The Pentagon is studying a proposal by Boeing to supply Ukraine with small, inexpensive precision bombs that would allow Kyiv to strike deep behind Russian lines as the West struggles to meet demand for additional weapons.
US and allied military stocks are dwindling, and Ukraine has a growing need for sophisticated weapons. Boeing’s proposed ground-launched small diameter bomb system, or “Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb” (GLSDB), is one of half a dozen projects to put new weapons into production for Ukraine. and US allies in Eastern Europe, according to industry sources. .
The GLSDB could be delivered as early as spring 2023, according to a document seen by Reuters and three sources familiar with the matter. It combines the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), or small diameter bomb, with the M26 rocket motor, common in American inventories.
Low cost
Doug Bush, the US military’s top arms buyer, told the Pentagon last week that the military was also considering increasing production of 155-millimeter artillery shells, currently made at government facilities, by allowing the defense contractors build them.
The invasion of Ukraine has increased demand for US-made weapons and ammunition, while US allies in Eastern Europe are “placing numerous orders” for a variety of weapons that are part of Ukraine’s supply, Doug Bush added. .
The fall in US stocks partly explains the gun fever today, he believes. Inventories are “getting lower relative to the levels we like to have on hand and certainly relative to the levels we will need to deter conflict with China.”
logistical problems
Tom Karako also noted that many air-dropped bombs have become available since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. They cannot easily be used with Ukrainian aircraft, but “in today’s environment, we must look for innovative ways to convert range capability.”
Although a handful of GLSDB units have already been manufactured, numerous logistical issues stand in the way of an official supply. For example, any deal would require at least six suppliers to expedite shipments of their parts and services to produce the weapon quickly.
A Boeing spokesman declined to comment. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman declined to comment on providing “specific capabilities” to Ukraine, but said the United States and its allies are “identifying and reviewing the most appropriate ones” that could help kyiv.
Although the United States rejected the request for ATACMS missiles with a range of 297 km, the GLSDB’s 150 km range would allow Ukraine to hit important military targets.
The GLSDB is jointly manufactured by SAAB and Boeing and has been in development since 2019, long before the invasion of Ukraine. In October, SAAB managing director Micael Johansson said of GLSDB: “We expect contracts for this shortly.”
Source: BFM TV
