WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Ukraine will need to wait until next year before it receives its first big shipment of rocket-propelled bombs the U.S. has adapted to strike at a nearly 100-mile (160km) range, according to the Pentagon and people familiar with the timing.

People familiar with current timing say delivery to the U.S. by Boeing, the prime contractor for the GLSDB, will take place in late December - followed by several months of testing before onward shipment to Ukraine.

A Pentagon spokesman said "we anticipate providing this key capability in the early 2024 timeframe after successful verification," another term for testing.

Because the contract to begin production of GLSDB was signed in March, according to a Pentagon statement to Reuters, delivery was forced towards year-end.

The decision to send the long-range rocket, something the U.S. government hasn't purchased for itself, followed a proposal last summer from Boeing Co (BA.N) to U.S. commanders in Europe managing weapons for Ukraine.

Although Russia said in March it had shot down a GLSDB, the U.S. has not supplied any of the smart bombs to Ukraine, a U.S. official and a person familiar with the matter said.

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