Ukrainian Defense Forces are set to receive Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM), a guided air-launched weapon, under an $850 million defense package approved earlier this week by the White House and financed primarily by European partners.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the package includes several categories of weaponry, but ERAM is its most notable component. In total, the United States has approved the transfer of 3,350 ERAM units to Ukraine, with the deliveries (probably, the first batch – ed. by Defense Express) expected in roughly six weeks — that is, by early October this year.
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The report notes that approval of the package had previously been delayed, likely in connection with President Donald Trump's efforts to arrange trilateral talks involving Volodymyr Zelenskyi and Vladimir Putin.
It also emphasizes that the Pentagon must still authorize Ukrainian use of ERAM, echoing the Wall Street Journal's earlier revelation that the U.S. has secretly prohibited Ukraine from using ATACMS missiles against russia since late spring 2025. It can therefore be assumed that Ukraine will be free to use ERAM against temporarily occupied territories, while strikes on russia itself will require a separate green light from the U.S.
ERAM, essentially a hybrid between an aircraft bomb and a cruise missile, was first publicly disclosed in July 2024. Reports at the time indicated that the U.S. was developing the weapon specifically for Ukraine, with the U.S. Air Force listed as the contracting authority.
The request for development was submitted on January 31, 2024, with production scheduled to begin within 24 months of contract signing. Given that deliveries are to start already this October, the developer has completed the project well ahead of schedule — though when exactly the production began remains unspecified.
Yet questions remain as to whether ERAM will face challenges similar to those that plagued the GLSDB (Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb) used with the M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS. That system initially proved vulnerable to russian electronic warfare, forcing further refinement before subsequent batches could be supplied to Ukraine.
As for production, journalists cite projected output of up to 1,000 ERAMs per year. This suggests that delivering the 3,000+ units already promised could take several years, unless the U.S. has already stockpiled part of the order.
Earlier reports also noted U.S. consideration of equipping ERAM with the Quicksink homing head, enabling it to strike naval targets, as well as potential adaptation of the munition into a low-cost UAV interceptor.
Specifications of the ERAM:
- theoretical range: 463 km;
- flight speed: not less than 763 km/h;
- hit accuracy: within 10 meters.
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