This new air-to-air missile appears to be the US Navy’s answer to China’s growing weapons reach.

The US Navy is expanding the reach of its fighter aircraft with a new long-range air-to-air missile, recently commissioned, as an essential weapon. Potential conflict with China.

The missile helps bridge the gap between US capabilities and those of China, which is fielding long-range air-to-air missiles with reach.

An air-launched version of the Standard Missile 6, known as the AIM-174B, was seen in photos by experts and analysts during its development; However, details of the program were a bit vague at the time.

The Navy adopted the AIM-174B in July when US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornets aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and the missiles were seen sporting the missiles during Rim of the Pacific exercises at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickham, Hawaii. . The Navy has disclosed this This missile is now operational. Experts immediately assessed that the focus was China.

“The AIM-174B is primarily intended for the Indo-Pacific to counter developments within the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAF) and naval aviation,” said Douglas Barry, senior fellow for military aerospace at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. wrote In July.

Beijing’s development of long-range air-to-air missiles, as well as its extensive missile capabilities, has caused concern in Washington.

In the most recent Pentagon report On Chinese military development, officials noted its work on “visual-range air-to-air missiles”. These weapons can also be used to target fighters, but also high-value enablers such as air-to-air refueling planes or early warning and control aircraft.

The PL-15 was China’s answer to the US AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). A 2020 Royal United Services Institute report The missile, a follow-on to the PL-12, “features a miniature AESA seeker warhead and outguns the US-made AIM-120C/D AMRAAM series.”

China is also working on longer-range options like the PL-17, forcing the US to develop new capabilities.

Justin Bronk, a RUSI airpower expert, told Business Insider that “China already deploys the PL-15 missile, which has better kinetics than the AIM-120D3, so there is an incentive to have a missile” that “can match or exceed that performance.” can do more.”

More importantly, he said, “the Super Hornet as still the primary fighter type for the U.S. Navy has significantly less impressive kinematic performance than the J-20 or J-16,” which the PL-15 and PL have. . -17.

The AIM-174B gives US Navy carrier air wings a new capability to engage Chinese air force and naval aviation aircraft at greater ranges than its predecessors, potentially closing the gap.

The ship-launched SM-6 missile, also known as the RIM-174, is believed to have a range of up to 230 miles, and has seen First time fighting The last fall against the Houthis. The missile is a three-in-one extended-range weapon for anti-air and anti-surface warfare. It is also capable of killing ballistic missiles during the terminal phase of flight.

In an air-to-air role, it brings some of those capabilities to bear in new ways to help the US match new Chinese weapons.

Bronk said the PL-17 is probably the highest Comparable to AIM-174B, but Chinese weapon Can have a longer range, partly due to the platform that is primarily carrying it.

The PL-17 is a fairly large missile appeared On the Chinese J-16 multirole strike fighter during development. Most recently, it was spotted on a jet last December, amid signs that it is nearing operational status. China’s J-16 fighter jet is a highly capable fourth generation aircraft.

The AIM-174B, on the other hand, is carried by Navy’s Super Hornets. Observers have noted that the Super Hornets may have difficulty carrying the AIM-174B due to its size and weight — the missile weighs five times that of the AIM-120D — and that the weapon could affect the jet’s top speed and altitude.

That said, the new missile provides valuable reach. In an air combat scenario with China, the AIM-174B could be most useful in disrupting China’s kill chain, or the process by which a target is identified, targeted, and destroyed, and what assets are involved in accomplishing that task. is In particular, the missile can target China’s airborne early warning and control aircraft that help set up that kill chain.

It also gives American aircraft the ability to target Chinese bombers and rear assets such as intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance aircraft.

The air-to-air missile range game is expected to continue. As the Pentagon noted in its report, China is working on its air-to-air missiles, and the US is also working on next-generation systems like the AIM-260.

Estimates of exactly how the new AIM-174B and Chinese missiles might perform are based on publicly available data and understanding, and there are gaps in knowledge of how the missiles will actually perform. But even the existence of weapons may be enough to be useful to the US Navy.

“Deterrence,” said Bronk, “is about affecting your opponent’s calculations, so in some ways, there will inevitably be a degree of ambiguity.”

Post This new air-to-air missile appears to be the US Navy’s answer to China’s growing weapons reach. appeared first Business Insider.