The Ukrainian Air Force posted a video of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets dropping GBU-62 JDAM-ER guided bombs on bridges in Russia’s Kursk province.
A video shared by the Ukrainian Air Force on social media on August 30 shows its soldiers installing an American GBU-62 JDAM-ER glide bomb under the wing of a Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jet.
JDAM-ER is a conventional bomb fitted with a guidance kit, making it a highly accurate air-launched munition that can be dropped from long distances. MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters have been equipped by Kiev with a special type of rack to carry weapons of other systems transferred from the West, including American glide bombs.
The Ukrainian pilot then flew a MiG-29 and dropped American bombs on the bridges, causing multiple explosions. One bridge was left with a large hole, while the other collapsed in one span.
The Ukrainian Air Force Command did not disclose the time and location of the strikes, except that they were on bridges in the Kursk region. However, some images have appeared in previous Ukrainian videos of strikes on two bridges over the Seim River in the region, released on August 16 and 18, respectively.
Ukraine deployed MiG-29 fighter jets to bomb the US on a bridge in Kursk province in a video posted on August 30. Video: Ukrainian Air Force
The attack on the land bridges in the Kursk region is believed to be Kiev’s tactic to cut off the enemy’s logistics and supply lines, as Russia is deploying more resources to the region to stop Ukraine’s cross-border campaign.
Ukrainian military commander Oleksandr Syrsky said earlier this week that his forces had taken control of nearly 1,300 square kilometers and 100 settlements in Kursk province since launching a cross-border operation on August 6. He added that Russia had sent about 30,000 troops to the region to counter the offensive and more were on the way.
US officials confirmed that Russia had deployed some forces to the Kursk region, but did not give specific numbers.
Despite the recent success of the Ukrainian Air Force in attacking enemy infrastructure in Kursk province, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on August 30 that he had dismissed the commander of the Air Force, Mykola Oleschuk.
The move came after Kiev confirmed that one of its F-16 fighter jets crashed while on a mission to intercept a large-scale attack by Russian missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) on August 26, killing a top pilot.
The MiG-29 is a fourth-generation light fighter aircraft, developed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s and put into service in 1982. This aircraft line is one of the main fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force, with about 50 aircraft in service before the outbreak of hostilities in February 2022.
Ukraine has received nearly 30 MiG-29s of various types from Poland and Slovakia to compensate for losses in the war.