The Pentagon has committed to providing more than $ 67.3 million to two contractors to accelerate the development of the Extended Range Anti-Air Missile (ERAM), amid recent media reports of plans to supply such munitions to Ukraine, RIA Novosti reported, citing contract documents.
The Pentagon's strategy to accelerate the development of ERAM has been revealed in the US government's financial statements. The documents show that instead of one slow-moving contract, the Pentagon funded two separate and parallel projects to build a prototype, while also making significant financial commitments to bring the weapon to production readiness.
According to the documents, CoAspire LLC of Fairfax, Virginia, received a total of more than $33.8 million, instead of the $13.2 million originally planned. Zone 5 Technologies LLC of San Luis Obispo, California, received a parallel contract, with total commitments increasing from $7.7 million to $33.5 million.
The U.S. Air Force awarded the contracts through a flexible mechanism known as an “other transaction agreement” (OTA), a type of deal often used to bypass traditional procurement procedures to quickly create prototypes.
Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that the Trump administration had approved the sale of 3,350 long-range missiles to Ukraine, which are expected to be delivered to the Ukrainian armed forces in a few weeks. The package is worth $850 million and includes “other items” in addition to the missiles. The bulk of the cost is being covered by Kiev’s European allies. The ERAM missiles have a range of 150 to 280 miles (241-450 kilometers) and will require Pentagon approval for use, the newspaper said.