Kharkiv hit again by Grom-E1 missile-bomb: Why Russia's hybrid weapon is dangerous
Photo: Grom-E1 (wikipedia.org)
In late August, the Russian troops launched an air strike on Kharkiv using a Grom-E1 bomb. They used the same munition during the shelling of the city on the night of Oct. 29.
What to know about the Grom-E1 and its characteristics, read in the report below.
According to Defense Express, the first cases of using this type of weapon on the territory of Ukraine were recorded back in 2023. In March, photographs of the remains of a shell found in the field appeared. These images became one of the first proofs of Russia's use of this hybrid of a missile and a glide bomb.
In 2024, the Russians continued to use the Grom-E1, although it was rare and mostly used for terrorist attacks on civilian targets - a school and a five-story residential building in Myrnohrad and Kherson in February and March of this year.
Shelling of Kharkiv
On August 31, during another shelling of Kharkiv, Russia used the Grom-E1, which is a hybrid of a missile and a guided aerial bomb (GAB).
Another use of the munition took place today, on the night of October 29. At around 9 p.m., the city was attacked by GABs, after which the head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration (RMA), Oleh Syniehubov, announced the risk of repeated attacks. After a while, it became known that the center of Kharkiv was under attack. There was information about the first wounded, and damage to a medical facility, an administrative institution, and the building of the State Industrial Complex, which is under UNESCO protection.
A few hours later, Russia attacked Kharkiv for the second time in one night, hitting the Osnovianskyi district.
According to the State Emergency Service data as of 7 a.m.,
- one house was completely destroyed;
- 19 houses were damaged;
- four cars damaged;
- four dead.
Earlier, the spokesman for the Kharkiv regional prosecutor's office, Dmytro Chubenko, reported 12 wounded as a result of the shelling of the city. According to him, at about 10 p.m., the Russian army struck four times - two in the region and two in the city.
According to preliminary data, the enemy attacked with UMPK and Grom-E1 hybrid bomb-missile systems.
About Grom-E1
Russia presented the Grom for the first time in 2015 at the MAKS air show, showing two modifications of this weapon:
- The Grom-E1 variant was equipped with a jet engine;
- Grom-E2 had an additional warhead at that time.
The munition is positioned as a hybrid of a missile and a glide air bomb based on the Kh-38. Its maximum range is up to 120 kilometers.
Defense Express adds that the project seems very peculiar since the Kh-38 itself has serious combat characteristics:
- capable of supersonic speeds of up to Mach 2.2;
- has a range of up to 40 km.
The Kh-38 missile was originally designed as a modern and dangerous replacement for the outdated Soviet Kh-25 and Kh-29.
The Grom-E1 was presented with a 315-kilogram warhead and a jet engine, while the Grom-E2 has an additional 165-kilogram warhead but no jet engine. The maximum range of the latter is up to 65 kilometers, while the range of the Grom-E1 is 120 kilometers.
