The air-launched tactical, scalable, low-cost air-to-ground weapon was sought by the U.S. Air Power final yr for Ukraine.
The Trump administration authorized final week 3,350 ERAM (Prolonged Vary Assault Munitions) to be delivered to Ukraine, amongst different gadgets, in a $850 million assist bundle “principally funded by European nations,” on account of arrive within the nation in about “six weeks,” The Wall Road Journal reported in an unique story on Aug. 23, 2025. The event was reported in a narrative in regards to the Pentagon prohibiting Ukraine from conducting long-range missile strikes inside Russia with the U.S.-made ATACMS (Military Tactical Missile System).
The air-launched tactical, scalable, low-cost air-to-ground weapon was sought by the Air Power Life-Cycle Administration Middle (AFLCMC) final yr for Ukraine, and it seems that issues have moved fairly quick with the primary items ending manufacturing. Nevertheless, exterior of idea drawings, we have no idea what the weapon seems to be like in its ultimate design kind, or who’re the arms producers concerned.
Nevertheless, it may be safely assumed that the Ukrainian Air Power’s F-16s, Mirage 2000s and its fleet of Russian-origin MiG-29s, Su-25s and Su-27s would be capable of function it. This new weapon can be an addition to the AASM Hammer and GBU-39 SDB already employed by Ukrainian fighters.
The US is sending Ukraine 3,350 Prolonged Vary Assault Munition (ERAM) air-launched missiles, with deliveries beginning in weeks, per the WSJ.
The low-cost cruise missiles reportedly have a spread of as much as 250 miles, a CEP of lower than 10 m, and a warhead of 500 kilos. pic.twitter.com/csMjVDFqV7
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) August 23, 2025
WSJ report
The WSJ report comes amid the continued diplomacy effort between Moscow and Washington to settle the warfare, in keeping with President Donald Trump’s long-standing need to extricate the U.S. from that battle. Photos of the paywalled article, posted on X by deputy director of the Basis for the Protection of Democracies (FDD) John Hardle, stated the Pentagon has been vetoing long-range strikes utilizing the ATACMS, which has a spread of 300 km and is fired from the M142 HIMARS (Excessive-Mobility Artillery Rocket System).
The Pentagon reportedly is obstructing Ukrainian ATACMS & Storm Shadow missile strikes inside Russia, undercutting Trump’s personal leverage vis-a-vis Moscow. The supply of ERAM is nice however can be extra impactful if Ukraine’s palms weren’t tied… pic.twitter.com/KcclH8Mcvm
— John Hardie (@JohnH105) August 23, 2025
The “evaluation mechanism” initiated by the Pentagon’s Undersecretary for Coverage Elbridge Colby for Ukraine’s long-range fireplace requests for each American weapons and European ones that “depend on American intelligence and parts” follows the White Home’s efforts to “woo the Kremlin into starting peace talks.” This approval course of talked about by an unspecified official to the publication is in direct distinction with Trump’s latest feedback that Ukraine ought to “play offense.”
“It is rather tough, if not inconceivable, to win a warfare with out attacking,” stated Trump in a submit on social media. “There isn’t any likelihood of successful!”
Prolonged Vary Assault Munition
As The Aviationist reported, the U.S. AFLCMC (Air Power Life-Cycle Administration Middle) sought the event of the ERAM in a RFI (Request for Info) and RFP (Request for Proposals) in January 2024 and July 2024, respectively. After reviewing proposals from 16 unidentified corporations, the RFP sought full technical and monetary proposals “to fund the preliminary section of growth of a brand new aviation munition referred to as ERAM.”
The doc added that the brand new munition “will probably be key to enhancing Ukraine’s capabilities and must be an reasonably priced weapon kind tailored for mass manufacturing.” The ERAM is anticipated to own a industrial modular, open structure and ship “reasonably priced long-range results.”
The RFP didn’t elaborate on the necessities, nonetheless the RFI specified as minimal necessities a 500 lb (227 kg) class weapon, able to blast, fragmentation and restricted penetration results and with variable fuze choices. The RFI additionally stipulated a spread of no less than 463 km and a velocity of no less than Mach 0.6.
A particular functionality is a navigation system able to working in a GPS degraded surroundings, with a CEP (Round Error of Likelihood) inside 10 m additionally in GPS degraded situations. Lastly, the weapon must be mass producible to as much as 1,000 items per yr by 24 months after contract signing.
US approves sale of three,350 ERAM missiles with a spread of as much as 450 km to Ukraine – WSJ
Supply anticipated in six weeks.Targets should be coordinated with the Pentagon.
The bundle prices $850 million, largely financed by European allies. pic.twitter.com/Cv8cMCq92L
— Jürgen Nauditt 🇩🇪🇺🇦 (@jurgen_nauditt) August 24, 2025
The necessity to have the ability to function in SATNAV (Satellite tv for pc Navigation)-denied environments got here as many Western weapons confronted diminishing success amid heavy Russian digital warfare, with solely the GBU-39 SDB recording some notable success.
Unidentified U.S. officers, who put the ERAM’s vary between 150 miles (241 km) and 280 miles (450 km) within the WSJ report, added that Ukraine must search Pentagon’s approval to make use of these too. Whereas we’d solely know what the weapon seems to be like after official photos emerge upon supply to Ukraine, the speedy transition from the tender to the manufacturing stage suggests the weapon is a technically uncomplicated land strike munition.
Present weapons
Present weapons programs that broadly meet the ERAM’s necessities embrace Boeing’s Powered Joint Direct Assault Munition (PJDAM), which provides a fuselage and wing equipment, a Kratos-TDI-J85 engine and steerage system to a 500 lb bomb, remodeling it right into a mini cruise missile. The PJDAM has a median unit value between $25,000 and $30,000, a lot decrease than the AGM-158 JASSM’s (Joint Air-to-Floor Standoff Munition) $1 million. Sure computerized illustrations originating from Ukraine additionally present the ERAM trying just like the PJDAM.
Jet-Powered JDAM Goals To Flip Bombs Into Cruise MissilesThe firm is pitching the Powered Joint Direct Assault Munition (PJDAM) as a versatile and lower-cost cruise missile that can be utilized to assault targets on land and ones at sea. It might assist nations, together with the United… pic.twitter.com/0UxcWNGMcT
— Havoc (@Havoc_Six) October 25, 2023
One other munition is the Grey Wolf program that the Pentagon signed individually with Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman in December 2017. The experimental low-cost cruise missile could be deployed as a swarm to function in opposition to IAD (Built-in Air Protection) networks.
A 3rd candidate is the U.S. Navy’s MACE (Multi-mission Reasonably priced Capability Effector) sought in February 2024. The price-effective, air-launched, extended-range, anti-ship weapon ought to have “elevated vary at decrease prices” and combine a “high-maturity propulsion system with confirmed payloads.”
The procurement of the brand new weapon for Ukraine may also inform the U.S.’ personal effort in Challenge Artemis to have such weapons that blur the traces between one-way assault drones and cruise missiles to carry mass within the opening phases of a traditional warfare. Two of the 4 companies which have acquired contracts from the Protection Innovation Unit (DIU) are Ukrainian corporations, with the 2 U.S. corporations being Dragoon and Aerovironment.
How the brand new ERAM shapes this program, whether or not U.S. and European allies purchase a complicated variant, or check parts – presumably steerage, navigation or seeker expertise – stays to be seen.
