The US Air Force has revealed Ukraine as the intended recipient of a new precision-guided air-launched munition.
The proposed Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) will have a standoff range of 250 nautical miles (288 miles/463 kilometers), offering Ukrainian Air Force jets greater range than Western-supplied precision-guided bombs.
Ukraine has received the Joint Direct Attack Munition-Extended Range and Small Diameter Bombs from the US and Hammer guided bombs from France. All have a range of 40 to 45 miles (64 to 72 kilometers).
Affordable Mass Weapon
The “muntion is pivotal for accelerating Ukraine’s capability to meet warfighter needs efficiently and effectively and provides an affordable mass weapon to be produced at scale,” an Air Force Life Cycle Management Center Armament Directorate request for proposal states.
“The government is seeking to prototype and adapt a commercial autonomous modular open architecture vehicle that can deliver affordable long-range effects.”
In January, the ERAM was mentioned for the first time in a US Air Force request for information.
The request for proposal is for a munition’s initial phases and asks for proposals from each of the 16 firms that responded to the earlier request for information.
Mass Production
The request for information calls for a design that allows for an annual output of 500 munitions at a rate of over 40 per month.
Production is slated to start within 24 months of a contract being awarded.
It is not clear whether the initiative came from the Ukrainians or the American side.
Intended Features
The ERAM will fly at a speed of at least Mach 0.6 (741 kilometers/460 miles per hour) and operate in GPS-denied environments.
It will be accurate within 10 meters (33 feet), meaning it has a 50 percent chance of hitting the intended target within that radius.
Moreover, the accuracy should be retained even in a high electronic jamming environment.
The 500-pound (227 kilogram) weapon will comprise a warhead capable of blast, fragmentation, and limited penetration effects.