The United States is preparing to announce a major new arms package for Ukraine on Friday as top military leaders from around the world gather in Germany to discuss how to help Kiev fight Russia, according to three US officials and another person familiar with the discussions. , writes Politico. The package will include a small diameter ground bomb (GLSDB) with a range of 160 kilometers and Stryker armor.

Although the next shipment will include additional artillery, ammunition and armor — likely Stryker armored fighting vehicles — the U.S. is not expected to approve the shipment of the M1 Abrams tanks, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Biden administration currently has no plans to send the Army’s 60-ton Abrams main battle tank, the sources said.

The reluctance is due to logistics and maintenance issues for the tanks, not concerns that their transfer could escalate the conflict, one US official said.

He noted that the United States helped Ukraine acquire Soviet-era tanks and supports Great Britain’s decision to send Challenger 2 tanks.

The package is likely to include Stryker armored personnel carriers, an eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle built by General Dynamics Land Systems, and a small diameter ground bomb (GLSDB) that has a range of about 100 miles, two of the sources said. POLITICO first reported last week that the Pentagon was considering sending the next batch of Stryker armor. Reuters first reported in November that small diameter bombs made by Boeing were under discussion.

The package would not include the Army’s long-range tactical missile system that could reach Moscow, the two people said. The Biden administration refused to send the high-capacity munitions, despite Kiev’s request, for fear of provoking Russian President Vladimir Putin.

What we know about GLSDB systems

A major advantage of this system is that it combines the GBU-39 small diameter bomb and the M26 rocket motor, both of which are widely available in the United States arsenal.

The GLSDB system, a partnership between Saab and Boeing, is highly accurate at long ranges, and the GLSDB also has the ability to fly complex trajectories and maneuver to engage targets that cannot be hit by conventional firearms, either directly or indirectly. It is launcher independent, meaning it can be launched from a container solution as well as any launcher that can use the M26 launch container, such as the HIMARS, M270, and ChunMoo. The containerized solution can also be used on board ships, ensuring that the GLSDB can be launched from both land and naval assets, Saab said in 2019 after testing it.

The GBU-39 bombs, which will be used in the systems’ warheads, have small folding wings that allow them to hover over 100 kilometers when launched from an aircraft and can hit targets up to one meter in diameter.

Additionally, each bomb costs only $40,000, a very low price compared to other weapons supplied to Ukraine, and the rocket engine used by the GLSDB is available in large quantities in US weapons stockpiles.

“We believe that providing modern tanks will help and greatly improve the Ukrainians’ ability to fight where they are fighting now and to fight more effectively in the future,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday, referring to the European tanks. He declined to comment on any future US aid package

Western countries have dramatically increased their commitments for new weapons to help Ukraine. Germany promised a Marder vehicle, and France AMX-10 RC light tanks. Canada will also provide 200 Canadian-made vehicles, and this month the US announced it would send 50 Bradley fighting vehicles.

The head of NATO admits that Ukraine needs more advanced weapons

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that Ukraine needs a “significant increase” in armaments at a crucial moment in the Russian invasion, and that such support is the only way to a peaceful, negotiated solution, Reuters reported.

“This is a crucial moment in the war and a significant increase in support for Ukraine is needed,” Stoltenberg told Reuters in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

“If we want a peaceful, negotiated solution tomorrow, we must offer more weapons today.”

Asked in Davos about the German-made Leopard tanks, which would require Berlin’s approval before being exported from Poland or Finland, Stoltenberg said there was a “constant dialogue” between the allies. He noted that Germany has already provided aid to Ukraine, but a recognized the need for NATO members to provide more advanced weaponsCNN reports.

Defense leaders from about 50 countries and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will hold talks at Germany’s Ramstein Air Base on Friday, the latest in a series of meetings since Russian troops entered Ukraine nearly 11 months ago.

The talks in Ramstein are expected to focus not on what the United States will offer, but on whether Germany will drop its opposition to sending Leopard battle tanks to Ukraine, or at least approve their transfer from allied countries.