The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have officially begun purchasing a new domestically produced guided air bomb called the 'Equalizer'. This was announced by Colonel Vladyslav Voloshyn, Head of the Department of the Central Innovation Management of the AFU. The launch of serial production and delivery of this weapon marks an important stage in Kyiv's attempt to compensate for the enemy's quantitative and qualitative advantage in the use of air bombs.
Response to the enemy's quantitative superiority
According to data presented by Colonel Voloshyn, the situation regarding the enemy's use of cruise missiles and guided air bombs (KABs) has significantly intensified in 2026. If in 2025 the average daily effectiveness of the enemy's KAB use was about 180 units, by August 2026 this figure had risen to more than 300 units per day. It is precisely to 'level' the situation that the Ukrainian side has begun mass implementation of its own developments.
According to the AFU representative, the task is not only to achieve quantitative parity but also to gain a qualitative advantage. The 'Equalizer' was developed by DG Industry and is an ammunition with a warhead weighing 250 kilograms. Its key feature is the ability to strike targets at operational depth, including in the deep rear of the enemy.
Technical characteristics and economic efficiency
The new Ukrainian air bomb boasts impressive flight range characteristics, ranging from 10 to 130 kilometers. This allows the Ukrainian Air Force to strike strategically important objects located beyond the reach of traditional artillery systems. An important factor for the military department was also the economic component: the cost of the 'Equalizer' is almost three times lower than that of the American analogue JDAM.
Voloshyn emphasized that domestic developments are significantly cheaper than Western analogues, which is critical for rapidly scaling up production. The use of glide and correction modules allows ordinary air bombs to be turned into high-precision weapons, which significantly reduces the cost of rearming the fleet.
Large-scale program for the development of new models
The 'Equalizer' is just one element of a large-scale program to modernize Ukraine's air weaponry. According to the colonel, about a dozen promising models of high-precision air weapons are being developed in the country in parallel. All these products have already passed the necessary tests and confirmed their effectiveness during hundreds of aircraft sorties.
Previously, back in July 2026, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the AFU Andriy Lebedenko reported that seven manufacturers in Ukraine were developing KABs with turbojet engines. Such engines allow the range of bomb use to be increased by 100–200 kilometers, making it possible to strike targets located beyond the range of enemy air defense systems.
Impact on the strategy of strikes on Russian territory
The introduction of new weapon models correlates with the growing activity of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory. Analysts from Associated Press analyzed data for 2026 and found that the number of long-range attacks from Kyiv has tripled compared to January of the current year. The main targets were oil infrastructure, defense plants, air defense facilities, and warehouses, with a significant portion of attacks concentrated around occupied Crimea.
Official confirmation of the launch of the 'Equalizer' into series production became known on May 18, 2026, however, active discussion and testing of new systems continued throughout the year. This indicates that Ukraine is moving from a survival tactic to a strategy of active action, using its own technological solutions to change the balance of power.
