Reuters: The US ready to resume supply of precision bombs GLSDB to Ukraine

The United States is ready to resume supplies of long-range precision bombs (GLSDB) to Ukraine after they have been modernised to more effectively counter Russian electronic warfare.

Reuters reports this, citing sources.

The GLSDB could be used again on the battlefield in the coming days, as stocks of this weapon are already in Europe. The Ukrainian military last used it a few months ago.

In recent weeks, 19 GLSDB test launches have been conducted to assess the effectiveness of the upgrade. Some of the changes involved strengthening the internal connections in the weapon to make it more resilient.

Reuters notes that the GLSDB will arrive in Ukraine amid reports by the Associated Press that Ukraine has run out of ATACMS missiles, which have a similar range. The AP cited a Ukrainian and American official. The latter said that the US has provided Ukraine with fewer than 40 ATACMS missiles — their stock was exhausted by Ukrainian fighters back in January of this year.

What is known about GLSDB

The GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) is a ground-launched small diameter bomb. This weapon is a hybrid of an aerial bomb and an M26 unguided rocket.

The GLSDB is a joint development of the American company Boeing and the Swedish concern SAAB. The manufacturers took the American GBU-39 precision-guided bomb and added a rocket engine from the old M26 shells to the Western multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) M270 and HIMARS.

This allowed aerial bombs to be launched from ground-based installations. While MLRS shells usually fly along a ballistic trajectory, the GLSDB works differently. It gains speed and altitude with the help of an engine, and then, like a cruise missile, flies to the impact site.

The US military has a similar air-launched version of the bomb, but there is no ground-based version in the US arsenal yet.

• In January last year, the US officially confirmed the transfer of GLSDB precision bombs to Ukraine.

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