Reuters: longer-range GLSDB missiles will be included in the new US aid package to Ukraine for the first time The United States is preparing a new package of assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 2.2 billion, writes Reuters.
It is expected that for the first time it will include longer-range missiles - small-diameter ground-based GLSDB bombs that can hit targets at a distance of 94 miles (about 150 km) and "undermine Russia's positions in the rear." However, so far the United States is not going to transfer ATACMS missiles with a range of 185 miles (297 km) to Kiev, which the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the American Congress, Michael McCaul, proposed to use for strikes on Crimea.
Without ATACMS missiles
The United States is preparing a new package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 2.2 billion, the Reuters news agency reported, citing two American officials briefed on the matter. The new deliveries are expected to include longer-range missiles for the first time.
"It is expected that the aid will be announced this week, officials said (The new package - "Gazeta.Ru") will also include auxiliary equipment for Patriot air defense systems, precision-guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons," the article says.
According to one of the officials, part of the $1.725 billion package will come from a fund known as the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), which allows the administration of President Joe Biden to receive weapons from manufacturers, and not from weapons stocks in the United States.
"USAI funds will be used to purchase new weapons - small-diameter ground-based bombs (GLSDB) manufactured by Boeing Co, with a range of 94 miles (150 km)," the material clarifies.
At the same time, Reuters sources stressed that the United States rejected Ukraine's requests for the supply of ATACMS missiles with a range of 185 miles (297 km).
On January 23, it became known that the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the American Congress, Michael McCaul, called for the transfer of American ATACMS missiles with a long range to Kiev for strikes on Crimea, where "Iranian drones are located."
The presence of GLSDB bombs can allow Ukraine to hit targets that were previously out of reach, and "help it continue its counterattacks, further undermining Russia's positions in the rear," the authors of the material noted.
GLSDB Bombs
According to the agency, the GLSDB bombs are manufactured by the Boeing concern together with the Swedish aerospace company Saab AB. The ammunition combines a GBU-39 (SDB) small diameter bomb with an M26 rocket engine.
According to the SAAB website, GLSDB are GPS-controlled, can overcome some electronic interference and are used in all weather conditions. Bombs are effective against armored vehicles. The GBU-39, which functions as a GLSDB warhead, has small folding wings that allow it to fly more than 100 km if dropped from an airplane and accurately hit targets with a diameter of only 3 feet (1 meter).
In November 2022, Reuters journalists reported that Boeing had offered the Pentagon to supply Ukraine with GLSDB bombs so that it could "strike far behind Russia's lines." Then it was assumed that high-precision bombs could "be delivered to Ukraine in the spring of 2023."
The agency also cited data according to which the bombs cost about $40,000 each, which "makes the finished GLSDB inexpensive."
What else do they want to convey to Kiev
According to Reuters, USAI funds will also be used to pay for additional components of HAWK air defense, anti-drone systems, artillery and aerial surveillance radars, communications equipment, PUMA unmanned aerial vehicles and spare parts for major systems such as Patriot and Bradley.
The agency's source added that Kiev will also be provided with a significant amount of medical equipment - "to equip three field hospitals transferred by another ally."
The article clarifies that the content and size of the upcoming aid package may change until the documents are signed by US President Joe Biden.
"In addition to the USAI funds, it is expected that more than $400 million in aid will come from the presidential spending reduction authority funds, which will allow the president to use the current US reserves in an emergency situation. It was expected that this assistance would include ambush-proof mine countermeasures (MRAP), guided multiple rocket launchers (MLRS) and ammunition," the article says.
According to the agency, the United States has already sent Ukraine security assistance worth about $ 27.2 billion after the start of Russia's military special operation.
Deputy White House Press Secretary Olivia Dalton confirmed at a briefing that the US authorities may soon announce new military assistance to Ukraine.
"We are in constant contact on their (Ukrainian) needs on the battlefield, and I expect that we will soon have an announcement about more security assistance," she said.
In addition, Biden, answering a question about Zelensky's requests for the supply of Western fighter jets and long-range missiles, told reporters that he was going to talk on the phone with his Ukrainian counterpart and discuss arms supplies.
Maria Shustrova