Reuters just published an exclusive report which details a Boeing proposal to provide Ukraine with an inexpensive new weapon system they call Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB). According to the report, this proposal is being considered by the Pentagon as a way to supply Ukraine with the needed military aid without further sapping U.S. inventories.
GLSDB repurposes and combines the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb and M26 rocket motor. The main selling point is the cheap price tag of using these two components to make a GLSDB. In terms of U.S. military inventory, the M26 rocket motor is a fairly common item and the GBU-39 is around $40,000 a pop.
GLSDB has a 150km range that would open the door for Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets which are currently out of reach. It also has a GPS guidance system and can be used without regard for conditions of weather.
#Ukraine: Russian media showed the aftermath of precise Ukrainian HIMARS strikes on the Kakhovka Dam, #Kherson Oblast – and accidentally revealed destroyed Russian military equipment placed there, including a valuable R-439-MD2 satcom vehicle and 5 KAMAZ-based vehicles. pic.twitter.com/HrrHOTP97F
— ?? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) August 10, 2022
Another key selling point is that the U.S. wants to keep its own military stockpile to a level they deem adequate to deter and counter any conflict with China.
Boeing claims GLSDB could be in Ukrainian military use by early spring 2023.
I found this delivery date telling as it shows how long those “in the know” expect the conflict to last.
