US Confirms Delivery of Advanced Long-Range Munitions to Ukraine

Following successful trials in the United States, Ukraine is on the verge of acquiring its initial substantial shipment of long-range missiles, set to significantly enhance its reach into regions under Russian control. These missiles, a collaborative effort between Boeing and the Swedish defense manufacturer Saab, will augment Kyiv’s inventory of precision weaponry with extended range capabilities. They will allow the country to strike deeper into Russia’s rear areas, forcing the Kremlin to move supplies further away from its frontlines. The new GLSDB, which has roughly double the range of the rockets Kyiv now fires from its U.S.-donated High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, could also force Russia to relocate its bases closer to the border.

The Pentagon says the GLSDB can be loaded on various ground launchers and can hit targets up to 145km (90 miles) away. Its longer-range capability will give Ukraine the ability to hit a broader range of Russian logistics hubs and naval facilities in Crimea. It will also enable Kyiv to target sites from which Russian drones have been launched into Ukraine. “This is the first time the United States has agreed to provide Ukraine with a ground-launched variant of this state-of-the-art, precision-guided bomb,” a former U.S. Army general said.

As the fighting on Ukraine’s front lines remains in a stalemate, Kyiv needs longer-range systems to reach beyond Russia’s advancing military positions and hit supply arteries from the peninsula. It is also looking for ways to make it harder for Moscow to deliver weapons and fuel to its troops and to destroy Ukrainian military trucks heading for the conflict zone.

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GLSDB, which will be used by Ukraine’s famous military commander, Gen Valerii Zaluzhnyi, is a step in that direction. Zaluzhnyi, whose popularity has increased due to his refusal to step down in the face of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s request, will use the new weapons to push into Russia’s rear areas.

In February, the Biden administration announced it would send the GLSDB to Ukraine, but the munitions needed to be tested before the Pentagon could approve their shipment. A Pentagon official said that testing is expected to be complete by the end of this month. The official added that the munitions will be delivered as part of the $111 billion emergency supplemental the Obama administration is seeking to pass through Congress.

The GLSDB is a glide bomb that uses inertial navigation and GPS to pinpoint its target. Once launched, it deploys wings and effectively “glides” to its destination, allowing for precise strikes even at long distances. It can carry far more warheads than the air-launched ATACMS missiles that Ukraine has requested from the United States. The Pentagon has yet to say how many Ukraine will get, but Politico’s sources said the first batch could arrive “on the battlefield” as soon as Wednesday.