A bomb developed by Sweden’s Saab in cooperation with Boeing is part of the latest US military aid package to Ukraine.
The fact that Saab has supplied bombs for the war is not something the company has communicated externally, nor does it want to answer any questions about the arms deliveries.
According to Politico, the Saab-developed weapon, the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLDSB), were delivered to Ukraine in early February and are described as having a range of more than 150 kilometers and very high accuracy.
– It gives them a deeper strike capability they haven’t had, it complements their long-range fire arsenal, it’s just an extra arrow in the quiver that’s gonna allow them to do more, a senior US military official commented in late January.
– I will refer to Ukraine to talk about any delivery, but we do, as I mentioned, continue to work closely with Ukraine and with our industry partners to ensure that Ukraine receives and is ready to use the capabilities that we’re delivering to them, and as quickly as possible, he continued.
The bomb is called a “budget model” because it is relatively cheap to produce, and Ukraine will reportedly be the first country in the world to use it in combat.
Companies making money from and supplying weapons to ongoing wars and armed conflicts has been widely condemned by human rights and peace groups. Saab has also been criticized in the past for selling weapons to totalitarian dictatorships that have a history of violence against civilians and political opponents, or otherwise frequently violate human rights – such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.