Draft:AIM-174 air-to-air missile
US Navy very long-range air-to-air missile / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The AIM-174 is a very long-range air-to-air missile (AAM) developed by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and utilized by the United States Navy (USN). The AIM-174 is a derivative of the RIM-174 Standard ERAM (Standard Missile-6 or SM-6) surface-to-air missile, with the USN describing the AIM-174 as the "Air-Launched Configuration"[7] of the SM-6. The AIM-174's existence was first confirmed to the public in July 2024 at RIMPAC 2024. While details regarding the AIM-174's range are unconfirmed, certain surface-launched SM-6 variants are capable of 250 nmi (290 mi; 460 km) launches; With the benefit of being launched already at-speed and at-altitude (where the air is thinner and thus easier to fly through),[8] the AIM-174's range may extend to several hundred miles[9], though the USN has confirmed a range of 130 nmi (150 mi; 240 km).[10][11] The operational variant, the AIM-174B, is only known to be capable of being carried and launched by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet as of July 2024.[12] Since the retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix AAM, the USN has not fielded a dedicated long-range air-to-air missile.[13] The AIM-174's existence had been speculated about since at least 2021, with photos of SM-6s carried by Super Hornets making their way online;[14] The publication Naval News reports that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015,[15] while The Aviationist reports that photos of Super Hornets carrying “an SM-6 variant” appeared in 2018.[16]
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AIM-174 | |
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Type | Very long-range air-to-air missile |
Place of origin | United States |
Service history | |
In service | 2021 (2021)(?)–present[2] |
Used by | United States Navy |
Production history | |
Manufacturer | Raytheon |
Variants | AIM-174B |
Specifications | |
Mass | 1,900 lb (860 kg)[3] |
Length | 21.5 ft (6.6 m) |
Wingspan | 61.8 in (1.57 m) |
Warhead | High-explosive blast-fragmentation |
Warhead weight | 140 lb (64 kg)[4] |
Detonation mechanism | Radar and contact/impact/proximity fuze |
Engine | Solid-fuel rocket motor |
Operational range | At least 130 nmi (150 mi; 240 km)[5] |
Maximum speed | Mach 3.5 (2,664.2 mph; 4,287.7 km/h; 1.2 km/s)[6] |
Guidance system | Inertial guidance, terminal active and semi-active radar homing |
Launch platform | Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet |
Little is known about the missile as it is speculated that it was developed as a special access program,[17] similar to the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile[18] (of which little is officially known).[19] As the AIM-260 is similarly a very long-range air-to-air missile, it is unclear what the relationship between the AIM-174 and -260 will be, as the USN has co-operated with the United States Air Force (USAF) in developing the latter for use by both services. Both missiles are designed to counter the extreme-range air-to-air missiles being fielded or under-development by the United States’ peer and near-peer potential adversaries, such as the Russian Vympel R-37M or the Chinese PL-21. [20] Both the AIM-174 and -260 are separate from the currently under-development Long-Range Engagement Weapon of the USAF.