The U.S. Air Force has tested the low-cost Rusty Dagger cruise missile, developed for Ukraine under the ERAM program, by dropping it from an F-16.
The Aviationist reported this news.
The integration test campaign included a series of trials involving suspension and separation of the weapon, including checks of compatibility, correct loading and flight performance with the fighter.
The official press release from Eglin Air Force Base, which conducted the tests, said the work was completed with the successful transport and release of the cruise missile from an F-16D Block 50.
As the media outlet notes, the official statement does not mention Rusty Dagger, developer Zone 5, or the ERAM program. Instead, it uses the new designation Family of Affordable Mass Munitions-Lugged (FAMM-L), which the project later received. At the same time, the ERAM designation can be seen on the inert weapon along with a serial number starting with “RD,” an abbreviation for Rusty Dagger.
In addition, Zone 5 shared an Eglin post on LinkedIn, saying it was proud to support the rapid integration of Rusty Dagger on the F-16. The company added that together they are making “affordable mass production” a reality with scalable precision strike capabilities.
The March tests were conducted on an Eglin Team F-16D Block 50 fighter jet with two Rusty Dagger cruise missiles, two CATM-120 AMRAAM training missiles, one CATM-9 Sidewinder training missile, and an AN/AAQ-28 Litening pod.
ERAM
The ERAM program was launched to arm Ukrainian aircraft with low-cost, high-volume and jamming-resistant cruise missiles. The goal was to enable mass production of low-cost air-launched weapons for use against Russia at significantly lower cost than existing cruise missiles.
The U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center first requested proposals for a low-cost, scalable air-to-surface missile in June 2024. The ERAM program developed separately and rapidly: from concept in July 2024 to the start of prototype production in September 2025, only 14 months passed.
As part of the technical requirements, the U.S. Air Force specified that the missile should be based on a 227-kilogram bomb, with a range of at least 400 km and a maximum speed of at least Mach 0.6.
Two designs were selected. The first was Rusty Dagger. Another ERAM participant was the low-cost Rapidly Adaptable Affordable Cruise Missile (RAACM) from CoAspire, which was tested in August 2025 from an A-4 Skyhawk aircraft.
In August 2025, the Donald Trump administration agreed to sell Ukraine 3,350 low-cost ERAM strike cruise missiles for $850 million. The purchase is largely financed by European partner countries. The first batch of 840 ERAM missiles for Ukraine is scheduled for October 2026.
At the same time, anonymous Wall Street Journal sources reported that the use of ERAM cruise missiles by Ukraine would require prior approval from the Pentagon.
Subsequently, missiles developed under the ERAM program were included in the U.S. budget request for fiscal year 2026 as the Family of Affordable Mass Munitions (FAMM). The military requested $656.3 million to purchase 3,010 units.
