Watch Vietnamese Su-30MK2 destroy targets with fragmentation bombs.

The Vietnamese Air Force recently conducted bombing, rocket, and artillery exercises targeting maritime targets with Su-30MK2 and Su-22 fighter jets and Mi-8 helicopters at the TB5 firing range.

The exercise aimed to improve the quality of operations and coordinated command between units, while also enhancing practical skills for young pilots participating in shooting and bombing to destroy targets at sea. To destroy targets in the exercise, Su-30MK2 fighter jets carried OFAB-250-270 bombs.

As a multirole fighter jet, the Su-30MK2 of the Vietnamese Air Force can perform many combat missions against the enemy in the air, on the ground, and at sea.

To achieve this, the Su-30MK2 is capable of carrying up to 8 tons of weapons on 12 pylons, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles; guided and unguided bombs; and rockets.

Install OFAB-250-270 bombs on Su-30MK2 fighter jets.

However, the number of missiles or bombs that can be carried depends on the pylons; not all pylons can be used to carry the entire arsenal.

For example, although it has 12 hardpoints, the Su-30MK2 can only carry a maximum of 6 R-27 or R-73E or R-77 air-to-air missiles, or a maximum of 6 Kh-31A anti-ship missiles, even though each missile weighs only about 600kg (a total of 6 missiles is 3.8 tons), while the aircraft's weapon payload is up to 8 tons.

So, what is the maximum number of bombs the Su-30MK2 can carry in ground attack operations? Technical and tactical information about the Su-30MK2 intended for Vietnam has not been publicly available for a long time. However, since the Su-30MK2 is designed based on the Su-30MK airframe, the bomb carrying capacity of the Su-30MK can be used to determine the maximum number of bombs it can carry.

A Su-30MK can carry a total of 6 KAB-500 guided bombs or 3 KAB-1500 guided bombs or 8 FAB-500T unguided bombs or approximately 20 OFAB-250-270 unguided bombs.

The KAB-500/1500 is a family of guided bombs designed by the Soviet Union in the 1970s. The designations KAB-500/1500 correspond to the bomb weights of 500kg and 1,500kg, respectively. Each drone can carry 6 KAB-500 bombs or 3 KAB-1500 bombs on pylons 3 and 4, while pylons 1 and 2 can carry 2 bombs in parallel.

The KAB-500/1500 smart bomb family is produced in numerous variants. Each variant is equipped with a different guidance system and warhead, resulting in high effectiveness against a wide variety of targets.

The KAB-500 bomb has several variants: the KAB-500L, which uses a semi-active laser guidance system; the KAB-500Kr, which uses a television-based optical guidance system with an image sensor only usable in daylight conditions; and the KAB-500S/SE, which uses GLONASS (Russia) or GPS (USA) satellite navigation.

The KAB-500 bomb has four types of warheads: KAB-500L-Pr-E, used for bunker penetration; KAB-500L-FE, equipped with a fragmentation explosive charge for eliminating enemy personnel; KAB-500L-OD-E, using a thermobaric explosive charge; and KAB-500L-KE, a type of bomb containing multiple submunitions.

The KAB-1500 bomb also has a guidance system (laser, optical television, satellite, electro-optical) and various explosive charges similar to the KAB-500.

The FAB-500T is an unguided bomb weighing approximately 500 kg (corresponding to the number in the bomb's name), using a high-explosive warhead. It is considered highly effective when used in large numbers and is inexpensive.

The OFAB-250-270 bomb, recently used by the Su-30MK2 in the exercise, is an unguided bomb weighing 266 kg (approximately equivalent to the 270 in the bomb's name), with the explosive charge weighing nearly 100 kg. The bomb is used to destroy a variety of targets, including armored vehicles.

Video clip of a Su-30MK2 fighter jet destroying a target during a training exercise at the TB5 firing range:

According to Baodatviet