Boeing offers to make bombs for Ukraine – Reuters – RT Russia and the former Soviet Union

The Pentagon is reportedly considering a bid from Boeing to mass-produce cheap precision bombs for Ukraine using existing US stores, as Washington and its allies struggle to meet kyiv’s military aid needs.

According to Reuters, Boeing has offered to supply Ukrainian forces with the so-called Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) system, which would combine the $40,000 GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) with the relatively plentiful M26 rocket engine. . The weapon has been in development since 2019.

In a document seen by the outlet, the manufacturer says that the availability of the necessary components would allow it to produce the ammunition and start delivering it to Ukraine as early as spring 2023.

However, there are still logistical hurdles to overcome, as at least six suppliers would need to expedite the shipment of parts in order to produce the weapons quickly. Boeing’s plan also calls for a price discovery waiver, which would exempt the contractor from scrutiny to ensure the Pentagon gets a fair deal.

According to the website of SAAB AB, which manufactures the weapon with Boeing, the GPS-guided GLSDB is capable of hitting targets at a range of up to 150 kilometers, potentially allowing kyiv to hit Russian forces well into the future. beyond the front line.

While the U.S. military and Boeing declined to comment on the report, Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Tim Gorman told Reuters that Washington and its allies “identify and consider the most appropriate systems” it would help Kyiv. He declined to give details of the supply of « specific capacity » to Ukraine.

Moscow has repeatedly warned the United States and its NATO allies against supplying arms to Ukraine, arguing that this only serves to prolong the conflict and could eventually lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and the West.

While countries like the United States and the United Kingdom have provided kyiv forces with more advanced weapon systems capable of reaching deep behind front lines, the Kremlin has described the ongoing conflict as nothing less than a proxy war against NATO. President Vladimir Putin has also said that Russia is fighting « the whole Western military machine ».

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