confirmed they are maintaining supply lines to troops in Myrnohrad, utilizing ground-robot drones to deliver essential provisions such as food and water to soldiers who remain positioned in the besieged town.