The Pentagon is considering a proposal from Boeing to supply Ukraine with cheap, small precision bombs mounted on abundantly available rockets, which would allow Kyiv to strike far behind Russian lines as the West moves further. Struggling to keep up with the demand for weapons.
The military inventories of the United States and its allies are shrinking, and Ukraine faces a growing need for more sophisticated weapons as the war drags on. Boeing’s proposed system, dubbed the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), is part of nearly a half-dozen projects to develop new munitions for Ukraine and America’s Eastern European allies, industry sources said. is one of the.
GLSDB could be delivered as early as spring 2023, according to a document reviewed by Reuters and three people familiar with the project. It combines the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) with the M26 rocket motor, both of which are common in US inventories.
Doug Bush, the U.S. military’s arms buyer, told reporters at the Pentagon last week that the military is also considering ramping up production of 155mm artillery shells, which are currently produced only at government facilities. are—by allowing defense contractors to build them.
Bush added that the invasion of Ukraine had increased demand for US-made weapons and ammunition, while US allies in Eastern Europe were placing “many orders” to supply Ukraine.
“It’s about getting quantity at an affordable price,” said Tom Caracco, an arms and security expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Declining U.S. inventories help explain the rush to acquire more weapons, he said, saying that stockpiles are “compared to the level we want to keep on hand and certainly are reaching the levels we need to stop the China conflict.”
Karako also noted that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan has left many air-dropped bombs available. They cannot easily be used with Ukrainian aircraft, but “in today’s context we must find innovative ways to convert them into a stand-off capability.”
Although a handful of GLSDB units have already been built, there are many logistical hurdles to formal procurement. The Boeing plan requires a price discovery waiver, exempting the contractor from in-depth reviews that ensure the Pentagon is getting the best deal. Any arrangement would require at least six suppliers to ramp up their delivery of parts and services to build the weapon.
A Boeing spokesman declined to comment. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman declined to comment on providing any “specific capabilities” to Ukraine, but said the U.S. and its allies “identify and consider the most appropriate systems.” Who will help Keef.
Although the US has rejected requests for a 185-mile (297 km) range ATACMS missile, the GLSDB’s 94-mile (150 km) range would allow Ukraine to hit valuable military targets that are out of reach and It will help him continue his counter-attacks. Disturbance in Russian rear areas.
The GLSDB is jointly built by SAAB AB ( SAABb.ST ) and Boeing Co ( BA.N ) and has been in development since 2019, long before the attack, which Russia calls a “special operation.” In October, SAAB chief executive Michael Johansson said of the GLSDB: “We are expecting agreements on this immediately.”
According to the document – Boeing’s proposal to the US European Command (EUCOM), which is overseeing weapons going to Ukraine – key components of the GLSDB will come from existing US stores.
The M26 rocket motor is relatively expensive, and the GBU-39 costs about $40,000 each, making the complete GLSDB inexpensive and its key components readily available. Although weapons manufacturers are struggling with demand, these factors make it possible to produce weapons by early 2023, albeit at a reduced production rate.
According to SAAB’s website, the GLSDB is GPS-guided, can defeat some electronic jamming, is usable in all weather conditions, and can be used against armored vehicles. The GBU-39 – which will serve as the GLSDB’s warhead – has small, folding wings that allow it to glide more than 100 km when dropped from an aircraft and hit targets as small as 3 feet in diameter. make
Industry incentive
At a production plant in rural Arkansas, Lockheed Martin is redoubling efforts to meet growing demand for mobile rocket launchers known as HIMARS, which can target Russian supply lines, command posts and even individual tanks. I have been successful. The No. 1 U.S. defense contractor is working to double production to 96 launchers a year due to supply chain issues and labor shortages.
According to its website, Lockheed Martin has posted more than 15 jobs related to HIMARS production, including supply chain quality engineers, purchasing analysts, and testing engineers.
“We’ve invested in the infrastructure in the factory where we build HIMARS,” said Becky Wadrow, sales leader for Lockheed Martin’s missile unit.
Despite the increase in demand, Lockheed Martin’s chief financial officer told Reuters in July that he did not expect significant revenue from Ukraine until 2024 or beyond. The CFO of Raytheon, another major U.S. defense contractor, echoed that timeline in an interview with Reuters this summer.
HIMARS fires Guided Multiple Rocket Launch System missiles (GMLRS), which are GPS-guided rounds with 200 pound (90 kg) warheads. Lockheed Martin makes about 4,600 missiles each year. More than 5,000 have been sent to Ukraine so far, according to a Reuters analysis. The US has not disclosed how many GMLRS rounds it has delivered to Ukraine.
Repurposing weapons for regular military use is not a new tactic. The NASAMS anti-aircraft system, developed by Kongsberg Defense and Aerospace and Raytheon, uses AIM-120 missiles – originally intended to be fired from fighter jets at other aircraft. Another weapon, the Joint-Direct Attack Munition (JDAM), which is ubiquitous in US inventories, is a standard unguided bomb equipped with fins and a GPS guidance system.