Strana 10
Fig.5 Two FAB-250M-46 aerial bombs suspended beneath the wings of a MiG-21MF. A member of the groundcrew waits in the wing‘s shadow for the pilot‘s arrival for
a combat training flight, with the red aircraft’s logbook rests on top of the wing. Later on, more reliable and operationally safer AVU
-
ET electric aerial fuses, such
as the nose-mounted ones seen here, came into use for bomb detonation. The type of fuse used is marked on the bomb in white chalk in strict accordance with regulations,
alongside the figure ‘12 s’, indicating the delay between impact and detonation. The photo was taken at Malacky-Kuchyňa Airbase (now in the Slovak Republic)
in the summer of 1992, during the final year of the unified Czechoslovak republic. Photo: Ota Klígl archive.
Fig. 6 Another MiG-21MF aircraft (coded 4312), bearing
the insignia of the former 9th Fighter-Bomber Regiment
(9. sbolp) from Bechyně. It is interestingly configured
with FAB-250M-46 bombs (fitted with AVU
-
ET fuses)
on the inner pylons and OFAB-100M fragmentation high
explosive bombs (fitted with LZEH-3 electric nose fuses
featuring a fourteen second delay) on the outer pylons.
The forward section of the bomb bears two blue rings,
the standard marking for fragmentation high explosive
bombs. The bomb shown here is also equipped with
a BZ-1 braking device featuring a pyrotechnic arming
mechanism at the rear. This additional equipment
allowed the bomb to be released during low-altitude
release. The braking device (a parachute) deployed
shortly after release, slowing the bomb sufficiently
before impact and allowing the aircraft to safely clear
the potential shock zone, thereby preventing damage to
the carrier aircraft from its own bomb effects. Malacky-
Kuchyňa Airbase, ČSFR, 1992. Photo: Ota Klígl archive.
Fig.7 Another view of the same aircraft shown in the
previous photo. There are numerous details here of
interest to scale modelers. In the background, on the
hardstand behind the aircraft, lie the white protective
helmets worn by the ground crew at the time, alongside
a UB-16-57UMP rocket pod The inboard pylon is still
fitted with a safety pin featuring a red caution tag
designed to prevent accidental bomb release while on
the ground, and the armored cable from the AVU
-
ET
fuse has already been inserted into the MPI (Impulse
Delivery Mechanism) at the front of the pylon, meaning
the bomb is ready for combat use. Also visible at the
right in the photograph is an LZEH-3 aerial fuse with
its wind vane. It is fitted to an OFAB-100M bomb and is
likewise ready for use once the cable is inserted into the
MPI mechanism. Red wheel chocks prevent the aircraft
from rolling on the hardstand, and a metal drip tray with
a bucket is placed beneath the fuselage to catch any
leaking fluids. Malacky–Kuchyňa Airfield, ČSFR, 1992.
Photo: Ota Klígl archive.
TECHNICS / EQUIPMENT
INFO Eduard10
October 2026