February 8, 2026, 9:18 pm
The U.S. Air Force has released details of the live-fire test of the Rusty Dagger , one of two new missiles being developed under Extended Range Attack Munitions (ERAM) program.
It was stated that on Jan 21, the Air Force conducted a warhead test of the new standoff cruise missile.
The trial took place at Eglin Air Force Base and brought together multiple stakeholders, including the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Armament Directorate, the 96th Test Wing, and several industry collaborators.
According to the Air Force, the event achieved all key test goals, most notably the successful functioning and detonation of the missile’s live warhead. Engineers at Eglin gathered extensive performance data during the event, which will be used to continue refining and advancing the ERAM design toward operational maturity.
While the official Air Force release did not explicitly identify the weapon as the Rusty Dagger, imagery released alongside the announcement leaves little doubt about its identity.
A sequence of photographs shows the missile descending almost vertically toward a stationary target before the warhead detonates on impact. The service has not disclosed which aircraft or platform was used to launch the missile during the demonstration.
Separately, Zone 5 Technologies, the developer of the Rusty Dagger, publicly acknowledged the successful test through a post on its LinkedIn page, reinforcing the significance of the milestone and confirming industry involvement in the event.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes why Rusty Dagger could be US Air Force’s go to weapon ?
#defenseupdates #rustydagger #usairforce
Chapters:
0:00 TITLE
00:11 INTRODUCTION
01:51 SPONSORSHIP – NordVPN
02:25 BACKGROUND
03:33 TECHNICAL DETAILS
05:23 DEVELOPMENT
07:21 ANALYSIS
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