The GBU-69/B Small Glide Munition is a U.S. special-operations stand-off glide bomb developed by Dynetics, now part of Leidos, for Common Launch Tube carriage on AC-130 gunships and integration on unmanned aircraft. It combines GPS navigation, semi-active laser terminal guidance, fold-out wings, lattice tail controls, and a 36-lb blast-fragmentation warhead in a roughly 60-lb munition. Amnesty International identified GBU-69/B fragments from a November 2017 U.S. strike in Somalia, making Somalia the record's directly sourced conflict-use context.
Amnesty International identified GBU-69/B fragments from a November 12, 2017 U.S. strike site near Darusalaam in Lower Shabelle and assessed that an AC-130 fired the munition during U.S. operations against al-Shabaab; Airwars records the event as a declared U.S. Forces airstrike in Somalia.
Public sources distinguish the baseline GBU-69/B from a Block I configuration that keeps the small glide-bomb form but adds datalink functions.
| Variant | Configuration | Designation notes |
|---|---|---|
| GBU-69/B Block I | Two-way datalink variant | The Block I variant adds a two-way datalink intended to let launch platforms or tactical controllers receive weapon status and update targeting after release. Sources: Leidos GBU-69 datalink test, Janes Gray Eagle SGM trials |
The GBU-69/B is documented as a Common Launch Tube munition for AC-130 gunships, with later public demonstrations expanding integration work to unmanned aircraft.
| Carrier | Carrier type | Carriage evidence |
|---|---|---|
 | Gunship aircraft | Leidos describes SGM carriage on AC-130 gunships, AFSOC lists the GBU-69 in the AC-130J Ghostrider's standoff precision-guided loadout, and Amnesty linked GBU-69/B fragments in Somalia to AC-130 Common Launch Tube employment. Sources: Leidos Strike Systems page, AFSOC AC-130J Ghostrider Fact Sheet, Amnesty Hidden US War in Somalia |
The Small Glide Munition is designed around a compact glide-bomb package that can be tube-launched from special-operations aircraft while retaining a warhead comparable to larger precision weapons.
| Area | Documented point | Primary support |
|---|---|---|
| Launch architecture | Common Launch Tube and Battle Management System compatibility are central to the AC-130 loadout. | Leidos Avalon 2025 SGM features; AFSOC AC-130J Ghostrider Fact Sheet |
| Guidance | GPS navigation and a semi-active laser terminal seeker support moving-target attacks and terminal homing. | Leidos Avalon 2025 SGM features; Janes Gray Eagle SGM trials |
| Modularity | Leidos describes a seeker nose, tail kit, and wing assembly mounted to the warhead case so alternate seekers, warheads, or subsystems can be incorporated. | Leidos Avalon 2025 SGM features |
| Datalink growth | The Block I configuration adds two-way datalink functions for in-flight status and targeting updates. | Leidos GBU-69 datalink test; Janes Gray Eagle SGM trials |
Leidos states that the GBU-69/B Small Glide Munition became operational in 2017 after the Dynetics development effort.
Sources: Leidos GBU-69 datalink test
Amnesty International identified GBU-69/B fragments at a U.S. strike site near Darusalaam, and Airwars records the same event as a declared U.S. Forces airstrike against al-Shabaab in Lower Shabelle.
Sources: Amnesty Hidden US War in Somalia, Airwars USSOM101-C Somalia strike
Dynetics received an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for GBU-69B Small Glide Munitions for U.S. Special Operations Command, with work potentially continuing through fiscal year 2030.
Sources: Defense Post Dynetics SGM contract
USSOCOM and AFSOC conducted initial testing of a Block I GBU-69/B configuration incorporating a two-way datalink.
Sources: Leidos GBU-69 datalink test
GA-ASI reported a U.S. Army MQ-1C ER Gray Eagle demonstration using a Dynetics GBU-69B SGM at a California military test range on August 21-22, 2019.
Sources: GA-ASI Gray Eagle SGM demonstration
