Image source: topwar.ru
JDAM Satellite-guided bomb
On July 10, 2024, the US Air Force set the defense industry the task of creating a new air-based weapon of destruction, which received the designation ERAM ("extended-range strike munition"). As indicated, Ukraine should become the recipient of these weapons.
- the Air Force document says.
The new munition must have a mass of 500 pounds (227 kg), a range of at least 250 nautical miles (463 km), a flight speed of at least Mach 0.6 and a high-explosive fragmentation warhead. The accuracy should be at least 10 meters (at least in 50% of cases), despite the setting of strong electromagnetic interference by the enemy. The list of requirements includes equipping the means of destruction with a navigation system capable of operating in conditions of deterioration in the quality of the GPS signal.
Image source: topwar.ru
JDAM satellite-guided bombs
The contractor is obliged to produce more than 1,000 shells within 24 months from the date of conclusion of the contract.
ERAM will be the next step in the evolution of guided munitions based on the Mark 82 free fall bomb. Judging by the requirements of the US Air Force, the two main advantages of the new weapon of destruction in comparison with its predecessors should be the range and resistance to the effects of Russian electronic warfare systems, which sharply reduced the effectiveness of the use of satellite-guided ammunition by the Armed Forces.