Ukraine has developed its first domestically produced guided aerial bomb, which is now ready for combat use, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said on Monday, May 18. Fedorov said the bomb was created by a participant in Ukraine’s Brave1 defense technology platform and has already passed the necessary preliminary tests.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “The first Ukrainian guided aerial bomb is ready for combat use,” Fedorov said, adding that Ukraine continues to develop “high-tech solutions for the front.” According to Fedorov, development of the bomb took 17 months. He said the weapon features a “unique design” tailored to the realities of modern warfare and is not a copy of Western or Soviet systems. The Ukrainian-made guided bomb is designed to target fortified positions, command posts and other targets with “dozens of kilometers” of standoff range after launch, he said. Fedorov said the bomb uses a 250-kilogram (550 lbs) warhead and that Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has already purchased an initial experimental batch. Pilots are currently practicing combat scenarios and adapting the weapon for use under real wartime conditions, he added, in what Western air forces would characterize as operational test and evaluation (OT&E). Fedorov said Ukraine is moving from importing individual solutions toward developing its own high-tech weapons aimed at strengthening the country’s defense forces and providing a technological advantage in the battlespace.