Ukraine is getting new US weapons that can hit Russian forces almost 100 miles away, but it's still a no on missiles

• The US' latest $2.2 billion aid package to Ukraine includes a new long-range weapon system.
• The Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) has a 94-mile range that'll prove crucial for Ukraine's efforts in Crimea.

The Biden administration announced Friday that a $2.2 billion aid package for Ukraine will include a new longer-range weapon system that can strike Russian locations nearly 100 miles away.

The proposed weapon — called the Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB) from Boeing — has a 94-mile range and may prove crucial in Ukraine's efforts to retake Crimea.

The GLSDB system uses a more-affordable, precision-guided GBU-39 bomb fitted onto a M26 rocket motor, according to Reuters.

GLSDB systems are typically launched from the air. The ground launch version, which is included in the Ukraine aid package, will take months to develop, according to Politico.

Pentagon spokesperson Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Friday that the rockets would help Ukraine "conduct operations in defense of their country, and to take back their sovereign territory in Russian occupied areas."

Specifically, the 94-mile range will allow Ukraine to pressure Russia's occupied Crimea.

Crimea was previously invaded and illegally annexed by Russian forces in 2014. In February 2022, the peninsula served as a launchpad for Russia's invasion. Now, it remains a base of attack for Russian aircraft and warships.

Crimea is likely to be the next battlefield of the war. Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, a former commander of US Army Europe, told Insider in January: "The decisive terrain for this war is Crimea. The Ukrainian government knows that they cannot settle for Russia retaining control of Crimea."

The US aid package notably does not include US-made Army Tactical Missiles Systems (ATACMS), which Ukraine asked for in May 2022.

The Biden administration has refused to send the missiles — which have an impressive 190-mile range — out of concern that they could hit targets within Russia.

As of November 2022, the US has sent Ukraine $19 billion in aid since the war's outbreak.