The United States government announced the future delivery of GLSDB missiles as part of an arms package revealed on 3 February 2023. Thus, nearly a year had to pass for this promise to be fulfilled, which is understandable for certain reasons, as this type of ammunition was not then in serial production. The appearance of the GLSDB represents a significant change in the range of the MARS and HIMARS rocket systems.
💥 Confirmation that Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb is in action in Ukraine. 💥
Will post additional pictures from a seperate strike below. ⬇️
pic.twitter.com/crvqWE2XTK— Colby Badhwar 🇨🇦🇬🇧 (@ColbyBadhwar) February 14, 2024
Previously, the GMLRS missiles, which were widely provided to Ukraine, could only reach up to 85 km, and after the initial shock of their use, the Russians moved most of their large warehouses beyond this range, over 100 km from the front. With the GLSDB, the missile’s flight range is doubled, albeit at the cost of more than halving the explosive material content in the warhead. Nonetheless, if it hits ammunition depots, the effect should be similarly satisfying.
If the GLSDB becomes widely available, it will offer an interesting alternative to the extremely rare ATACMS Block I missiles, which have been used in combat by the Ukrainians in only a handful of instances since October 2023. With a similar range, the cost of the lightweight GLSDB missile is estimated at USD 40,000, whereas the heavy ATACMS costs about USD 1 million.
Moreover, the version of ATACMS made available to Ukrainian soldiers carries only a cluster warhead, making it suitable only for destroying targets scattered across open ground. This was clearly visible during attacks on airfields in Berdyansk and Luhansk, where several helicopters were eliminated on open space. Meanwhile, the GLSDB has some capability to penetrate building roofs and can punch through about 90 cm of reinforced concrete before detonation.
The ground-launched GLSDB was jointly developed by America’s Boeing and Sweden’s Saab. It was created by combining the GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb with the engine from the M26 rocket of the 227 mm caliber from the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system. The missile is launched from a ground launcher to a high altitude, and after the engine burns out, it deploys wings and fins, beginning its glide phase towards the target. The resulting flight range is estimated at approximately 150-160 km. Targeting is achieved through inertial navigation with satellite correction, ensuring accuracy to less than 1 meter.
