In brief

• The US Air Force is looking for manufacturers to supply more than 1,000 ERAM cruise missiles for Ukraine.
• The missiles must fly over 460 km and hit targets despite electronic warfare.
• Suppliers would need to begin deliveries within three months of contract signing, and no contract has been announced yet.

Air Force Opens Search for Suppliers

The US Air Force is trying to find out whether manufacturers can begin deliveries of ERAM missiles within three months of signing a contract, according to reports citing the service's requirements (ВПС США шукають виробників понад тисячі крилатих ракет для України – TSN). The Air Force has described the weapon as a new-generation cruise missile designed for large-scale use in combat conditions (США збираються передати Україні понад 1 000 нових крилатих ракет великої дальності, - ЗМІ – UNIAN).

Range and Targeting Requirements

The missiles are expected to fly more than 460 kilometres and still hit their targets while operating under electronic warfare, reports say (СМИ: США заказывают для Украины более тысячи новых крылатых ракет ERAM – Charter 97). That requirement points to a weapon built to work in contested airspace, where jamming is a standard defensive measure.

Scale of the Order

The reported order exceeds 1,000 missiles, all intended for Ukraine. Media accounts indicate the Air Force is still at the stage of identifying which companies could meet the timeline, so no contract has been announced yet.

What Comes Next

The key open question is whether producers can meet the three-month delivery window after a contract is signed. Until the procurement is finalised, the number of missiles, the price and the delivery schedule remain unconfirmed.