The United States has authorized a potential $111.8 million Foreign Military Sales package that would provide South Korea with 624 additional GBU-39B Small Diameter Bombs, significantly strengthening Seoul’s precision strike capabilities amid heightened regional security pressures and growing interoperability needs.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the approval, noting that the request builds upon an earlier purchase that did not require congressional notification. With this latest batch, South Korea’s total planned inventory will exceed 1,000 units. South Korean defense officials said the acquisition will help maintain alignment with U.S. airpower standards and deliver greater operational flexibility for long-range strike planning across the Indo-Pacific.
The 250-pound-class GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bomb weighs roughly 113 kg and uses GPS-INS guidance to deliver accurate fire in all weather and lighting conditions. Developed in response to a 1997 Air Combat Command requirement for compact weapons enabling multiple effects per sortie, the program accelerated in 2001 and entered production under Boeing in 2003, with first operational deployment in 2006. Up to four bombs can be mounted on a single 1760 hardpoint via a dedicated Bomb Rack Unit, boosting precision-weapon capacity without degrading fighter performance. With a unit cost of around $40,000, the SDB remains attractive for large-scale procurement by allied air forces.
