The United States has seen indications that Russia’s military in its assault on Ukraine is using so-called dumb bombs that are unguided and greatly increase the risk of missing targets, a senior U.S. defense official said on Wednesday.
A dumb bomb, also known as a free-fall, gravity, or iron bomb, is basically a bomb without a guidance system that leaves it free to follow a ballistic trajectory.
This described all aircraft bombs in general service until the latter half of World War II, and the vast majority until the late 1980s. After this, there was a dramatic increase in precision-guided munitions, leading to some sort of definition between what became known as a “smart bomb” and free-fall bombs.
“Dumb bomb” was used for a time, but many military circles felt it sounded too trite, and eventually ‘gravity bomb’ gained in popularity. However, it seems that “Dumb bomb” still applies.
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters, “We do have indications that the Russians are in fact dropping some dumb munitions,” adding that the United States was observing “increasing damage to civilian infrastructure and civilian casualties.”
The comments came shortly after Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of bombing a children’s hospital in the besieged port city of Mariupol, reports The Hill. At least 1,170 civilians have been killed in Mariupol since the start of the Russian invasion, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Russia denies targeting civilians and says it is using precision munitions in its “special military operation” in Ukraine, and hitting military targets, according to Reuters.
“Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror?” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted after the attack.
But the use of unguided munitions in urban settings, if confirmed, would bolster accusations about Russia’s disregard for civilian casualties.
The U.S. official declined to quantify Russia’s use of unguided munitions and could not say whether Wednesday’s hospital strike was a result of their use.
