The US Air Force is testing the new ERAM missile, which will be supplied to Ukraine’s F-16 fighter jets.

In late January, the U.S. Air Force reported that it had carried out a test of the new ERAM missile intended to arm the Ukrainian-operated F-16 fighter fleet. The event took place at the Eglin Test and Training Range, marking a notable programme achievement less than sixteen months after the initial contract was awarded. The service said the trial met its objectives in every area assessed, including a complete warhead detonation, producing a valuable body of data to support further development.

ERAM missile testing for Ukrainian F-16s at Eglin

More detail was released about how the activity was run. The evaluations were conducted on 26 January as a combined effort involving teams from the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Armament Directorate, the 96th Test Wing, and the industry partners supporting the work. Alongside them, engineers and technicians based in Eglin’s Central Control Center handled mission planning and then carried out analysis of the information gathered during the test.

Commenting on the demonstration, Brigadier General Robert Lyons III, the Program Executive Officer for Weapons Acquisition, said: “Going from contract to a live-fire demonstration in under two years shows we can deliver a lethal, cost-effective capability at the speed of relevance. This is how we rebuild our military-empowering our teams and industry partners to cut bureaucracy and provide the tools our warfighters need to win.”

The missile assessed is a newly developed air-launched cruise missile built around a concept aimed at supporting high-volume manufacturing while keeping unit cost within reach, so stockpiles can be grown quickly. Although the U.S. Air Force did not include additional technical specifics about the trial in its official announcement, earlier reporting suggests the weapon is expected to have a minimum reach of roughly 250 miles (about 400 km) and to remain usable even where electronic jamming systems are present.

The agreement enabling Ukrainian pilots to use ERAM missiles operationally includes 3,350 missiles for approximately US$825 million, with part of the funding expected to come from support provided by Kyiv’s allies. With U.S. State Department approval in place since August, the package also covers the same number of GPS and INS systems and Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Modules (SAASM), plus a range of related items required for employment.

Image credits: U.S. Air Force – Ukrainian Air Force

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