US Seeks 1,000+ New Cruise Missiles for Ukraine, First Deliveries Due in 3 Months

The US Air Force is seeking defense contractors able to manufacture more than 1,000 Extended Range Attack Munition, or ERAM, missiles. The weapons are intended for Ukraine and are designed to provide affordable, precision-guided standoff attacks against high-value fixed targets.

The delivery schedule is unusually demanding. Contractors must begin delivering the first missiles no later than three months after receiving a contract. They must complete all deliveries within 15 months. The Air Force issued a Request for Information to learn which companies can meet those requirements.

Responses are due on November 19 through SAM.gov. The request follows prototype work by Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire, which received development contracts in 2024. A live-warhead test took place in January 2026, showing how quickly the program has moved toward possible large-scale production.

The Extended Range Attack Munition, or ERAM, is a next-generation cruise missile. The Air Force describes it as relatively small and low-cost, with a design focused on producing large quantities. Its purpose is to give forces a precision-guided standoff weapon against high-value fixed targets.

It is air-launched because an aircraft releases it rather than firing it from the ground or a ship. After launch, it travels toward a target under its own guidance and propulsion. The article specifies a range exceeding 460 kilometers and a speed above Mach 0.6, but it does not identify the launch aircraft or every internal system.

ERAM is intended to carry blast and fragmentation effects, with limited penetration at impact. Its stated combination of range, accuracy, and affordability makes it suited to massed attacks against fixed targets while keeping launch platforms farther away.

The planned ERAM is compact but far-reaching. It should weigh around 227 kilograms, or 500 pounds, and travel more than 460 kilometers, equal to 250 nautical miles. That gives it standoff reach while keeping the weapon relatively small and suited to production in large numbers.

Its required speed is above Mach 0.6. The missile must also hit within 10 meters of its intended target. This accuracy requirement applies even when electronic jamming is present or GPS signals are degraded. The weapon is expected to create blast and fragmentation effects, plus limited penetration on impact.

The article describes a program for more than 1,000 missiles, but it also reports a separate 2025 announcement of a sale of 3,350 ERAM missiles to Ukraine. The production request sets a 15-month deadline for completing deliveries.

The Air Force describes ERAM as a way to provide “affordable mass to the fight.” The broader Pentagon effort seeks weapons that cost less and can be developed and produced on shorter timelines. A relatively inexpensive missile can support larger inventories than a small batch of costly systems.

Ukraine is central to the effort. In August 2025, the Trump administration announced an $825 million sale of 3,350 ERAM missiles to Ukraine. The latest Request for Information asks industry whether it can produce more than 1,000 missiles quickly, with the first deliveries due within three months of contract award.

The article does not state Ukraine’s exact stockpile or operational need. It does show the intended role: affordable, precision-guided standoff attacks against high-value fixed targets. The push also raises questions about how extensively the US military plans to use ERAM itself.

ERAM could allow Ukraine to strike selected high-value fixed targets from standoff distance. The Air Force describes the missile as precision-guided and capable of traveling more than 460 kilometers. This would give the weapon a role against important stationary facilities without requiring the launching aircraft to approach the target closely.

Its expected warhead effects include blast and fragmentation, along with limited penetration. Those effects could damage or disrupt facilities, depending on the target and strike conditions. The article specifically connects ERAM with attacks on high-value fixed targets, rather than describing a broad range of battlefield missions.

The missile’s actual combat use is not fully established. Ukrainian media reported that an ERAM variant may have been used against a semiconductor plant in Russia’s Voronezh region, but that report was not independently confirmed. The article also does not measure the damage caused by any such strike.

The article requires ERAM to strike within 10 meters even during electronic jamming or degraded GPS conditions. It does not explain which navigation hardware or software the missile will use. Therefore, its exact method cannot be established from the source.

In general, cruise missiles can use inertial navigation, which estimates movement from onboard gyroscopes and accelerometers without relying continuously on GPS. Other systems may compare terrain, landmarks, or stored maps, while a seeker can help identify the target near the end of flight. Anti-jam antennas and filtering can also reduce interference, depending on the design.

These methods allow a missile to keep navigating when satellite signals are unreliable, but they do not make it immune to every form of disruption. For ERAM, the stated requirement is the important confirmed fact: accuracy within 10 meters under jamming or degraded GPS. The article does not confirm which combination achieves it.

Weapons such as ERAM typically move through several stages: industry development, prototype construction, testing, contracting, and production. In this case, the Air Force awarded prototype-development contracts to Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire in 2024. The program then advanced toward a live-warhead test at Eglin Air Force Base in January 2026.

The Air Force’s new Request for Information is a market check before a larger production effort. Companies must describe whether they can build more than 1,000 missiles and start deliveries within three months of award. The missiles must meet requirements for range, speed, weight, accuracy, and warhead effects.

Responses are due November 19 through SAM.gov. If a contract follows, all deliveries are expected within 15 months. The schedule shows a push from experimental designs toward mass production, although the article does not identify the eventual producer or confirm that a production contract has been awarded.