The State Department approved a potential $373.6 million sale of 1,532 JDAM-ER precision-guided bomb kits for Ukraine.
The weapon systems are capable of striking targets up to 40 miles away by converting unguided bombs into GPS-guided munitions.
The approval for the weapons package on Tuesday comes after congressional pressure following former Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell accusing the Pentagon of freezing $400 million of Ukraine assistance.
“Republican majorities on both armed services committees authorized $400 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative for each of the next two years. Appropriators fully funded that authorization for fiscal 2026 with overwhelming support,” McConnell wrote in an op-ed published in The Washington Post on April 28. “Yet the Ukraine aid we passed months ago is now collecting dust at the Pentagon … When Senate appropriators have sought an explanation from the department’s policy shop, led by Undersecretary Elbridge Colby, they’ve been stonewalled.”
The specific weapons in question would allow Ukraine to launch weapons further from Russian air defenses, decreasing the risk to Ukrainian airmen.
“The Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range kit converts standard unguided bombs into GPS-guided precision weapons. The extended-range variant adds wing kits that enable strikes from significantly longer distances, with effectiveness reaching beyond 40 nautical miles depending on altitude and release conditions. Ukraine has used JDAM-ER systems since 2023, adapting them to Soviet-era aircraft while preparing for integration with Western platforms including F-16 fighter jets. The added range allows Ukrainian aircraft to launch strikes from farther outside Russian air defense coverage, a critical advantage in contested airspace where surface-to-air missile systems remain a constant threat,” Natural News said Friday.
A timeline for the delivery of these weapon systems remains uncertain and is subject to congressional review, as well as finalizing contracts and being subject to production schedules.
“While the Trump administration has avoided direct funding commitments, the approval signals continued willingness to arm Ukrainian forces through NATO-brokered arrangements that shift financial responsibility to European allies,” Natural News said Friday.
5 Responses
Is there a Nobel Peas Prize for ” Peas Through De-population “? That would be dah bomb !
Once again. America last.
There goes YOUR doge check to those con artists in ukrane.
Thank you Trump, the American taxpayers thank you.
Payday for Lindsay Graham!
So true, but I’d bet that full presidential support does not come cheap. Getting in on the Bidens’ scam could be an achilles heel for the Trumpster. Ultimately both wings are controlled by the same bird.