The US Air Force is developing a low-cost cruise missile known as the Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM), which could evolve into an air-launched counter-drone weapon, The War Zone reported. Whether the weapon will be a jack-of-all-trades or master of none in the drone warfare era is unclear.
The ERAM program, launched to meet the needs of the Ukrainian military, explores various modular subsystems, including the Fixed Wing Air-Launched Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ordnance (FALCO). The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Armament Directorate, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is overseeing the project.
The ERAM, currently in Phase 1 of development, aims to create a 226-kilogram precision munition with a range of up to 400 kilometers and the ability to operate in GPS-degraded environments.
The FALCO subsystem, intended for counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) roles, could be integrated into future ERAM variants. The US Air Force’s focus on more affordable air-to-air capabilities stems from the necessity to counter drones and subsonic cruise missiles in the modern warfare era.
The ERAM’s potential as an air-to-air interceptor with a 400-kilometer range could provide a significant advantage, especially against less reactive targets. With the corresponding upgrades, it could be an ideal loitering munition for aerial anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) against drones and cruise missiles.
This development aligns with broader US military efforts to accelerate the production of new munitions and address concerns about munitions stockpiles, particularly in light of operations against Houthis in the Red Sea and keeping Ukraine in the fight against Russia. Both wars have shown a critical requirement for cheap, mass-produced interceptors against drone and missile saturation attacks.
As an air-to-air weapon with the FALCO system, the ERAM could provide a cost-effective solution for countering drones and slow-moving airborne threats. The 2023 shootdown of an alleged Chinese spy balloon over the US illustrates that need, as using a US$472,000 AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile against such targets is economically unsound.
The ERAM’s extended range of 400 kilometers also gives it an advantage over traditional air-to-air missiles. For instance, the AIM-9X has a range of more than 16 kilometers while the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) has an estimated maximum range of 55 kilometers.
However, as the ERAM was initially designed as an air-to-ground weapon, its effectiveness may be limited against fast-moving drones with evasive capabilities and stealth technology.
One such example is China’s WZ-8 air-launched drone. Launched from an H-6M strategic bomber, the WZ-8 can fly 48,000 meters at Mach 6. Presumably designed to monitor US carrier battlegroups, the WZ-8 presents a challenging target to hit.
Further, China’s GJ-11 Sharp Sword stealth drone is a flying-wing design similar to the US B-2 Spirit and B-21 Raider stealth bombers, enabling it to slip past air defenses and attack strategic targets with air-to-surface missiles or smart bombs.
These developments highlight the increasing sophistication of drone threats that ERAM is designed to counter.
However, ERAM’s reliance on networked kill webs for targeting is a potential vulnerability. The War Zone report notes that these kill webs depend on multiple off-board data sources for guidance, raising concerns about interoperability and susceptibility to electronic warfare.
As the ERAM could be modified to attack air, sea and land targets, the US could conceivably strike diverse targets with a single munition type, simplifying production and logistics while reducing the need for multiple specialized weapons.
The high cost and long production times for some US missiles, such as two years for the US$1.8 million per unit Tomahawk Block V and US$3.2 million per interceptor Patriot PAC-3, raise questions about the capability of the US defense industrial base to sustain the prodigious need for precision-guided munitions in a war with a near-peer adversary, writes Seth Jones for the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). This situation makes a low-cost, mass-production solution such as ERAM necessary.
ERAM’s multi-role design may lead to trade-offs, making it a jack-of-all-trades but a master of none. The design may result in a missile that is too slow to penetrate modern air defense systems, lacking in the agility to hit maneuvering targets. Its warhead may also be too small to destroy large or fortified targets, and its range may be too short for standoff attacks against enemy A2/AD systems.
The introduction of yet another low-cost, multipurpose weapon project such as ERAM, on top of other similar projects such as General Atomics’ Strike Missile and the US Navy’s Multi-Mission Affordable Capacity Effector (MACE), risks diverting US attention and funds from producing more capable weapons vital for a conflict with a near-peer adversary.
Such weapons include the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM), Maritime Strike Tomahawk (MST), and Naval Strike Missile (NSM) to replace the Cold War-era Harpoon. These would be critical in a potential conflict with China, which already has the world’s largest navy in terms of ship numbers, with over 370 ships and submarines and 140 major surface combatants, as per the US Department of Defense’s 2024 China Military Power report.
Dmitry Filipoff mentions in a February 2023 article for the Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC) that the ranges of the LRASM, MST, and NSM, at 563, 1,600, and 185 kilometers respectively, trump those of the Harpoon, at only 128 kilometers for the most common variants.
However, Filipoff points out that the LRASM and NSM’s low procurement rate and lack of suitable launch platforms, the NSM’s short range and small warhead compared to the LRASM and MST, the limited procurement of MST kits and the slow process of upgrading existing Tomahawk missiles to MST configuration could handicap US firepower in a near-peer conflict with China.
Moreover, the LRASM, MST and NSM are subsonic missiles, which may be limited in effectiveness against China’s newer air defense systems, such as the HQ-9B, designed to shoot down such threats. These limitations make it imperative for the US to step up its hypersonic weapons program.
Hypersonic weapons are another area where the US needs to catch up with China and Russia. The US has yet to field a hypersonic weapon in active service. In contrast, China has fielded the DF-17 hypersonic missile designed to attack US carrier battlegroups and Pacific bases since 2019, while Russia has used the Kinzhal and Tsirkon hypersonic weapons in the ongoing Ukraine war.
While the ERAM promises versatility and cost-effectiveness, its success hinges on whether it can deliver lethal precision or become another overextended, underwhelming multi-role missile.
