The Department of Defense is looking at a proposal of Boeing to provide Ukraine with ground-launched small diameter bombs to help the Eastern European country counter Russian attacks amid declining U.S. and allied military inventories, Reuters reported Monday.
Boeing and Saab produce GLSDB, a GPS-guided weapon system composed of the GBU-39 small diameter bomb and the M26 rocket motor that can hit armored vehicles and other targets at a range of about 94 miles.
According to a document obtained by the wire service, GLSDB could be handed over to Ukraine as soon as spring 2023.
Boeing’s proposal to U.S. European Command, which manages the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, would require a price discovery waiver and source main GLSDB components from existing U.S. suppliers.
The news agency said the potential production of the small precision bombs would require at least six vendors to speed up parts delivery to accelerate weapons production.
A spokesperson for Boeing declined to comment. Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman, a spokesman for DOD, said the U.S. and its allies “identify and consider the most appropriate systems” that would support Ukraine.
