The U.S. Department of the Air Force in January issued a request for information (RFI) to industry for the development of a new type of mini-cruise missile to equip Ukrainian fighters with the capability to strike Russian targets at long range.
The new weapon, provisionally called ERAM [Extended-Range Attack Munition], is to be a small ground-attack cruise missile, intended to be relatively inexpensive to mass-produce and to enable future Ukrainian F-16s (and other aircraft) to attack targets in the Russian rear, with acceptable accuracy.
According to the published RFI, the “minimum” characteristics sought for the new ammunition are:
- Lightweight weapon of 500 lbs (226 kg)
- Range of 250 miles (450 km)
- Maximum speed of not less than Mach 0.6 (or 716 km/h)
- Combat warhead of undefined weight, of the explosive/fragmentation type with some degree of undefined variable penetration capability and fuse
- Capable of navigation in degraded GPS signal environments
- Must have a terminal accuracy of CEP 50 within 10 meters (weapon hits within 10 meters of the center of the target at least 50% of the time), even in high electronic jamming environment
- Data link capability of the weapon to the launch vehicle
- Simple and inexpensive design that allows 1,000 munitions to be manufactured in two years (more than 40 units per month).
How ERAM could be
Since the new ammunition will be prioritized to have a low weight and long range, it is expected that this will have a negative impact on the speed and weight of the warhead, so it should be oriented to attack not very hardened targets, such as air defense systems, artillery pieces, ground-based aircraft, command posts and non-reinforced ammunition/fuel depots, electronic equipment and communication nodes, among other “soft” targets.
The overall weight limitation would allow the F-16 fighters to be delivered to the Ukrainian Air Force to carry 2 or 3 missiles per wing, allowing them to defeat enemy anti-aircraft defenses by saturation.
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Russian electronic warfare systems, which proved very effective in negating the GPS satellite signal on U.S.-supplied armaments to Ukraine, such as JDAM bombs or M982 Excalibur artillery ammunition, were taken into account. To navigate to the target area, and achieve the kill, the ERAM is likely to possess a GPS-assisted inertial guidance system and an optronic terminal guidance system with Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) navigation capability. It would also be expected to possess artificial intelligence algorithms to recognize the target visually, like the Israeli Spice 250 bomb.
Propulsion will likely be based on a turbojet engine, to maximize range, so that Ukrainian aircraft can operate in relative safety.
That’s a lot of capabilities to pack into a small volume. And it must be relatively inexpensive and easy to produce on a large scale to accommodate the massive ammunition demands of high-intensity warfare, such as that being waged by Ukraine and Russia. It is a technical challenge that RFI applicants will have to meet. And if the objectives are achieved and the munition proves cost/effective, it should find its way into the arsenal of many other NATO and allied air forces.
