The GLSDB system. Source: Saab Group
The United States may have already delivered Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) to Ukraine, Vladimir Rogov, chairman of the We Are Together with Russia public movement, said on February 8.
The GLSDB was developed by American Boeing and Swedish Saab Group. The system combines the 129-kilogram GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), which is guided by a GPS-aided inertial navigation system, with the M26 227 mm rocket motor. It has a range of up to 150 kilometers.
“The Americans will arm the Zelensky regime precisely with these bombs and I believe that, unfortunately, we will see them at the front line soon,” Rogov said in a live broadcast on Komsomolskaya Pravda radio.”I presume that they are already available and will be legalized for strikes.”
The official argued that the system poses a threat to many towns and cities and the front line will have to be moved farther away to make them safe.
“In order to minimize these risks, we will clearly have to push the front line farther away by the toughest actions,” he said. “I very much hope that this possibility will emerge shortly, considering that our artillery units and multiple launch rocket systems have begun accurately hitting targets lately and the arrival of Tornado-S [rocket systems] at the front line in the Zaporozhye Region is already yielding results.”
Last week, Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder confirmed to reporters that the new U.S. military aid package to Ukraine will include GLSDBs.
Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin has already called to push the frontline away as far as possible as well as to strengthen the air defense network.
“We are well aware that if the enemy obtains such weapons, we will have to push its forces farther away from the DPR’s territory to a point from where it will be physically unable to reach our communities. While this process – the liberation of the territory – is underway, we should give thought to additional air defense and missile defense measures,” Pushilin said on the Rossiya-24 TV channel on February 6.
A recent report by Reurters revealed that GLSDB munitions could be delivered to Kiev forces as early as spring. According to the report, the munitions are not yet compatible with HIMARS systems already in service with Kiev forces. The U.S. will provide Ukraine with new launchers for the munitions.
GLSDB munitions have a long range, yet they glide towards their targets at a low speed which makes them exposed to air defense fire. The system will not likely change the palance on the battlefield in Ukraine, where Russia has been conducting a military operation for nearly a year now.
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