The US government is giving Ukraine extra military aid worth about $2.2 billion (about two billion euros). The package also includes the so-called Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB), which can hit targets at a distance of 150 kilometers. This will double the reach of the Ukrainian military, a US Defense Department representative said.
GLSDB are smaller, low-profile bombs with warheads weighing less than 100 kilograms, but they can “sail” for miles due to their light weight. To do this, they unfold two wings during flight and find their destination via GPS or laser. They were originally developed for aircraft. There is now a variant that can be fired from the ground. So far, Ukraine uses the US High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) with a range of about 75 kilometers. First delivered in June, it led to a marked strengthening of Ukrainian forces and, among other things, forced the Russian army to move its supply depots further away from the front lines.
The United States is considered Ukraine’s most important ally and has rapidly launched several large packages of arms and ammunition. In late January, after much back-and-forth and in parallel with the German commitment to supply Leopard tanks to Kiev, the US government also announced that it would deliver 31 M1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine. According to the government, these are not expected in Ukraine in the coming months.
Composition of the tank battalions “heavy effort”
Ukraine is expected to receive significantly more German Leopard main battle tanks than previously expected. After the Bundeswehr pledged 14 Leopard 2 tanks, the German government also gave the green light on Friday for the export of older Leopard 1 tanks from industrial stocks. The number of tanks involved remains open for the time being. It is now “particularly up to the companies to find out what can be delivered in practice,” Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday.
After Germany’s commitment to supply 14 Leopard 2 A6 main battle tanks to Ukraine, other NATO partners are hesitant to make their own contribution, according to a media report. According to information from the “Spiegel”, there are still no firm commitments to assemble a battalion of Leopard 2 tanks for Ukraine together with the 14 German tanks. “Putting the battalions together is proving to be a difficult feat,” say government circles.
Source: Krone
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