In July of this year, the Russian side released a video showing the process of mounting and dropping glide guided bombs on Russian Su-34 fighter bombers. In September this year, foreign media reported that the United States planned to deliver AGM-154 JSOW (Joint Stand Off Weapon) glide guided bombs to Ukraine, which may add new variables to the battlefield of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. So, what is a gliding guided bomb? Why does this type of bomb have a significant impact on the battlefield? What types do they have? What is the future development situation? Please read the interpretation of this article. Simply put, a gliding guided bomb consists of three parts: the gliding system, guidance device, and bomb. Among them, the core of the gliding system is the wing, which is equivalent to the "wings" of a bomb; The key to the guidance device is the guidance head, which is equivalent to the "eyes" of the bomb. So, to some extent, gliding guided bombs are ordinary bombs that have grown "eyes" and "wings". The most direct driving force for ordinary bombs to grow "eyes" and "wings" is the unremitting research on the accuracy and range of this type of ammunition by researchers and developers in various countries. During World War I, the concept of gliding guided bombs was proposed by Wilhelm von Siemens of Germany. With the end of World War I, this concept failed to 'land' into real ammunition. During World War II, Germany developed the gliding guided bomb Fritz X by adding wings and guidance systems to the PC-1400 armor piercing high explosive aerial bomb. In 1943, the German Air Force sank the Italian Navy's battleship Roma with the use of "D ö nnier" bombers carrying Fritz X. This is the first time that gliding guided bombs have been used in combat and achieved results. At this point, the Fritz X had a maximum range of about 5 kilometers and needed to be dropped from a bomber over the target. Then, through visual and radio control, the bomb's glide path was adjusted to hit the target. Afterwards, the German army developed the gliding guided bomb HS-293. By adding straight wings and rocket boosters, the maximum range of HS-293 has been increased to 8.5 kilometers, and the warhead weight has also been increased from 320 kilograms to 500 kilograms. During World War II, the HS-293 glide guided bomb sank a total tonnage of 400000 Allied warships and boats. At this time, gliding guided bombs must fly within the field of view of the bomber in order to be controlled, which has disadvantages such as short range, low reliability, poor anti-interference ability, and easy carrier attack. It is precisely because of these shortcomings that gliding guided bombs did not develop rapidly during the period after the end of World War II. The rapid development period of gliding guided bombs came after the popularization of satellite positioning and navigation technology. Due to the wide coverage of satellite positioning and navigation systems, coupled with inertial navigation, gliding guided bombs can maintain high accuracy even after flying hundreds of kilometers. Thus, a series of problems such as the short range and high danger to the operators of such bombs have been solved. Soon, gliding guided bombs embarked on a rapid development trajectory. The earliest gliding bomb to use satellite guidance was the United States' Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM). The biggest feature of this ammunition is that it adds a gliding extended range component called "Diamond Back" to ordinary aviation bombs, which not only provides longer range, but also increases the payload capacity of the aircraft by folding the wings into the ammunition compartment. With the development of components and kits, ordinary bombs with large inventory can be transformed into precision strike ammunition. Seeing this, countries have followed suit and launched research and development. Subsequently, multiple models of gliding guided bombs appeared one after another. In addition to the United States, countries such as the United Kingdom, Russia, and Israel are also equipped with different types of glide guided bombs, such as the GBU series, AGM-154 JSOW series from the United States, the "Pave" series from the United Kingdom, and the FAB series from Russia. Compared to missiles, glide guided bombs generally do not require expensive engines, resulting in lower costs, no noise during flight, and strong concealment. Many gliding guided bombs are modified from ordinary bombs, resulting in a larger charge and the ability to launch through top attacks, making them highly destructive. Compared with ordinary guided bombs, gliding guided bombs can use their wings to glide over long distances in the air, significantly improving the range of the bomb. This allows the carrier to drop bombs at a greater distance from the target, effectively improving the safety of the carrier. Some gliding guided bombs can maintain low altitude flight for a long time, making it difficult for enemy radar systems to detect the incoming path, enhancing the concealment and suddenness of attacks. This advantage has enabled the rapid development of gliding guided bombs with the help of technology. Through long-term development, gliding guided bombs have continuously branched out and formed a diverse "family". It can be classified into different categories based on guidance methods, usage scenarios, and the presence or absence of rocket assistance. According to guidance methods, it can be divided into satellite guidance, laser guidance, television guidance, infrared guided gliding bombs, etc. Among them, satellite guided gliding bombs use satellite positioning and navigation systems for guidance, such as the United States' Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), which uses an "inertia+satellite guidance" approach. The biggest advantage of this type of gliding bomb is that it is not limited or affected by meteorological conditions, can be used 24/7, has a long range, and high hit accuracy. The disadvantage is that satellite signals may be interfered with, which in turn affects hit accuracy. Laser guided gliding bombs are bombs equipped with laser guidance heads that can continuously reference laser pointing points and adjust their attitude to fly towards targets, such as the US "Jewel Road" series and the Russian KAB-1500L series. The advantages of this type of gliding bomb are simple structure, low price, and high power. The disadvantage is that during the gliding process towards the target, some require the carrier to use laser to irradiate the target. Therefore, the carrier may be attacked by enemy anti-aircraft fire. TV guided gliding bomb is a bomb equipped with a TV guidance head, which adjusts its flight attitude by aligning the camera in the guidance head with the target. Such as the "White Star Eye" series developed by the United States in the 1960s, Israel's "Pyramid", and Russia's KAB-500KR. The TV guidance head can automatically measure the trajectory deviation and correct it, therefore, this type of gliding bomb has high strike accuracy, strong resistance to electronic interference, and the ability to "not worry about it after launch". However, this type of gliding bomb also has its drawbacks, as it can only achieve better results when used during the day or in conditions of good visibility. Infrared guided glide bombs refer to glide bombs guided by infrared seekers, such as the American GBU-15 image infrared guided bomb and the Israeli Opher. When using infrared guidance function, this type of bomb requires the target to have thermal radiation characteristics different from the background, so it is easily affected by clouds, rain, fog, smoke and other situations, and its all-weather combat capability is poor. It should be pointed out that some gliding guided bombs often use two or even more guidance methods to further improve their strike effectiveness. The GBU-69/B SGM micro glide guided bomb in the United States adopts the method of "mid course GPS guidance+semi-active laser guidance at the end". According to the usage scenario, gliding guided bombs can be divided into two categories: short-range and long-range. Short range gliding guided bombs often use wings with larger areas and smaller wingspans, or foldable wings that can be retracted to reduce the overall size of the bomb and facilitate carrier carrying. For example, the GBU-15 laser guided gliding bomb from the United States has a range of only 1.5 kilometers at its closest point (low altitude deployment). Long range gliding guided bombs have a longer range and can be used for out of zone strikes, such as the AGM-154 series from the United States and the "Storm" series from Russia, with a gliding distance of 120 to 130 kilometers. Among them, the AGM-154ER (extended range joint out of zone weapon) has a range of 560 kilometers. Gliding guided bombs can be divided into two categories: unpowered and rocket assisted, depending on whether they have rocket assistance or not. Unpowered gliding guided bombs mainly rely on wing and gravity flight, such as the American GBU-15 equipped with large wing systems and the Russian "Stormwind E2". In addition to wings, rocket assisted gliding guided bombs are also equipped with rocket engines to increase their range, such as Germany's HS-293 and the United States' Extended Range White Eye II. According to the structure of the missile wing, it can be divided into two categories: backpack type missile wings and folding wing gliding guided bombs. Backpack style bombs such as the GBU-39 small diameter bomb from the United States; Folding wings such as the UPAB series from Russia. According to the weight of the warhead, it is mainly divided into two categories: light and heavy. Among them, the lightweight gliding guided bomb includes the American GBU-69/B SGM miniature gliding guided bomb, with a total weight of 27 kilograms and a warhead of 16 kilograms. Heavy gliding guided bomb, suitable for striking reinforced high-value targets such as Russia's UPAB-1500, with a weight of approximately 1.5 tons. From the perspective of current gliding guided bombs, there are mainly two paths for their development: one is to modify and tap the potential of ordinary aviation bombs in inventory; The second is to develop new gliding guided bombs based on battlefield needs. Overall, the development of gliding guided bombs in the future has shown trends such as miniaturization, synergy, multi platform, and long-range capabilities. Miniaturization. Currently, some small gliding guided bombs have appeared and been deployed on the battlefield. The GBU-39 small diameter gliding guided bomb is over 1.7 meters long and weighs approximately 170 kilograms. A MiG-29AS fighter jet can carry up to 5 missiles using a mid mount, and if a twin mount is used, it will carry more missiles. There are many advantages to reducing the size of the projectile, such as significantly increasing the payload capacity and increasing the number of targets that the carrier can strike under the same flight conditions. The gliding guided bomb using folding wings can also be carried by embedding it in the carrier, which not only does not damage the aerodynamic characteristics of the carrier, but also enhances the concealment of the strike. Collaboration. In the future, gliding guided bombs may also have the ability to share battlefield situations and real-time information. In this way, it will help clarify the division of labor and coordination among multiple bombs, and enhance their ability to strike time sensitive targets. In this regard, some countries have conducted relevant research, attempting to establish a collaborative autonomous strike relationship between gliding guided bombs by endowing guidance kits with new technologies. In this way, the missile swarm can autonomously evaluate and prioritize targets, and strike high priority targets first. Multiple platforms. With the miniaturization of gliding guided bombs, there will be more and more platforms they can carry in the future. The UMPB D-30SN of Russia can be deployed by fighter jets or through the Tornado-S multiple rocket launcher system, which reflects this. The US Army has integrated the GBU-39 small diameter gliding guided bomb with 227mm caliber rockets, transforming it into the Land Launched Small Diameter Gliding Guided Bomb (GLSDB), which is launched using the "Haimas" rocket launcher, reflecting this trend. Some small gliding guided bombs can also be mounted by drones, such as the Russian "Orion" drone, which can mount the UPAB-50 guided gliding aerial bomb, thus expanding the use channels of this type of bomb. Long voyage. As a precision guided ammunition, researchers from various countries will inevitably further tap into its potential. This includes giving it a longer range. Currently, some gliding guided bombs have begun to increase their range by installing rocket boosters or turbojet engines. Like the AGM-154ER in the United States, by installing a TJ