US to provide Ukraine with long-range GPS-guided bombs – Bloomberg
An MQ-9 Reaper armed with Joint Direct Attack Munition. Photo: Tech. Sgt. Paul Labbe/US Air Force via Bloomberg
The United States will transfer long-range bombs with GPS guidance that can hit targets at a distance of 72 km to Ukraine.
The Bloomberg news agency reported, citing individuals in weapons production, the Pentagon didn't officially announce that it was sending a modified version of the Boeing Joint Direct Attack Munition to Ukraine, only saying it was providing "precision aerial munitions" included in a $1.85 billion aid package announced on December 21.
However, two people familiar with the matter confirmed to the agency that the bombs in question were JDAM-type extended-range bombs, known as JDAM-ER, produced by Boeing. Pentagon spokeswoman Kelly Flynn said the US wouldn't identify the weapons, citing operational security.
The JDAM-ER can strike targets from a distance of 72 km (45 miles) and can be tacked on unguided bombs weighing 225 to 900 kg. After being dropped, the bomb spreads its wings, extending its range by three times and enabling it to glide up to 72 km.
The extended range kits "will significantly increase precision firepower using available stocks of munitions," Rebecca Grant, an Air Force systems specialist and president of IRIS Independent Research, told Bloomberg, adding the kits can be used "to attack russian front lines or their second echelon rear areas in Ukraine."
On January 20, Boeing received an order for JDAM from the US Air Force worth $40.5 million. According to the award, the US and Ukraine have devised a system for programming and launching the JDAM-ER from Ukrainian Soviet-era fighter jets.
We will remind you that on February 20, the Pentagon announced the details of a new military aid package to Ukraine. According to the list, the package includes additional ammunition for the HIMARS rocket launcher system, 155 mm caliber artillery shells, 120 mm mortar shells, and more.
