Ukraine's 'Equaliser' revealed as Kyiv builds its own answer to Russia's feared glide bombs
Ukraine has unveiled its first home-grown glide bomb after 17 months of development, giving Kyiv a domestic version of one of the weapons Russian forces have used relentlessly throughout the war.
The new munition, called the 'Equaliser', is a standard unguided bomb retrofitted with wings and a GPS guidance kit.
Instead of falling straight down like a conventional bomb, it can glide for tens of kilometres towards a pre-defined target.
The system effectively turns a "dumb bomb" into a cheaper smart munition, allowing aircraft to strike from stand-off range.
Russia has used thousands of glide bombs during the war, launching them from inside Russian airspace to reduce the risk of its jets being shot down.
They have become one of the weapons most feared by Ukrainian troops and played a significant role in Russia's capture of Avdiivka.
Ukraine says the Equaliser carries a 250kg warhead and has a range of tens of kilometres.
Footage released by Ukraine shows the bomb being dropped from what looks like an Su-24.
It could also potentially be launched from other Soviet-era aircraft used by Ukraine, including MiG-29s, and later from Western jets such as F-16s and Mirage 2000s.
Ukraine has been frustrated by restrictions on how it can use foreign-supplied weapons, including American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow cruise missiles, to hit inside Russia.
The real test will come against Russian electronic warfare and jamming, and in how accurate the Equaliser proves to be in combat.
But if the weapon performs as intended, Ukraine will have taken a significant step towards matching Russian capability.
Join Our Newsletter
