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Russia Is Dropping More Glide Bombs on Ukraine Per Day Than US Did During Iran Air Campaign
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Russian forces dropped 8,766 guided aerial bombs on Ukraine in August 2026, bringing the daily rate of their use above that recorded for guided bomb strikes during the recent US air campaign against Iran.
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According to Militarnyi on September 22, Russia used an average of 283 aerial bombs equipped with Universal Gliding and Correction Modules, known as UMPK, per day during August. The outlet based its comparison with US operations on Pentagon data and research by the Royal United Services Institute.
During the US-led Operation Epic Fury against Iran, American aircraft employed an estimated 211 to 237 guided aerial bombs per day, according to Militarnyi’s calculations.
The comparison concerns the rate at which guided aerial munitions were released rather than the overall scale, capabilities, targets, or operational conditions of the respective air campaigns.
Russia’s current rate remains below that recorded during the main phase of the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. Militarnyi estimated that US and coalition aircraft used roughly 509 precision-guided munitions per day during that period.
The 2003 Iraq campaign involved extensive use of precision-guided weapons. US Air Force data shows that 19,948 of the 29,199 munitions employed during the initial campaign were guided weapons.
Russia’s UMPK kits and the US-developed Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, are based on a broadly similar approach: adding guidance and control systems to existing stocks of conventional free-fall bombs rather than producing an entirely new weapon.
The US Air Force describes JDAM as a guidance kit that converts conventional unguided bombs into precision weapons using inertial navigation and GPS guidance.
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Russia has pursued the same general concept with UMPK-equipped bombs, allowing aircraft to release modified conventional bombs from greater distances. RUSI reported in February 2025 that Russia had ordered more than 70,000 UMPK glide-bomb kits for that year alone as production expanded during the full-scale war.
The August figure illustrates the continuing expansion of Russia’s use of glide bombs against Ukraine. During the final ten days of July, Russian forces also struck Pavlohrad, around 75 kilometers from the front line, three times with guided aerial bombs, according to Militarnyi.
The outlet said the attacks could indicate renewed use of the jet-powered UMPB-5R extended-range bomb.
Russia has also expanded production of other relatively low-cost precision weapons. In September, The Wall Street Journal reported that Russia was rapidly moving new jet-powered systems, including the Geran-5 drone and Banderol cruise missile, from battlefield testing into serial production, with both weapons estimated to cost around $100,000 each.
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