Ukraine to get new weapon from US: GPS-guided glide bombs with 150km range
- Longer-range Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb to be part of US$2 billion American aid for Ukraine
- The US has sent approximately US$27.2 billion worth of security assistance to Kyiv since Russia’s invasion
The United States is readying more than US$2 billion worth of military aid for Ukraine that is expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time as well as other munitions and weapons, two US officials briefed on the matter said.
The package is being finalised as Ukraine prepares for a new Russian offensive and tries to not only hold onto recaptured territory but to seize fresh advantages on the battlefield.
The aid is expected to be announced as soon as this week, the officials said. It is also expected to include support equipment for Patriot air defence systems, precision-guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons, they added.
One of the officials said a portion of the package, expected to be US$1.725 billion, would come from a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows President Joe Biden’s administration to get weapons from industry rather than from US weapons stocks.
The USAI funds would go toward the purchase of a new weapon, the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) made by Boeing Co, which have a range of 150km (94 miles). The United States has rebuffed Ukraine’s requests for the almost 300km range ATACMS missile.
The longer range of the GLSDB glide bomb could allow Ukraine to hit targets that have been out of reach and help it continue pressing its counter-attacks by disrupting Russia further behind its lines.