The U.S. Air Force has revealed that Ukraine will be the first recipient of a new low-cost, long-range, precision-guided weapon system under rapid development — the Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM).
The ERAM, capable of striking targets up to 250 miles away, is designed to enhance Ukraine’s ability to hit Russian positions deep behind front lines while minimizing exposure to advanced air defenses. Unlike many of Kyiv’s current air-launched munitions, which have ranges between 40–45 miles, ERAM would provide a critical capability boost, comparable only to the UK’s Storm Shadow and France’s SCALP-EG missiles.
Developed under the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Armament Directorate, the program seeks to prototype a 500-pound-class blast/fragmentation munition with precision guidance effective even under GPS-jamming and electronic warfare conditions — a direct response to Russian countermeasures on the battlefield.
The Pentagon has stressed that the ERAM is both affordable and scalable, with production targets set at up to 1,000 units within two years. This effort not only strengthens Ukraine’s warfighting capacity but also serves as a real-world test case for rapidly producing advanced U.S. munitions at scale — a strategy viewed as vital for future conflicts, including potential high-end engagements with China.
Analysts see ERAM as a dual-purpose program: a game-changer for Ukraine now, and a template for mass-production munitions critical to U.S. strategy in prolonged conflicts.
