US unveils new cruise missile that can easily devastate Putin forces in Ukraine

The United States introduced an affordable cruise missile that could deliver a devastating strike against Russian military positions in Ukraine. Nicknamed the "Rusty Dagger" by its developers, the weapon has been successfully tested by the U.S. Air Force against designated targets. This development comes after the U.S. Department of State greenlit a foreign military sale, enabling Ukraine to purchase air-launched weaponry and associated equipment worth $825 million. Ukraine has requested the acquisition of up to 3,350 Extended Range Attack Munition (ERAM) missiles, with defense contractor Zone 5 Technologies' Rusty Dagger—which the company describes as "our affordable cruise missile"—being one of two contenders for the program. The live ammunition trial of the Rusty Dagger took place at Florida's Eglin Test and Training Range. According to an Eglin announcement from January 31: "The event, which met all primary objectives including a full warhead detonation, gathered critical data to mature a new, cost-effective, long-range strike capability." Brig. Gen. Mark Massaro, commander of the 96th Test Wing, stated: "The future fight demands we create an asymmetric advantage by developing cost-effective, attritable systems like ERAM that give commanders the ability to generate mass."