WSJ: Trump Approves Sale of 3,350 ERAM Strike Missiles to Ukraine

The Trump Administration has approved the sale of 3,350 new, cost-effective ERAM cruise missiles to Ukraine, with specific conditions on their use.

According to the Wall Street Journal, citing anonymous U.S. government sources, the missiles are expected to arrive in Ukraine in approximately six weeks as part of an $850 million aid package.

This U.S. aid package, which is largely funded by European countries, was delayed until after Trump’s summits with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Meanwhile, anonymous sources reported the conditions for the use of the ERAM cruise missiles: Ukraine would be required to obtain official approval from the Pentagon before deploying them.

The ERAM cruise missiles are a new development under a program to create low-cost cruise missiles for the U.S. and Ukrainian Air Forces.

ERAM has a stated range of 400 kilometers and will provide the Ukrainian Air Force with new capabilities to strike targets beyond the reach of existing aerial systems.

As part of the technical requirements for development, published in January 2024, the U.S. Air Force outlined the following specifications: the missile must be based on a 227-kilogram bomb, have a flight range of at least 400 km, and a maximum speed of no less than 0.6 Mach.

To achieve such a range, the missile must be equipped with an engine—most likely a turbofan.

The contract also states that the design should be relatively simple so that the manufacturer could produce 1,000 units within two years, which amounts to nearly 42 per month.

It is worth noting that while awaiting the new long-range missiles from the U.S., Ukraine has for several years successfully employed Storm Shadow/SCALP cruise missiles launched from combat aircraft for long-distance strikes.

To ensure the timely replenishment of Ukraine’s arsenal of such cruise missiles, MBDA has resumed their production. Manufacturing is being carried out at the British MBDA facility in Stevenage.