The United States government has authorized the possible sale of hundreds of GBU-39/B SDB-I glide bombs intended to equip the Republic of Korea Air Force’s fighter aircraft. This information comes from one of the most recent notifications submitted by the Department of State to the U.S. Congress in order to approve the operation, which falls under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Program and is valued at US$118.8 million.
Designated as Small Diameter Bombs–Increment I (SDB-I), the GBU-39/B is a precision glide bomb that can be employed by a wide range of combat aircraft thanks to its weight of 250 pounds (approximately 110 kilograms).
In service with the United States Air Force (USAF) since 2006, it features—depending on the variant—various types of guidance, including GPS, laser, or inertial navigation, and offers ranges of more than 100 kilometers when launched from the air.
According to information released by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) on December 5, the South Korean government requested the purchase of six hundred and twenty-four (624) bombs of this type for a total of US$118.8 million, with aerospace company Boeing identified as the main contractor for the operation.
Additionally, the DSCA reported that this authorization complements previous requests, with the original FMS case covering the sale of three hundred and eighty-seven (387) GBU-39/B bombs valued at US$18.8 million.
The Department of State noted: “The proposed sale will improve the Republic of Korea’s capability to meet current and future threats by increasing its critical air defense capability to deter aggression in the region and ensure interoperability with U.S. forces. The Republic of Korea already has GBU-39/B SDB-I in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces.”
Finally, this authorization adds to another approved in favor of South Korea last October, which covered the sale of AGM-65 Maverick tactical missiles worth US$34 million, intended to equip the FA-50, KF-16, and F-15K fighters operated by the Republic of Korea Air Force.
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