US developing new 'extended-range' missile for Ukraine's Air Force

The U.S. is developing a new long-range and relatively affordable missile specifically for Ukraine's Air Force.

A request for information (RFI) in relation to the new munition was first released in January, and an update on July 10 expressly stated the intended recipient would be Kyiv.

The new weapon to be developed is an Extended-Range Attack Munition (ERAM), that aims to be a low-cost, quick to produce air-launched missile with a range of around 460 kilometers.

It will be a 500-pound (225 kilogram)-class munition with a fragmentation warhead capable of destroying armored targets.

"This munition is pivotal for accelerating Ukraine’s capability to meet warfighter needs efficiently and effectively and provides an affordable mass weapon to be produced at scale," the update reads.

Other criteria include a hit accuracy of 10 meters of a target and the ability to operate GPS effectively even when the enemy engages electronic counter-measures.

The RFI is a document sent out to prospective manufacturers who can then express interest in development and bid for a contract.

The manufacture of the weapon is intended to begin no later than two years after the awarding of the contract and up to 1,000 are to be produced each year.

It is not known if the weapon is intended to be used by Ukraine's current Soviet-era fighter jets, or the Western-supplied F-16s currently making their way to the battlefield.

Either way, they will boost Ukraine's offensive capabilities considerably. The nearest thing currently in Kyiv's arsenal are U.K and French-supplied Storm Shadow/SCALP missiles which it has only in limited numbers.

These have been used incredibly effectively by Ukraine's Air Force, most notably against the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol on Sept. 22.

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The Kyiv IndependentChris York