R550-series general-purpose bombs
The R550-series of general-purpose bombs are a modular family of air-dropped explosives widely utilised by the Carlosian Armed Forces. Designed in the 1980s, they succeeded several types of bombs in service with the Carlosian military, and feature a streamlined design intended to minimise drag. They range in size from the 125 kg R551 to the 4,000 kg R556. In recent years, they have been upgraded with Accuracy and Stand-off Rectification (ASOR) guidance and wing modules which have converted them into precision-guided glide bombs. Initially effective against stationary targets, the addition of laser seekers in combination with ASOR allow them to effectively eliminate moving targets as well.
Starting in 2021, the Carlosian Air Force revealed it had begun testing R551 bombs equipped with a novel ASOR-E kit, which adds a micro-turbojet engine with a maximum thrust of 0.4 kN and an internal fuel tank. This extends the range of the bomb to approximately 175 km (152 nmi, 109 mi), effectively turning ASOR-E equipped bombs into cheap cruise missiles to augment Carloso's arsenal of more sophisticated weaponry. Low-rate initial production began in early 2022, with industry sources claiming a combined unit production cost of D£33,580 ($73,000). In 2024 an ASOR-E equipped R553 bomb was debuted, with a touted range of 550 km. Preliminary studies have begun on developing a similar R554 variant, which could match the payload delivered by a S774 Rábiar air-launched cruise missile.
Comparison
| R551 | R552 | R553 | R554 | R555 | R556 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mass | 125 kg | 250 kg | 500 kg | 1,000 kg | 2,000 kg | 4,000 kg |
| Length | ||||||
| Diameter | ||||||
| Filling | ||||||
| Filling weight | 50 kg | 100 kg | 225 kg | 450 kg | 1,000 kg | 2,400 kg |
| Range |