#GLSDB bomb

[reallyelegantperson]

What keeps GLSDB why it might be difficult to combine two existing things into one. ( GLSDB bomb, GLSDB missile, GLSDB range GLSDB cost, GLSDB news )

https://lamoldremediation.com/what-keeps-glsdb-why-it-might-be-difficult-to-combine-two-existing-things-into-one-glsdb-bomb-glsdb-missile-glsdb-range-glsdb-cost-glsdb-news/?amp=1

[jcmarchi]

Ukraine About to Receive a Long-Awaited Air-Gliding Weapon - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ukraine-about-to-receive-a-long-awaited-air-gliding-weapon-technology-org/

Ukraine About to Receive a Long-Awaited Air-Gliding Weapon - Technology Org

It was promised more than a year ago. It should have arrived last year already. But it is finally coming to aid Ukraine’s defensive effort.

Politico reported that after a long wait, Ukraine will soon receive the high-precision Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) from the United States. It seems that the GLSDB is already on its way to Ukraine and will start hitting Russian targets in just a few days. This is a special weapon that is not even in the arsenal of the US forces.

The GLSDB is launched by a rocket and then swiftly glides towards its target. Image credit: USAF via Wikimedia

Politico reported this on the basis of anonymous sources, but previously similar officially unpublished news has been proven to be true. Moreover, the arrival of GLSDB in the defence of Ukraine is not even a big surprise.

In fact, GLSDB is kind of already late. The USA announced back in February 2023 that it would provide Ukraine with this weapon. At one point it was said that the GLSDB will be in Ukraine by the end of 2023. From the very beginning, it was clear that Ukraine would have to wait, as the mass production of GLSDB had not even started yet. This is a completely new weapon, a joint creation of Boeing and Saab Group. By the way, Taiwan needs it very much too, but agreed to wait for longer to make more GLSDBs available for Ukraine.

The GLSDB is a gliding aerial bomb GBU-39 SDB paired with an M26 rocket. The rocket allows this bomb to be launched from the ground. Specifically, the GLSDB is launched by the HIMARS and M270 systems or a special container. The GLSDB has a range of about 150 kilometres – it flies further than the GMLRS missiles currently used by Ukraine’s HIMARS.

“It gives them a deeper strike capability they haven’t had, it complements their long-range fire arsenal,” the unnamed U.S. official said.

GLSDB missile. Image credit: Boeing/SAAB

Of course, the impact of GLSDB in Ukraine will depend on how many such bombs the US can provide. Production is just starting so their number will certainly not be large. But with the GLSDB Ukraine will be able to cover a third of Crimea’s territory. In addition, Saab notes that the GLSDB is accurate to about one metre and is almost impossible for the Russians to shoot down.

Although the GLSDB takes off from the ground with the rocket, the bomb completes the final stage of its journey by gliding. It maneuvers, changes angles of attack, and makes turns. This means it has almost no IR signature to be picked up by Russian anti-aircraft missiles – a significant advantage over cruise missiles. Another advantage is the price. The M26 missiles are old and the US has a lot of them, making the GLSDB a much cheaper weapon than the new ATACMS or cruise missiles. The disadvantage of the GLSDB is a relatively small warhead, but its size is compensated by precision.

If Ukraine could get many GLSDBs, they would change many things. All major frontline positions could be attacked, Russian logistics lines could be stretched and all smaller and larger bases could be eliminated.

Written by Povilas M.

Sources: Glavred.info, Wikipedia

[otthonzulles]

GLSDB-ről van szó! @hochfunf @kgyst

M��r novemberben írta a sajtó, hogy ha beindítják a "gyártását", akkor indulhat a szállítása Ukrajnába. Mondjuk a tavaszt ezzel is kell várni.

Mi a GLSDB? Gyorstalpaló. Adott ez az SDB, Small Diameter Bomb:

Ez egy siklórepülő, verziótól függően a pontossága 1-8 méter. Hasonlóan egy loitering munitionhöz nem nyílegyenes pályán tud a célponthoz repülni. Egy kis bökkenő van vele: repülőről kellene indítani.

Ezt küszöböli ki a GLSDB, Ground Launched, egy készleten lévő rakétamotort kap a végére adapterrel és hipp-hopp, 150km-es hatótávolság. Ami könnyebbé teszi a döntést az amerikaiknak, hogy egy ilyen rakéta ára 40000USD, a régóta várt ATACMS viszont 1 millió dolcsi/db (természetesen pusztításban (~4x akkora robbanófej) és hatótávolságban (2x) is más dimenzió).

A GLSDB (ugyanúgy mint az ATACMS) indítható a meglévő M270 (lánctalpas) és HIMARS járművekről. Haggy szóljon!

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up March 28-29, 2023

Under the cut:

Ukraine struck a railway depot and knocked out power in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol deep behind front lines on Wednesday amid growing talk from Kyiv of a counterassault against Russian forces worn out by a failed winter offensive.

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, has described the situation at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine as “very dangerous” and very unstable. The nuclear facility has lost its external power supply six times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, forcing emergency diesel generators to kick in to cool its reactors.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov suggested that Ukrainian offensive action involving Western tanks may begin in April or May in an interview with Estonian television.

The German federal government has agreed to allocate an additional 12 billion euros (over $13 billion) worth of military support to Ukraine over the next nine to 10 years, it announced Wednesday in a statement.

The US has not seen any indications that Russia is getting closer to using tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, White House spokesperson John Kirby has said. It comes after Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that Moscow has made a deal to station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. The Russian president said he was acting after negotiations with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, who he said had “long raised the question” of a nuclear deployment on his country’s territory.

Map from The Guardian

Ukraine struck a railway depot and knocked out power in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol deep behind front lines on Wednesday amid growing talk from Kyiv of a counterassault against Russian forces worn out by a failed winter offensive.

Unverified images on the internet showed explosions lighting up the night sky with streaks of contrails in Melitopol, base of the Russian-controlled administration in Zaporizhzhia, one of five Ukrainian provinces Russia claims to have annexed.

Ukraine's exiled mayor of the city confirmed there were explosions there. Russia's state TASS news agency, citing Moscow-installed officials, said a railway depot was damaged and power knocked out to the city and nearby villages.

Melitopol, which had a pre-war population of around 150,000, is a railway logistics hub for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and part of the land bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimea peninsula.

There was no public information about the weapons Ukraine might have used for the strike. The city is at the far edge of the range of Ukraine's HIMARS rockets and within reach of newer weapons it is said to be deploying, including air-launched JDAM bombs and ground-launched GLSDB munitions promised by the United States. Russia said it shot down a GLSDB on Tuesday, the first time it has reported doing so.

The strike could hamper Moscow's rear logistics at a time when Kyiv has suggested it could soon mount a counterattack against Russian invasion forces who have scored no big victories in a months-long offensive despite the war's bloodiest fighting.

Melitopol is south of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, visited on Wednesday by U.N. nuclear agency chief Rafael Grossi, who repeated calls for a safe zone there, saying the situation had not improved and fighting nearby had worsened.

-via Reuters

~

The head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Rafael Grossi, has described the situation at Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in southeastern Ukraine as “very dangerous” and very unstable.

The nuclear facility has lost its external power supply six times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago, forcing emergency diesel generators to kick in to cool its reactors.

Grossi, who heads the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the water level in a nearby reservoir controlled by Russian forces was another potential danger. Water supplied by the reservoir is used to cool the reactors.

He told Reuters:

If the reservoir level goes down beyond a certain level, then you don’t have water to cool down the reactors, and we have seen especially in January that the levels of the water were going down significantly. They recovered somehow in the past few weeks.

He added that there had been increasing military activity in the region without giving details.

Grossi, who yesterday met with President Volodymyr Zelenskiy at the Dnipro hydroelectric power station, northeast of the Zaporizhzhia plant, said his attempt to broker a deal to protect the plant was still alive, and that he was adjusting the proposals to seek a breakthrough.

He was speaking a day before he is expected to travel to the nuclear plant, the largest in Europe.

Grossi has been pushing for a safety zone to be created at the plant to prevent a possible nuclear disaster as Moscow and Kyiv have accused each other of shelling the site of the power station. Kyiv does not want a deal that will in effect recognise or allow a Russian military presence at the plant.

Grossi added:

I am confident that it might be possible to establish some form of protection, perhaps not emphasising so much the idea of a zone, but on the protection itself: what people should do, or shouldn’t do to protect (the plant) instead of having a territorial concept.

-via The Guardian

~

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov suggested that Ukrainian offensive action involving Western tanks may begin in April or May in an interview with Estonian television.

Reznikov said that German Leopard tanks, which have begun arriving in Ukraine, will be part of “the counteroffensive campaign under the decision of our General Staff. … They are planning that in different directions.”

“And it will depend on the time, the best time,” Reznikov said, speaking in English. “It will depend on weather conditions. During the springtime, we have wet land. And you know, you can use only tracked vehicles without wheels for example.” “I think that we will see [the tanks] during these two months. I mean April and May,” Reznikov said.

Last week, Oleksandr Syrskyi, the commander of Ukraine’s land forces, said on his Telegram channel that the Russians are "losing significant forces [in Bakhmut] and are running out of energy."

“Very soon, we will take advantage of this opportunity, as we did in the past near Kyiv, Kharkiv, Balakliya and Kupyansk,” he said.

-via CNN

~

The German federal government has agreed to allocate an additional 12 billion euros (over $13 billion) worth of military support to Ukraine over the next nine to 10 years, it announced Wednesday in a statement.

"Germany has been supporting Ukraine in the war against Russia for more than a year with money, equipment and material and will continue to do so. This must also be reflected in the budget. On the one hand, for the procurement of armaments for Ukraine, and on the other hand, for the replacement of weapons and material handed over to Ukraine from Bundeswehr stocks," the government noted. Around $4.3 billion will go to the German military to replace the military aid Berlin has given to Kyiv since the invasion, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius added.

-via CNN

~

The US has not seen any indications that Russia is getting closer to using tactical nuclear weapons in the war in Ukraine, White House spokesperson John Kirby has said.

It comes after Vladimir Putin announced on Saturday that Moscow has made a deal to station tactical nuclear weapons on Belarusian territory. The Russian president said he was acting after negotiations with his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, who he said had “long raised the question” of a nuclear deployment on his country’s territory.

Speaking to reporters today, Kirby said:

We’re watching this as best we can. We haven’t seen any movement by Mr Putin to act on what he pledged he would do.

The Belarusian foreign ministry today confirmed it will host Russian tactical nuclear weapons, saying the decision was a response to years of western pressure.

-via The Guardian

[matapetre]

Gli Stati Uniti sono pronti a consegnare all’Ucraina armi con una portata di 150 chilometri: ordigni che possono mettere in crisi i piani russi per una nuova offensiva.

Secondo indiscrezioni di stampa, il prossimo pacchetto di aiuti Usa includerà le GLSDB – Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb – progettate dalla Boeing e dalla Saab svedese.

Occhio!!!!

[asestgrin]

Американские GLSDB оказались уязвимы перед российскими системами РЭБ

Согласно информации, предоставленной агентством Reuters, компании Boeing понадобится несколько месяцев для устранения уязвимости системы GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) к российской радиоэлектронной борьбе (РЭБ). Эта система, которая представляет собой высокоточное оружие, используемое для поражения наземных целей, продемонстрировала недостаточную устойчивость к воздействию РЭБ. По словам заместителя министра обороны США Уильяма Лапланта, несмотря на способность GLSDB преодолевать н... Читать дальше »

[fegan84]

Four "GLSDB" Aerial Bombs Attacked a recreation center with Twenty Russi...

[stuartbramhall]

Ukraine Can't Use US Top Notch GLSDB Munitions Due to Russian Electronic Warfare Systems

Sputnik International The GLSDB, or Guided Long-Range Surface-to-Surface Delivery Ballistic Bombs, is a joint development of Boeing and Saab, which added a rocket engine to the air bomb and adapted it for launch using multiple rocket launchers. The Ukrainian Army is unable to effectively use GLSDB precision-guided bombs, which the US transferred to Kiev at the beginning of the year, due to…

[gemees]

Saab Announces Plans for New Munitions Facility in US

Saab announced plans to build a new munitions facility in the U.S., continuing the company’s strong investment and growth domestically. The innovative new site will support the engineering and production of missile weapon systems for the U.S. military, such as components for the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) system, and close combat weapons, such as the M3A1 Multi-Role Anti-Armor Anti-Personnel Weapon System (MAAWS). Final site selection and groundbreaking is planned for 2024, with production underway by 2026. This new facility will bolster domestic production of critical weapon systems, reducing reliance on foreign manufacturing. Secondly, it will strengthen the global supply chain for these systems, ensuring a steady flow of essential equipment to the U.S. military. #military #defense #defence #militaryleak

Saab announced plans to build a new munitions facility in the U.S., continuing the company’s strong investment and growth domestically. The innovative new site will support the engineering and production of missile weapon systems for the U.S. military, such as components for the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) system, and close combat weapons, such as the M3A1 Multi-Role Anti-Armor…

[ultrajaphunter]

PRECISION STRIKE: My Kyiv Post colleague

@officejjsmart reports that US provided Ground Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) will enter Ukrainian service tomorrow.

They are capable of hitting targets at a distance of up to 145 km. https://x.com/officejjsmart//officejjsmart/status/1752401374380208349

[militaryleak]

United States to Provide Ukraine with Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB)

Recent developments indicate a forthcoming enhancement to Ukraine's military capabilities with the introduction of the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB). On 14 October 2023, Boeing said that the GLSDB will be delivered to Ukraine by winter. On 30 November, it was reported that the delivery had been postponed to early 2024. This advanced munition, developed jointly by Boeing and Saab, boasts a striking range of up to 150 km, surpassing the capabilities of standard rocket projectiles like the GMLRS. Equipped with satellite guidance (GPS) and an inertial navigation system, the GLSDB ensures precise targeting, enabling Ukrainian forces to effectively engage Russian logistical lines and strategic targets deep within enemy territory.

Recent developments indicate a forthcoming enhancement to Ukraine’s military capabilities with the introduction of the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB). On 14 October 2023, Boeing said that the GLSDB will be delivered to Ukraine by winter. On 30 November, it was reported that the delivery had been postponed to early 2024. This advanced munition, developed jointly by Boeing and Saab,…

[open-society-news]

Высокоточные бомбы GLSDB находятся на пути к фронту — Нуланд / NV

https://t.me/open_society_news/11527

[jcmarchi]

Ukraine is Getting a Special HIMARS? - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/ukraine-is-getting-a-special-himars-technology-org/

Ukraine is Getting a Special HIMARS? - Technology Org

Earlier this month it was revealed that the latest American military aid package for Ukraine includes a single HIMARS missile system, alongside many other weapons. The total worth of this package is around 100 million dollars. Other weapons do not raise that many questions, but why is the US sending only one HIMARS? Is it somehow special?

HIMARS is a highly universal and highly mobile system, which helped the defenders of Ukraine to stretch the Russian lines of logistics. Image credit: Sgt. Jacob Harrer via Wikimedia

Ukraine is operating a number of HIMARS and equivalent systems. In fact, some experts say that while more would be better, the HIMARS Ukraine already has is plentiful to cover the entire length of the enormous frontline.

Of course, these systems get damaged, break down, and are put out of service in other ways. However, the US is sending only one now with additional ammunition.

Military expert Pavel Narozhny believes that this valuable addition to the Armed Forces of Ukraine is not an ordinary HIMARS launcher. “Most likely, this HIMARS came with something new,” Narozhny emphasized. But what could it be?

The obvious version is the ATACMS. Ukraine is already using ATACMS missiles and they are fully compatible with the HIMARS and M270 launchers. However, they do have different modules and the missile itself is significantly larger than the standard GMLRS.

HIMARS normally can fire up to 6 GMLRS missiles in a quick succession, while ATACMS is big enough to take all the space on top of the HIMARS chassis. Because of this different launch module, it is possible that the US is sending one HIMARS specifically prepared for ATACMS operations.

However, Pavel Narozhny has another guess. It is known from open sources that the Pentagon has contracted Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) weapons. It is basically a glide bomb, mated to a M26 rocket. It can be launched from HIMARS and M270 systems. The range of the GLSDB is reported to be over 150 kilometres.

“The main point is that it is very cheap. I think we are talking about 100 thousand dollars approximately. The GMLRS rocket that we now use costs 170–180 thousand dollars,” Narozhny noted. GLSDB might not be as powerful, but it has a longer range and should be highly accurate. GLSDB was developed by Boeing and the Saab Group.

GLSDB is a ground-launched glide bomb with a range of around 150 km. Image credit: USAF via Wikimedia

What will Ukraine do with a large amount of GLSDBs? Well, their longer range will be useful to attack Russian routes of logistics, eventually complicating the situation at the frontlines. However, the effectiveness of this weapon in Ukraine would have to be tested and would depend on the number of munitions Ukraine would actually get. One special HIMARS wouldn’t do much.

And we don’t know for sure if that’s what the US is sending. It could be that the one single HIMARS is just a replacement for a broken system.

Written by Povilas M.

Sources: Charter97.org, Wikipedia

[ukrainenews]

Daily Wrap Up February 2-6, 2023

Under the cut:

116 soldiers returned to Ukraine in prisoner exchange, says Kyiv

A new US military aid package for Ukraine worth more than $2.175bn includes a new rocket that would double Ukraine’s strike range, according to a US official. The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) will be provided to Ukraine as part of Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), Brig Gen Patrick Ryder told a news briefing.

Two Russian missiles hit the centre of Kharkiv, the administrative capital of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine's northeast, with one of the missiles striking a residential building, local officials said on Sunday.

Repair crews were working round the clock to restore power systems in the Black Sea port of Odesa following a fire that left hundreds of thousands of residents without electricity, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.

Ukrainian officials will conduct a complete internal audit of procurements made by the country's armed forces, Ukraine's defense minister said, after a recent string of anti-corruption raids.

Ukrainian troops will begin training with the Leopard tanks from Monday, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced.

A drone exploded early Monday in the Russian city of Kaluga, Vladislav Shapsha, the governor of the region, said in a post on his official Telegram channel.

The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, has warned the world is walking into a “wider war” over Ukraine during a speech presenting his 2023 priorities.

“116 soldiers returned to Ukraine in prisoner exchange, says Kyiv. The head of Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s office, Andriy Yermak, has said that Ukraine has got 116 soldiers back as part of a prisoner of war swap.

Earlier on Saturday, Russia said it had got 63 PoWs back in an exchange.

Yermak posted a video of soldiers on a bus, along with them posing with flags in the snow outside. He said they were “defenders of Mariupol, Kherson partisans [and] snipers from Bakhmut vicinities”.”-via The Guardian

~

“A new US military aid package for Ukraine worth more than $2.175bn includes a new rocket that would double Ukraine’s strike range, according to a US official.

The Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) will be provided to Ukraine as part of Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), Brig Gen Patrick Ryder told a news briefing.

The GLSDB’s range is 94 miles (151 km), double that of Ukraine’s current longest-range weapon, the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), whose rockets can travel 48 miles (77 km).

A greater range would allow Ukraine’s military to strike deep behind the frontlines of the war, attacking Russian forces from a greater distance or potentially penetrating more deeply into Russian-held territory.

The GLSDB will put all of Russia’s supply lines in the east of the country within reach, as well as part of Russian-occupied Crimea.

It will force Russia to move its supplies farther from the frontlines, which could make its soldiers more vulnerable and complicate plans for any new offensive.”-via The Guardian

~

“Two Russian missiles hit the centre of Kharkiv, the administrative capital of the Kharkiv region in Ukraine's northeast, with one of the missiles striking a residential building, local officials said on Sunday.

"A residential building in the city center was hit. A fire broke out. So far, three victims are known: a 54-year-old woman and two men aged 51 and 55," Kharkiv governor Oleh Synehubov said on the Telegram messaging platform.

He said the woman was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds.”-via Reuters

~

“Repair crews were working round the clock to restore power systems in the Black Sea port of Odesa following a fire that left hundreds of thousands of residents without electricity, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday.

The mass blackout — though attributable to a fire — was one of many that have hit Ukraine's grid since Russia focused in October on attacking energy infrastructure as part of its invasion of Ukraine.

"Repair work is going on round the clock. The situation at this time is that hundreds of thousands of people in Odesa region are without power," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Zelenskiy said that such disruptions in Ukrainian cities "could not have happened" before the onset of Russian attacks on power generation sites over several weeks, some of which involved dozens of missiles at a time.

"Repair work is going on round the clock. The situation at this time is that hundreds of thousands of people in Odesa region are without power," Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address.

Zelenskiy said that such disruptions in Ukrainian cities "could not have happened" before the onset of Russian attacks on power generation sites over several weeks, some of which involved dozens of missiles at a time.

Zelenskiy did not say how long the repair works would take, but Ukrainian officials said earlier they could take weeks.”-via Reuters

~

“Ukrainian officials will conduct a complete internal audit of procurements made by the country's armed forces, Ukraine's defense minister said, after a recent string of anti-corruption raids.

“We have launched an internal audit that checks all procurement systems. It is still in progress," Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov said. "And I think that within a week, they should officially complete the audit of all of the procedures for February. Then they will audit everything. And then, it will be 'put on the table' for appropriate decisions."

Some context: President Volodymyr Zelensky's recent anti-corruption push is viewed as a key step toward Ukraine’s possible admission into the European Union.

Rooting out corruption is “an important dimension of the EU accession process,” said Ana Pisonero, a spokesperson for the European Commission, on Jan. 24.

Ukrainian authorities uncovered stashes of cash, as well as luxury watches and cars, during raids carried out across the country last month.

Among those caught up in the investigations is the acting head of the Kyiv tax authority, who was allegedly part of a scheme to overlook $1.2 billion worth of Ukrainian hryvnia in unpaid taxes.”-via CNN

~

“Ukrainian troops will begin training with the Leopard tanks from Monday, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov announced.

Speaking to reporters during a news conference in Kyiv, he said: “We are accumulating reserves and working on training more personnel, getting the Western weapons.”

Reznikov also warned of an upcoming Russian offensive. “We expect an offensive. It's February, and Russians love symbolism. We expect this pressure from them, and we are ready,” he said.

But tanks are not the only weapons Ukraine needs to defend itself from enemy bombardment. According to Reznikov, it needs long-range weapons reaching 150 kilometers that must be "more effective and active." The maximum range of the current artillery provided by the West is 144 km.

On Thursday, US officials said the US was expected to announce a new Ukraine security package worth approximately $2.2 billion that will include longer-range missiles in a first for the country.

But these will not reach the distance Ukraine is asking for out of fear longer-ranging weapons -- like the sought after ATACMS missile -- will be used to hit targets in Russia, which Reznikov refuted.

“I want to emphasize that we promise our partners not to use long-range systems to hit targets on Russian territory, only on the Ukrainian territory which Russians occupied,” he assured.

Speaking of the military aid Ukraine has received, Reznikov said they had been given "almost everything" in terms of weapons except for fighter jets, which he is certain they will get.

Ukraine is not a NATO member, but in this war has become a "NATO country de facto," he said, receiving weapons, standards and digital systems. "The only thing left to do is to be accepted in the alliance de jure,” Reznikov added.”-via CNN

~

“A drone exploded early Monday in the Russian city of Kaluga, Vladislav Shapsha, the governor of the region, said in a post on his official Telegram channel.

"Tonight, residents on the outskirts of Kaluga heard a pop [popping sound]. It was established that at 5 a.m. in a forest near the city, a drone exploded in the air at a height of 50 meters," Shapsha said.

The governor didn't provide any additional details about the drone or its suspected origin.

The city of Kaluga is about 200 kilometers (or about 124 miles) southwest from Moscow.

"There was no damage to civilian and social facilities. There were no casualties. Representatives of law enforcement agencies are working on the ground," he said.”-via CNN

~

“The UN’s secretary general, António Guterres, has warned the world is walking into a “wider war” over Ukraine during a speech presenting his 2023 priorities.

Addressing the UN general assembly just weeks before the first anniversary of Russia’s 24 February invasion of Ukraine, Guterres described the war as “inflicting untold suffering on the Ukrainian people, with profound global implications”.

He said:

The prospects for peace keep diminishing. The chances of further escalation and bloodshed keep growing. I fear the world is not sleepwalking into a wider war. I fear it is doing so with its eyes wide open.”

-via The Guardian

[mariacallous]

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine will need to wait until next year before it receives its first big shipment of rocket-propelled bombs the U.S. has adapted to strike at a nearly 100-mile (160km) range, according to the Pentagon and people familiar with the timing.

When the U.S. was first approached by Boeing (BA.N) to buy and ship the Ground Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) to Ukraine last fall, the most optimistic timeline for shipping was around spring of this year, according to a document seen by Reuters at that time. It was reported by Politico in February that delivery wouldn't take place until later in 2023.

Ukraine needs GLSDB to augment the limited number of 100-mile range ATACMS rockets the U.S. has sent. It will allow Ukraine's military to hit targets at twice the distance reachable by the rockets it now fires from the U.S.-supplied High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) and force Russia to move its supplies even farther from the front lines.

People familiar with current timing say delivery to the U.S. by Boeing, the prime contractor for the GLSDB, will take place in late December - followed by several months of testing before onward shipment to Ukraine.

A Pentagon spokesman said "we anticipate providing this key capability in the early 2024 timeframe after successful verification," another term for testing.

Because the contract to begin production of GLSDB was signed in March, according to a Pentagon statement to Reuters, delivery was forced towards year-end. Production required government furnished materials, so contract signing constrained its start.

The decision to send the long-range rocket, something the U.S. government hasn't purchased for itself, followed a proposal last summer from Boeing Co (BA.N) to U.S. commanders in Europe managing weapons for Ukraine.

Boeing did not respond to a request for comment.

Although Russia said in March it had shot down a GLSDB, the U.S. has not supplied any of the smart bombs to Ukraine, a U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter said. Reuters could not determine if another country supplied Kyiv with the weapon.

GLSDB is made jointly by Sweden's SAAB AB (SAABb.ST) and Boeing Co (BA.N). It is GPS-guided, can defeat some electronic jamming, is usable in all weather conditions, and can be used against armored vehicles, according to SAAB's website.