US Navy unveils advanced air-to-air missile with 300-mile range
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The AIM-424 Malice can fit in the internal weapons bays of the F-35.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- The US Navy is testing the AIM-424 Malice, an advanced air-to-air missile with a range over 465km, fitting stealth jets like the F-35 and F-22.
- The missile aims to defend fleets against long-range threats, especially Chinese bombers launching anti-ship cruise missiles.
- The Navy did not announce when Malice will be operational; it joins other long-range missiles like the AIM-260 and AIM-174B in US development.
AI generated
LONDON – The US Navy is testing a new air-to-air missile that can hit targets more than 465 kilometres (290 miles) away, considerably farther than any other known weapon of that type.
The AIM-424 Malice, developed by RTX subsidiary Raytheon, has roughly the same dimensions as the current-generation AIM-120 AMRAAM, according to the Navy. That means it can fit in the internal weapons bays of the F-35 and F-22 stealth aircraft.
Such weapons came into sharp focus in 2025 when Pakistan said it used long-range Chinese-made missiles – with a reported range of about 300km – to down Indian fighter jets.
Although missiles with that range can be used to hit high-value aircraft such as command planes or tankers, they might be more valuable for defending ships, said Peter Layton, a former Royal Australian Air Force officer and a visiting fellow at the Griffith Asia Institute.
“I think it’s meant to counter Chinese bombers firing long range anti-ship cruise missiles,” Layton said. “Fleet air defence, not air-to-air combat.”
Attacking aircraft at extreme range requires sensors that can spot them at that distance and guide the missiles. Faster jets can defeat long-range attacks by simply flying in the opposite direction.
The Navy did not say when the new weapon would be operational.
The Pentagon has long been interested in extremely long range air-to-air missiles, which have been largely absent from the US arsenal since the retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix and the only aircraft that carried it, the F-14 Tomcat.
Lockheed Martin was awarded about US$1 billion (S$1.27 billion) in 2026 to begin production of the AIM-260, another extremely long-range air to air missile.
The AIM-174B, an air-to-air variant of the SM-6 air and missile defense weapon, has been operational for several years, with a reported range of more than 400km.
Malice was unveiled on Aug 22 at the Navy’s Tailhook symposium in Reno, Nevada. BLOOMBERG
