Will new super-powerful weapon help Ukraine defeat Russia
2023.02.02 09:23
Will new super-powerful weapon help Ukraine defeat Russia
By Kristina Sobol
Budrigannews.com – It has responded to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s request for rockets that can strike deep behind the front lines of the nearly year-long conflict with Russia, with the expectation that the United States will send a new longer-range weapon to Ukraine.
If Russian forces don’t change, they could suffer catastrophic losses.
The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb, or GLSDB, will enable Ukraine’s military to hit targets twice as far as it currently can with rockets fired from the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), which is supplied by the United States.
The 151 km (94 miles) GLSDB will put all of Russia’s supply lines in the east of the country, as well as a portion of the Russian-occupied Crimea, within reach if it is included in an anticipated weapons aid package.
Russia will be forced to move its supplies even further away from the front lines as a result, making its soldiers more vulnerable and making plans for any new offensive extremely difficult.
“This could significantly slow down [a Russian assault],” Ukraine’s former defense minister Andriy Zagorodnyuk stated. These rockets have the potential to have an even greater impact on the course of events than HIMARS did.
GLSDB is a GPS-guided glide bomb that can maneuver to strike command centers and other hard-to-reach targets. jointly produced by Boeing and SAAB AB (NYSE:) Co, it combines the M26 rocket motor and the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), both of which are prevalent in U.S. inventories.
According to sources, although it is not yet compatible with HIMARS, the United States will provide Ukraine with new launchers for the rockets. GLSDB might be delivered in the spring of 2023.
In June, the United States sent its first HIMARS launchers, providing rockets with a range of 77 kilometers (48 miles). The Ukrainian military was able to destroy Russian ammunition dumps and weapons storage facilities thanks to this significant boost.
Military experts assert that Russia will need to move its supplies even further away once Ukraine acquires the new glide bombs.
Oleksandr Musiyenko, a military analyst from Ukraine, stated, “We are currently unable to reach Russian military facilities more than 80 kilometers away.” Naturally, this will reduce Russian forces’ ability to attack if we can reach them practically all the way to the Russian border or in occupied Crimea.”
Importantly, Ukraine will soon be able to access Berdiansk and Melitopol, the occupied overland route to Crimea, from all points. Russia will be compelled to move its supply trucks to the Crimean bridge, which was severely damaged in an October attack.
Musiyenko stated:
“Russia is using Crimea as a large military base from which it sends reinforcements to its troops on the southern front.” We could reach that and disrupt the logistical connection with Crimea with a 150-kilometer (munition) range.”
The addition of a weapon with a longer range to Ukraine’s arsenal could help shake Russian confidence, in addition to the impact on logistics.
According to Tom Karako, a Center for Strategic and International Studies expert on weapons and security, the GLSDB is “a really important step to give the Ukrainians longer reach and to keep the Russians guessing,” even though Ukraine would benefit from an even longer-range weapon.
The Biden administration sees the decision to send GLSDB to Ukraine as a step toward fulfilling Ukraine’s request for the Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missile, which has a range of 185 miles (297 kilometers). The administration has so far refused to provide the ATACMS missile for fear of further escalation of the conflict.
Even though they aren’t as powerful, the glide bombs are much cheaper, smaller, and easier to deploy than the ATACMS, making them ideal for many of Ukraine’s goals: creating a tactical advantage and disrupting Russian operations.
Nevertheless, Karako stated, it is possible that the Ukrainians will receive an additional weapon with a longer range in the future.
He stated:
“We’ve seen the administration say time and time again that they would go up to a certain point, but not beyond.” Then, as the situation has gotten worse, they’ve realized that they need to actually go further.”
This was the case with HIMARS, the Patriot missile defense system, and Abrams tanks just this month. All of these items were initially prohibited from being shipped to Ukraine before the administration eventually gave its approval.
However, for the time being, Zagorodnyuk stated, the focus will be on how quickly the new glide bombs can reach Ukraine.
“This could significantly alter the situation on the battlefield if they speed it up.”
