The US Air Force wants more than 1,000 new cruise missiles, and it wants them fast. In a request for information reported by Defense News on November 3, the service asked defense companies whether they can begin delivering the Extended Range Attack Munition — ERAM — no later than three months after a contract award, with the full order complete within 15 months.
What ERAM is
ERAM is a small, air-launched standoff missile designed for mass production. The Air Force describes it as a next-generation cruise missile “designed to provide affordable mass to the fight” that “delivers a precision-guided, stand-off capability against high-value fixed targets,” according to Defense News.
The specifications in the notice are deliberately modest — the point is cheap and plentiful, not exotic. The weapon should be a 500-pound class munition, capable of blast, fragmentation and limited penetration effects, with variable fuze options, a range of at least 250 nautical miles and a speed of at least Mach 0.6. Respondents must be able to obtain an active Top Secret/SCI facility clearance, and responses are due by November 19, 2026, at 2 p.m. Central Time.
Why the hurry
ERAM is part of the Pentagon’s push for cheaper weapons developed more quickly. The Air Force published its first ERAM request for information in January 2024, awarded prototype contracts later that year to two small companies, Zone 5 Technologies and CoAspire, and conducted a live warhead test at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida in January 2026 — less than a year and a half after the prototypes were ordered.
The notice itself does not name Ukraine, Defense News noted. But the service disclosed in July 2024 that Ukraine was the intended recipient, and in August 2025 the Trump administration approved an $825 million sale of 3,350 ERAM missiles to Ukraine, a package funded largely by European allies. Ukrainian media suggested in June 2026 that Ukraine has already used an ERAM version, the AGM-188A Rusty Dagger, against the Voronezh Semiconductor Plant — a claim Defense News reported as unconfirmed.
The numbers that matter
| ERAM fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Missiles sought | More than 1,000 all-up rounds |
| First delivery | Within 3 months of contract award |
| Full delivery | Within 15 months of award |
| Warhead class | 500-pound class |
| Minimum range | 250 nautical miles |
| Minimum speed | Mach 0.6 |
| Industry responses due | November 19, 2026 |
| Earlier approved sale | 3,350 missiles, $825 million (Aug 2025) |
The notice is step one of a two-step competitive process: the Air Force will evaluate capability papers, then invite only selected companies to submit Commercial Solutions Proposals.
What to watch next
Watch who answers by November 19, how quickly a contract follows, and whether the first deliveries really land within three months — a pace that would test even the Pentagon’s new rapid-buying playbook. And with US-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia due in Abu Dhabi on November 10-11, the order is also a signal: Washington is arming Kyiv for a longer war even as it negotiates to end one.
Sources: Defense News, “US Air Force asks industry for new cruise missile for Ukraine” (Nov 3, 2026); The Vanguard, “Air Force seeks makers for 1,000-plus ERAM cruise missiles” (Nov 3, 2026); Kyiv Post via reporting (Nov 4, 2026).
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