The Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) is a new-generation, air-launched, precision-guided standoff missile developed in the United States. Designed for use against high-value fixed or mobile targets, ERAM was conceived to meet urgent operational needs of allied air forces—particularly Ukraine’s—by providing a long-range, cost-effective strike capability that is rapidly producible in large numbers. (The images and visual representations accompanying this document are conceptual in nature and are based on projected configurations and future design expectations of the Extended Range Attack Munition ERAM.)
Country users: Ukraine, United States
Technical Data
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Design
The ERAM is a compact, winged missile featuring a streamlined fuselage optimized for high-subsonic flight. The airframe is constructed with lightweight composite materials to reduce mass while maintaining structural integrity. Folding wings and tail fins deploy after release to enhance lift and stability, allowing efficient cruise at extended distances. The missile is equipped with hardpoints compatible with standard NATO aircraft pylons, particularly those used on F-16s and potentially other fourth-generation fighters.
The design emphasizes manufacturability: key components are modular, and the missile is engineered for assembly on commercial production lines, using both military-grade and commercially available components. The ERAM’s aerodynamic profile is intended to minimize radar signature and maximize range under low-altitude or high-altitude flight profiles. -
Warhead
The ERAM missile is equipped with a unitary high-explosive warhead weighing approximately 227 kg (500 pounds). This warhead is designed to penetrate and destroy hardened or semi-hardened targets such as bunkers, air defense radars, supply depots, and command centers. The explosive charge is configured for optimized terminal effects, ensuring destruction of high-value fixed assets with a single missile. There is also potential for future warhead variants to support area denial or anti-personnel effects, though no such configurations have yet been fielded.
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Engine
The ERAM missile utilizes a compact turbojet or turbofan engine capable of sustaining high-subsonic cruise speeds of around 460 miles per hour (approximately Mach 0.6). This propulsion choice balances range, endurance, and cost, enabling the missile to achieve ranges between 240 to 460 kilometers, depending on release altitude and flight profile. Launch from high altitude can significantly extend the operational radius, leveraging thinner air resistance and glide dynamics.
The engine is believed to be derived from existing small commercial or UAV-grade propulsion units, adapted for military reliability and performance under contested conditions.
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Guidance Systems
The ERAM missile incorporates a GPS-based navigation system, supported by inertial navigation (INS) as a fallback in GPS-denied environments. The guidance package is hardened against jamming and electronic warfare threats, ensuring accurate strike capability even in contested electromagnetic environments. While not yet confirmed, the system likely includes terrain contour matching (TERCOM) or image-based terminal guidance options to improve terminal accuracy in heavily defended or urban areas.
The system is designed to deliver precision strike capability with a Circular Error Probable (CEP) expected to be under 10 meters, allowing effective engagement of point targets.
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Combat Use
Operationally, the ERAM missile is deployed from manned combat aircraft, such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon, and potentially from future UAV platforms. Its standoff range allows aircraft to launch the missile from outside the effective envelope of most short- and medium-range surface-to-air missile systems. This enables deep-strike operations against high-value targets without exposing launch platforms to significant risk.
In the Ukraine conflict context, ERAM provides a critical tool for suppressing and degrading Russian logistics, infrastructure, and air defense networks from relative safety. The missile’s low cost and high production volume allow massed use in saturation strikes or dispersed targeting strategies.
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