Click to see full-size image. (Screengrab\Телевизија ФРОНТ\YouTueb)
Serbia’s Vlatacom Research and Development Institute showcased a massive guided bomb on the sideline of the Partner exhibition 2025, which was held in Belgrade between September 23 and 26, with rumors suggesting that the weapon was especially developed for Egypt.
The bomb, dubbed Vlatacom Massive Ordnance Air Blast (VMOAB)-4T, weighs around four tons and is the lightest in a series that also includes bombs weighing as much seven and ten tons, according to an introduction video shown at the exhibition and a report by the YouTube channel “Телевизија ФРОНТ“.
VMOAB-series bombs were designed to be deployed from bombers or the bays of military cargo aircraft, like the American-made C-130, with the help of a slide and parachute system. Guidance is provided via a satellite-aided inertial navigation system.
These massive bombs are meant to destroy soft targets or hardened ones, like bunkers or command centers, with multiple detonation operations.
The design of the VMOAB-4T showcased at the exhibition appeared to be very similar to that of the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast and GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator fielded by the United States military, with the most notable feature being the grid fins which offer greater control at higher speeds.
The VMOAB-4T itself is made up of the vMW-4t warhead, which weights 3,700 kg including 3,130 kg of explosives, vGFGK-4t tail guidance set and the vPSK-M23-2 proximity sensor. Each bomb comes with the VSAP-4t slide and parachute system.
The introduction video shown at the exhibition revealed that the VMOAB-4T is already in mass production. The footage also included scenes showing tests of the bomb, which Arab military observers alleged were conducted in Egypt.
This of course led to rumors that the bomb was especially designed for the Egyptian military. No official statements from Belgrade or Cairo back these rumors. However, this may very well be true as Egypt is in need of such a bomb to address the challenge posed by the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).
The construction of the $5 billion dam on the Blue Nile River, which began in 2011, sparked a crisis between Ethiopia and Egypt.
Cairo views the dam a threat to its water security as it has the ability to reduce Nile flow. Meanwhile, Addis Ababa insists that the dam, which is projected to generate 6,450 MW of electricity, is necessary for its energy needs and claims that it won’t harm downstream nations.
The two countries began talks on the crisis in 2011. Four years later, they announced a Declaration of Principles, but talks have stalled since then.
The crisis escalated again very recently, specifically on September 9 when Ethiopia officially opened the dam. Egypt responded by submitting a letter to the United Nations Security Council warning against Addis Ababa’s unilateral operation of the dam, describing the move as a “breach” of international law.
In the letter, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that the opening of the dam was “an unlawful unilateral act” that cannot be legitimized.
“Any misconceptions that Cairo would turn a blind eye to its existential interests in the Nile are pure delusions,” the letter said, stressing that Egypt “will not allow Ethiopia to impose unilateral control over shared water resources.”
Cairo said that it reserves the right to take all measures permitted under international law and the UN Charter “to defend the existential interests of its people.”
The ministry added that while Egypt has exercised maximum restraint and chosen diplomacy over confrontation, Ethiopia has “pursued intransigent positions, stalled negotiations, and sought to impose a fait accompli.”
It noted that Addis Ababa’s recent steps represented “a new violation that adds to a long list of breaches of international law.
While the Egyptian letter didn’t carry any direct threats to Ethiopia, it certainly left the door open for possible military action.
The Egyptian Air Force is highly-capable, in fact, it is the largest in all of Africa, and with a bomb like the VMOAB-4T, it will have everything it could need to attack the GERD. Such an operation will not be easy, however. The dam is located more than 1,200 kilometers away from Egypt’s border. It is also closely protected by a dense air defense network, including Russian-made Pantsir-S, Israeli-made SPYDER, and reportedly Chinese-made HQ-64 systems.
Further complicating the situation is that the destruction of the dam could trigger a catastrophic flooding downstream whose effect could reach Sudan then Egypt itself.
Due to all of these reasons, Cairo will likely continue to favor diplomacy when it comes to the crisis with Ethiopia. The VMOAB-4T, if indeed intended for the Egyptian military, could, however, improve the country’s stance in the talks with Addis Ababa.
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wow, terrorists making bombs for other terrorists! great!
if egypt invested their money into water treatment purification and storage they would have plenty. instead, they buy military crap. if they did blow up the dam, alllllllllllllllllll that fresh water would come their way at once and flood riverbanks wipe out low lying areas and be gone into the ocean. reeeeeeeeeee-tarded lolol
the money spent on weapons is by the us and israel who controls egypts dictatorship.
in western nations energy needs are flooded with wind parks and solar farms, where wind is random and sunshine already gone in autumn. at least solar should be an option for ethopia, a country with huge land mass close to sunny equator.
keine gnade mit jüdischen untermenschen!
this article is confusing. ethiopian electric power corporation is state owned. the listed primary contractor was webuild. general electric and other involved. so who controls / rules ethiopia ? today
so the zionist sisi won’t dare challenge the israeli genocide of palestinians but will instead start a war with another african country??? sounds insane but zionists are well known for their insanity!