Late on 30 January, Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder confirmed that Ukraine would receive the ground-launched bombs (GLSDB) from the US. However, he explicitly stated that he would not confirm specific timelines. A media report indicated that Ukraine was scheduled to receive the first batch of the GLSDB on 31 January.

Referring to four unnamed sources, Politico stated that Ukraine was set to receive the first batch of Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) on 31 January, a novel long-range weapon not yet in the US arsenal capable of hitting targets 150 km away.

“As we acknowledged last year, we will provide Ukraine with the ground-launched small-diameter bomb as part of our USAI-funded security assistance efforts. However, due to operation security reasons, we are not going to confirm specific timelines,” Ryder said at a briefing.

Politico stated that the Pentagon completed successful tests of the long-range precision bomb, and the GLSDB was set to reach the battlefield by 31 January, as reported by two US officials and sources familiar with the discussions.

When supplied, the bomb would enhance Ukraine’s long-range capabilities, used for targeting Russian logistics and Crimea targets, supplementing existing stocks, including the Storm Shadow/SCALP and US Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS), as Ukraine’s munitions deplete.

The US announced an aid package containing the GLSDB in February 2023, long before Congress started to delay the approval of new funds for Ukraine in the fall of 2023.

Read also:

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