The U.S. and its allies are continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine in the war against Russia, but some military stockpiles are dwindling as the war drags on. To fill the gap, the U.S. is considering a proposal to re-purpose some of its weapon’s components.
Tom Karako, a security and weapons expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said weapons inventories are low compared to where the U.S. would like them, “and certainly [compared] to the levels we’re going to need to deter a China conflict,” according to Reuters.
The Pentagon is considering a proposal from Boeing to provide Ukraine with small precision bombs that can be fitted onto “abundantly available” rockets, Reuters reported. The proposed system, known as the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), is one of about a half-dozen plans to make new weapons for Ukraine and U.S. allies in Eastern Europe, industry sources told Reuters.
The GLSDB combines the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb with the M26 rocket motor, both common in U.S. inventories. The launching system would allow Ukraine to hit military targets up to 94 miles (150 km) away that have been previously out of reach from the defensive line.
GLSDB is made by SAAB AB and Boeing Co. together. It has been in the works since 2019, long before the invasion of Ukraine, which Russia calls a “special operation.”
Since there are a lot of M26 rocket motors available and each GBU-39 costs about $40,000, the GLSDB is relatively cheap, and its main components are easy to find. These factors mean that the weapon system could begin production by early 2023.
“It’s about getting quantity at a cheap cost,” Karako said.
The GLSDB proposal was outlined in a document presented to the U.S. European Command (EUCOM), which is in charge of providing weapons to Ukraine. It stipulates that the main components of the GLSDB would come from current U.S. stores.
The proposal requires price discovery to be waived, to keep the contractor from having to go through the usual thorough review to ensure the Pentagon is getting the best deal possible. Any contract would also need at least six suppliers to expedite the shipping of their parts and services so the weapon could be made quickly.
Boeing declined to comment on the story, according to Reuters.
Lieutenant Commander Tim Gorman, a Pentagon spokesman, would not comment on giving Ukraine “specific capabilities.” He said the U.S. and its allies “identify and consider the most appropriate systems” that could help Kyiv.
The Department of Defense (DoD) reported last week the Biden Administration approved up to $400 million in security assistance to meet Ukraine’s most important security and defense needs. Since August 2021, this is the 26th time the Biden Administration has taken equipment from DoD stock for use in Ukraine.
“With Russia’s unrelenting and brutal missile and UAS attacks on Ukrainian critical energy infrastructure, additional air defense capabilities remain an urgent priority, the DoD wrote.
The latest U.S. package to Ukraine includes:
- Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS)
- 150 heavy machine guns with thermal imagery sights to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
- Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS)
- 200 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds
- 10,000 120mm mortar rounds
- High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs)
- 150 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs)
- Over 100 light tactical vehicles
- Over 20,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition
- Over 200 generators
- Spare parts for 105mm Howitzers and other equipment