Kristen Smith 
Boeing will serve as the principal contractor on South Korea’s newly approved foreign military sale request for additional GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs–Increment I, expanding Seoul’s precision strike inventory. The Department of State cleared the potential sale, valued at $111.8 million, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency said Friday.
What Is Included in South Korea’s FMS Request?
The request covers 624 SDB-I munitions, which will be added to a previously implemented FMS case that did not require congressional notification. The original sale, worth $18.8 million, included 387 SDB-I units along with aircraft components, spares, propellants and technical support.
Manufactured by Boeing, SDB-I is a 250-pound class, GPS/Inertial Navigation System-guided glide bomb designed for high-precision strikes against fixed and stationary targets. It can be carried in an aircraft’s internal bay or on an external hardpoint.
The State Department said the additional munitions would help South Korea deter regional aggression, strengthen interoperability with U.S. forces and contribute to security and economic stability in the Indo-Pacific.
South Korea already fields the SDB-I and is expected to integrate the additional weapons without difficulty.
