US planning $2 billion package for Ukraine that includes longer-range rockets

A Reuters report suggests that the United States is preparing more than $2 billion worth of military aid for Ukraine. It is expected to include longer-range rockets for the first time as well as other munitions and weapons, two US officials told Reuters on Tuesday.

The announcement is expected as soon as this week, the officials said. Support equipment for Patriot air defense systems, precision-guided munitions and Javelin anti-tank weapons are also likely to be a part of the aid.

Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), a fund that allows President Joe Biden's administration to get weapons from industry rather than from US weapons stocks, will finance a portion of the package. The amount is expected to stand at $1.725 billion.

The USAI funds would go toward the purchase of a new weapon, the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) made by Boeing, with a range of 94 miles (150 km). The United States has rebuffed Ukraine's requests for the 185-mile (297-km) range ATACMS missile.

Since the GLSDB glide bomb has a longer range, it will let Ukraine hit targets that have been out of reach. It will also prove crucial in its fight against Russian as it continues pressing its counterattacks.

The SAAB AB and Boeing jointly make the GLSDB. It combines the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) with the M26 rocket motor, both of which are common in US inventories.

According to SAAB's website, GLSDB is GPS-guided, can defeat some electronic jamming, is usable in all weather conditions, and can be used against armoured vehicles. The GBU-39, which serves as the GLSDB's warhead, has small, folding wings, letting it glide more than 100 km if dropped from an aircraft and hit targets as small as three feet in diameter.

The USAI funds will also be used to purchase more components of HAWK air defenses, counter drone systems, counter artillery and air surveillance radars, communications equipment, PUMA drones, and spare parts for major systems like Patriot and Bradley, one of the officials said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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