In August 2025, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) to Ukraine: 3,350 long-range missiles worth $825 million. As it turned out later, the ERAM program actually covers two different cruise missile designs, developed by Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire.
Remarkably, the weapons were created in a very short timeframe. According to U.S. Air Force documents cited by Aviation Week, prototypes were produced within just 14 months since the solicitation release in August 2024 and tested on a Douglas A-4 and a Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter.
Read more: New U.S. Anti-Ballistic Interceptor Must Cost Under $750,000 — Is It Even Possible?
In contrast to traditional years-long cruise missile procurement in America, both ERAM variants completed their first flights only four months after the contracts were signed.
Development took $225 million and benefited from using designs created under the Enterprise Test Vehicle, a program initiated in 2024 that sought not weapons but rather high-rate production aerial vehicles using easily obtainable commercial, off-the-shelf components.
The ERAM missiles are intended for launch from F-16 and MiG-29 aircraft. While the first delivery was initially expected this October, it has now transpired that it will consist of only 10 missiles.
This first batch will effectively serve as a combat evaluation phase to gather operational data in a real-combat environment, apply changes if needed, and optimize the weapon for maximum efficiency before scaling up production.
The first large-scale supply to Ukraine will include 840 missiles, to be delivered over a 10-month period in 2026 — averaging 84 missiles per month and completing by the end of October.
How the missiles will be split between Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire remains unclear, as does the schedule for the remaining 2,510 missiles ordered by Kyiv.
The silver lining is that ERAM represents a long-term program that will provide Ukraine with sustained access to long-range strike capability, strengthening its Air Force for years to come.
Earlier, Defense Express also reported on the U.S. plans to create an anti-ballistic interceptor that costs under $750,000 and analyzed whether it's even possible in the first place.
Read more: Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC May Start F-16 Maintenance in Ukraine With Lockheed Martin's Support
