The ERAM has appeared within just 14 months of the initial solicitation in August 2024, with prototype deliveries scheduled for October. It is the product of the Weapons Capacity Task Force, an organisation within the U.S. Air Force’s Life Cycle Management Center’s Armament Directorate.
Armed with a $225 million budget, the Task Force awarded contracts to two nontraditional defence companies, CoAspire and Zone 5 Technologies, and tested the weapons on a U.S. Douglas A-4 and a Ukrainian MiG-series fighter. According to Air Force documents obtained by Aviation Week, the first lot of 840 ERAMs is planned for delivery by the end of October 2026.
In late August, U.S. government officials cleared the sale of up to 3,550 ERAMs to Ukraine, with the Defense Security Cooperation Agency notifying Congress of the export deal. The notification confirmed the missiles can be operated from Ukraine’s Lockheed Martin F-16 and MiG-29 fighters.
Although authorised to purchase thousands of units, Ukraine will initially receive a smaller batch. The first 10 cruise missiles are scheduled for delivery in October.
The Air Force Task Force is also pursuing further projects, including palletised munitions similar to the ERAM, low-cost air-to-air missiles and a classified initiative named Sunrise. Prototyping work for hypersonic and subsonic weapons could begin in the third quarter of fiscal 2026.
Lawmakers have recognised the Task Force’s unconventional approach to procurement. “The Task Force has taken a fundamentally different approach to weapons development by embracing nontraditional vendors with expertise in digital engineering, modular design and the ability to scale up production rates rapidly,” a congressional report states.
The ERAM programme contrasts with traditional missile procurement timelines, which can span years. Both CoAspire and Zone 5 completed first flights only four months after the Phase 1 contract award in October 2024, aided by designs from the Enterprise Test Vehicle programme.
The requirement specifies a conventional air-launched cruise missile mounted under a wing or in a weapons bay and compatible with standard bomb racks. Integration can be achieved either through a universal armament interface or via a federated cockpit system.
The U.S. Air Force expects to acquire ERAM alongside at least three foreign buyers, with Ukraine confirmed and two others not yet identified. A related effort, the Family of Affordable Mass Missiles, could add thousands more units, with Anduril and Zone 5 competing to supply the 3,010 systems outlined in the Air Force’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal.
Source: Aviation Week.
