New long-range weapon for Ukraine. Even the USA does not have it in its resources

Politico cited two US officials and two other sources with knowledge of the findings. According to them, on Wednesday, Ukraine will receive the first batch of small-diameter bombs, a completely new long-range weapon called Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB). Pentagon spokesman Gen. Pat Ryder declined to comment on operational security concerns.

New bombs from the USA for Ukraine. Range up to nearly 150 km

The new bomb, which can travel about 144 kilometers, is expected to be a “significant reinforcement” for the Ukrainian arsenal.

“It gives them a deeper strike capability that they didn’t have, it complements their arsenal of long-range fire,” the U.S. official said. “It’s just an extra arrow in their quiver that will allow them to do more,” he explained.

The weapon was developed jointly by Boeing and Saab. It consists of a precision-guided bomb attached to a rocket engine and launched from various ground-based launchers. The US military has a similar version of the bomb that is launched from the air, but a ground-launched version does not yet exist in the US inventory.

Thus, the Pentagon will fulfill the promise it made in February last year that the Biden administration would provide Ukraine with a new bomb. However, before sending the new version, the American military had to test the weapon, and this took many months.

Agreement to supply weapons

According to an industry source, the army oversaw tests of a new precision-guided bomb before giving the go-ahead to send it to Ukraine. Problems with financing subsequent aid packages will not prevent the delivery of GLSDB. The agreement between the US government and Boeing was concluded in 2023.

Ukraine will be the first country to use this bomb in combat, making it a testing ground for GLSDB. The situation will be closely monitored by countries that have been purchasing long-range ammunition since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.