Russia deploys special guided bomb that can destroy 15 tanks in one hit – Picture

Russia has begun deploying a new special kind of guided bomb within its air force, just one of which can effectively destroy an entire company of armored vehicles.

Known as PBK-500U Drel (direct translation: “drill”), the guided air-dropped munition weighs about 500 kilograms and dispenses up to fifteen sub-munitions, each of which can independently guide itself (using both infrared and millimeter-wave radar systems) towards an enemy vehicle and destroy it.

Given that the weakest part of even the most heavily armored vehicles is the top turret, well-plated tanks such as the US-built M1 Abrams, British Challenger II and German Leopard II are entirely vulnerable to the sub-munitions.

 guided bomb – PBK-500U (behind)

Furthermore, each sub-munition also posses an IFF (identification friend or foe) receiver, which is slaved to the targeting computer, greatly reducing the risk of friendly fire incidents.

The bomb also has defensive features to ensure it reaches a given target, including protection against radar countermeasures and GPS jamming. Because of this, the Russian military has officially classified the PBK-500U as a ‘stealth bomb’.