The extensive military aid package for Ukraine announced by the USA on January 20 lists many items such as M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles as well as the collective term “artillery ammunition”. The US magazine Politico has now published informationaccording to which very modern GLSDB glide bombs are also to be included.
The abbreviation GLSDB stands for “Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs”. There has been speculation about a delivery for months; the system could be deployed from the M270 HIMARS launchers, which have been used by Ukraine for some time with “resounding” success. The range even exceeds that of the existing HIMARS ammunition thanks to the deployable trapezoidal wings.
More than just a “waste product”
The weapon combination is based on M26 missiles with a 227-millimetre caliber, which were once equipped with cluster munitions and are now available following their ban. More than 300,000 of these are said to still exist in the US arsenal and some of them were used with the first generation of the 125-kilogram small-diameter guided bomb (SDB) GBU-39 fromBoeing combined. The combination was used for the first time in Iraq in October 2006, and the price is comparatively low at around 35,000 euros. The adapter is also easy to manufacture and the result is a high-precision “rocket bomb” with a range of around 150 kilometers. It is fired from the HIMARS – each MLRS launcher can hold two launch containers with six missiles each. The M26 engine then raises the GBU-39 to an altitude roughly equivalent to the drop height of a bomb dropped by an airplane. After separation, however, it does not make a ballistic turn that would perhaps be predictable for opponents – if there were enough time – but can fly low and maneuver. The accuracy of GPS-guided weapons is said to be just one meter. The ground-launched combi has been available since 2019 following successful trials from 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMa7jCXVljQ According to the Swedish co-developer Saab these “small” SDBs with a radar reflective area of just 0.015 square meters are difficult to detect even by modern air defence missiles and are also immune to electronic jamming transmitters, and at most can be influenced by – many other applications, but also distorting – GPS spoofing. In the future, a laser could even be installed to enable the system to detect moving targets. A sensor in the head of the weapon can be set so that the explosion occurs either above the ground or very shortly after impact.
GLSDB (ground launched small diameter bombs) will reduce sanctuary for Russians. Life is about to start getting very uncomfortable for Russian navy, airforce and ammunition handlers on Crimea, along the ‘land bridge’…and hopefully soon for repair crews on Kerch Bridge. https://t.co/si3zOai3uT
– Ben Hodges (@general_ben) January 18, 2023
“Lifewill soon be veryunpleasant”
Ben Hodges, a retired US general with a strong presence in the Western media and former commander of US troops in Europe, believes he knows that this weapon is already causing panic in Russian military circles: “With the current front line, these munitions with a maximum range of 150 kilometers would essentially cover the entire Ukrainian territory occupied since February 2022 and even parts of northern Crimea. For the Russian navy, air force and ammunition transporters and storage facilities in Crimea and along the ‘land bridge’, life will therefore soon become very unpleasant. And hopefully soon for the repair crews on the Kerch Bridge too,” he wrote on Twitter.
Russian military bloggers warn of escalation
In fact, various Russian war correspondents and observers have already identified the GLSDB combo as a threat and are thematize it with corresponding subjects and comments. On Сводки от ополчения Новороссии for example, says: “So will we soon see thousands of GLSDBs coming down? Take it slow. Firstly, mass production of GLSDBs has not yet started, the first deliveries are not expected until spring and even those are unlikely to be mass produced. Secondly, our SAMs have already encountered GBU-39s in Syria, and Pantsir S1 (note: a mobile Russian short-range air defense system with cannons and guided missiles) is capable of shooting them down. There is also no confirmation of the reported range of 130 to 150 kilometers. In addition, the warhead is relatively small, weighing only 93 kilograms, and therefore causes significantly less damage than conventional HIMARS impacts.”
Nevertheless, it is a very serious matter to hand over such GLSDB to the Ukrainian armed forces: “The enemy will have another means to act behind our lines. All liberated areas as well as parts of Crimea are under threat of being hit. In addition, Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk (including the nuclear power plant) are within range. No one can guarantee that the Kiev regime will limit its attacks to targets that fall within the range of the air defense system. Deliveries of such long-range ammunition will lead to a further escalation of the conflict.”
And because this “expansion” of the Ukrainian arm naturally also affects high-value targets in Crimea, the Kremlin has already reacted sharply: “The very fact that there are discussions about equipping Ukraine with weapons that can reach Russian territory is extremely dangerous. This would take the conflict to a new level,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on January 19.
Update from February 7: Here for a more detailed report on the topic from the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.
Here for more news about Boeing and here to further news about Saab.
