U.S. Navy chose RAACM-ER (Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile – Extended Range) ground-based cruise missile from American defense company CoAspire for implementing its new CHAOS (Coalition Heterogeneous Affordable Offensive Strike) project, providing for creating cheap and mass long-range weapons for equipping U.S. allies and coalition forces.
As Naval News reports, this involves deal worth $70 million, and cruise missile will be distributed through Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. Moreover, this involves RAACM-ER missile being adapted for CHAOS project requirements.
Read more: South Korea's KF-21 Boramae Priced at $125M Per Jet for Indonesia, Falls Short of Promised 40% Discount Over Western Rivals Like F-35, Rafale
Meaning this involves ground variant, which can be compared with Ghost missile version, financed by U.S. Army within its own project for creating inexpensive weapons samples LCCM (Low-Cost Containerized Missiles), and which will also be made based on RAACM-ER.
Recall increased-range RAACM-ER variant was shown by CoAspire quite recently, in April this year, and this is sort of JASSM or Tomahawk minimized version — although this variant’s cost is currently unknown, it should be significantly lower compared to traditional cruise missiles. Recall base RAACM variant cost fluctuates at level of several thousand dollars.
RAACM-ER received enlarged fuselage and most importantly — significantly greater range. If in RAACM it is limited to 400 km, for ER version this indicator is over four and a half times greater and comprises over 1,800 km.
By the way, worth noting Ukraine's Defense Forces use of another ERAM project cruise missile was already recorded, specifically AGM-188A Rusty Dagger from Zone 5 Technologies company, which only in April was successfully integrated on F-16.
Moreover, russia already managed to complain these are quite precise missiles, although currently exactly unknown where specifically they targeted.
Previously Defense Express reported Destinus after Ruta cruise missiles and Hornet drones took up anti-aircraft missiles, presented Vorexon.
Read more: Defense Express' Weekly Review: How Pakistan's J-10CE Downed Rafales, Why russian Jet UAV Flew Across Romania, ERAM Missiles Surprise Moscow
