The United States is moving to arm Ukraine with a new generation of compact cruise missiles designed to overwhelm Russian defenses with volume, not just raw power. At the center of this effort is the Extended Range Attack Munition, or ERAM, a low-cost weapon tailored to Ukraine’s Soviet and Western fighter jets and built to be produced in large numbers. The program signals a shift in Washington’s approach to the war, prioritizing massed precision strikes that can steadily grind down Vladimir Putin’s forces and logistics.
Rather than relying only on a handful of exquisite long-range systems, US planners are betting that swarms of smaller, cheaper cruise missiles can saturate Russian air defenses and hit critical targets deep behind the front. The emerging ERAM family, along with related designs like the Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile and Rusty Dagger, is intended to give Kyiv the ability to strike more often, from more platforms, and at a cost that Washington and its allies can sustain.
ERAM: the mini cruise missile built for Ukraine’s long war
The US Air Force has framed ERAM as a purpose-built answer to Ukraine’s need for affordable, long-range firepower that can be launched from existing aircraft. The Armament Directorate has been developing ERAM as an inexpensive air-launched cruise missile that can be quickly manufactured, a design choice that reflects the hard lesson that stockpiles of high-end weapons are finite and slow to replenish in a grinding conflict. By focusing on a compact form factor and simplified components, the program aims to deliver a weapon that can be produced at scale without sacrificing the precision Ukraine needs to hit Russian command posts, ammunition depots, and air defense nodes, as described in early Armament Directorate reporting.
Behind the acronym, The Extended Range Attack Munition is also a test bed for a new way of doing business inside the Air Force. The program is tied to an ongoing Enterprise Test Vehicle effort that brings together the 96th Test Wing and industry partners, a structure meant to shorten the cycle from prototype to combat-ready weapon. Instead of a decade-long acquisition saga, ERAM is being pushed through a fast-track process that accepts incremental upgrades over time, a model that fits the urgency of Ukraine’s long-range fight and is detailed in coverage of Extended Range Attack.
From test range to frontline: deliveries, numbers, and timelines
For Kyiv, the critical question is not just what ERAM can do, but when it will arrive in meaningful quantities. Ukraine is expected to receive its first ERAM missiles in October, a milestone that will mark the transition from test flights to operational use. However, the first major delivery will only come in 2026, a lag that reflects the time needed to ramp up production lines and integrate the weapon onto Ukrainian aircraft. That schedule sits alongside broader European support, including a €90 billion loan package approved by the European Parliament to sustain Ukraine’s war effort and economic stability, according to detailed accounts of Ukraine and ERAM.
Behind the scenes, the Air Force’s Weapons Capacity Task Force has been central to compressing the usual procurement timelines. The rapid turnaround on this new class of long-range cruise missiles is the result of that task force’s fast-track acquisition process, which pairs operational commands with engineers and manufacturers to move from concept to fielding in a few years rather than a generation. The same effort is meant to ensure that Ukraine not only gets an initial batch of missiles, but also a sustainable pipeline that can support its long-term strike capacity, a goal highlighted in reporting on the Weapons Capacity Task.
Mass over magnificence: RAACM, Rusty Dagger and the mini-missile wave
ERAM is not emerging in isolation, it is part of a broader shift toward what some analysts are calling the year of the mini cruise missile. In the United States, startups and established firms alike are racing to field smaller, cheaper standoff weapons that can be bought in bulk and launched from a wide range of platforms. Instead of trying to replace traditional heavy cruise missiles, these mini systems are meant to complement them, filling out arsenals with options that commanders can afford to use frequently. That logic underpins assessments that 2026 could be a breakout year for such designs if a customer emerges in sufficient numbers, a trend captured in analysis of mini cruise missiles.
Within that ecosystem, the CoAspire variant known as the Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile, or RAACM, illustrates how far the concept has evolved. RAACM weighs around 250 kilograms and carries a warhead sized to damage high-value targets while keeping the overall missile light enough for fighters like the MiG-29 and F-16 to carry multiple rounds. Ukraine is slated to receive 840 US ERAM cruise missiles for MiG-29 and F-16 combat use by 2026, a volume that would allow its air force to plan sustained strike campaigns rather than one-off salvos, according to detailed breakdowns of RAACM and ERAM.
Another piece of this puzzle is Rusty Dagger, a low-cost standoff weapon that has already demonstrated its ability to hit a target in live testing. Rusty Dagger Low, Cost Cruise Missile Hits Its Target is more than a catchy phrase, it signals that a budget-friendly cruise missile can still deliver precise effects at range. The system sits within a broader portfolio of Air Air Force Munitions Air, Ground options that aim to give pilots flexible tools for striking Russian positions from outside the reach of most surface-to-air missiles, as seen in footage and analysis of the Cost Cruise Missile.
Integrating ERAM into Ukraine’s Soviet and Western jets
For all the focus on missile design, the real test will be how seamlessly ERAM and its cousins can be integrated onto Ukraine’s mixed fleet of Soviet-era and Western aircraft. The United States is creating a new class of long-range cruise missiles for Ukraine’s MiG-29 and F-16 fighters, a pairing that reflects Kyiv’s transition from legacy platforms to NATO-standard jets. Reports describe how Ukraine will Receive 840 ERAM Cruise Missiles for these aircraft, a scale that demands careful planning of pylons, avionics, and pilot training so that the weapons can be used effectively from day one, as outlined in early Breaking Ukraine Receive briefings.
The US Air Force’s new mini-cruise missile is explicitly built for bringing mass to Ukraine’s long-range fight, a mission that depends on more than hardware. Ukrainian crews must learn new tactics for launching salvos from low altitude, coordinating with ground-based intelligence, and threading missiles through dense Russian air defenses. The US side, for its part, has to ensure that software, targeting data, and maintenance support are aligned so that the weapons do not sit idle on the tarmac. That is why The US Air Force and Ukraine have been working closely on concept-of-operations development, with the missile framed as a tool to help Kyiv steadily erode Russian logistics and air defense coverage rather than a silver bullet, as described in profiles of US Air Force.
A broader arsenal shift across the US military
The ERAM push is part of a wider retooling of US strike capabilities that extends beyond Ukraine. Within the Pentagon’s Weapons portfolio, the Army expects to complete fielding of its Dark Eagle hypersonic missile in early 2026, while the Marines start integrating FPV drone tactics into their own concepts for distributed operations. These parallel efforts show a military establishment that is hedging its bets, investing in both ultra-fast, high-end systems and swarms of cheaper, expendable munitions that can be bought in bulk, a balance highlighted in coverage of the Army, Dark Eagle, Marines and FPV systems.
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