The Pentagon has successfully tested a new high-precision, long-range GLSDB bomb, which can be delivered to Ukraine as soon as tomorrow.
This was reported by Politico with reference to sources.
A US official told Politico on condition of anonymity that GLSDBs with a strike radius of more than 150 kilometers would be a "significant potential for Ukraine" and would allow strikes deeper behind Russian forces.
The United States announced the delivery of these aerial bombs back in February 2023. However, this is a new weapon, which is not yet in service even with the American army, so it had to pass all the tests. Because of this , the provision of the GLSDB was eventually delayed until early 2024.
Ukraine will be the first country to use this bomb in combat.
What is known about GLSDB
GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) is literally a small-diameter bomb that is launched from ground installations. This weapon is a hybrid of an aerial bomb and an M26 unguided missile.
GLSDB is a joint development of the American company Boeing and the Swedish concern SAAB. The manufacturers took the American GBU-39 precision air bomb and added a rocket engine from the old M26 rounds to the Western M270 and HIMARS rocket launchers.
This made it possible to launch aerial bombs from ground installations. If usually the projectiles from the MLRS fly along a ballistic trajectory, the GLSDB works differently. It gains speed and height with the help of an engine, and then, like a cruise missile, flies to the point of impact.
The U.S. military has a similar air-launched version of the bomb, but no ground-launched version is yet in the U.S. arsenal.