Wikipedia

Draft:AIM-174 air-to-air missile

AIM-174
Side-profile of the SM-6; the AIM-174 is visually similar, though it lacks the rear booster pack[1]
TypeVery long-range air-to-air missile
Place of originUnited States
Service history
In service2021 (2021)(?)–present[2]
Used byUnited States Navy
Production history
ManufacturerRaytheon
VariantsAIM-174B
Specifications
Wingspan61.8 in (1.57 m)
WarheadHigh-explosive blast-fragmentation
Warhead weight140 lb (64 kg)[3]
Detonation
mechanism
Radar and contact/impact/proximity fuze
EngineSolid-fuel rocket motor
Operational
range
At least 130 nmi (150 mi; 240 km)[4]
Maximum speed Mach 3.5 (2,664.2 mph; 4,287.7 km/h; 1.2 km/s)[5]
Guidance
system
Inertial guidance, terminal active and semi-active radar homing
Launch
platform
Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

The AIM-174 is a very long-range air-to-air missile 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"[6] 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 SM-6 variants are capable of 250 nmi (290 mi; 460 km) launches; With the benefit of being launched already at-altitude (where the air is thinner and thus easier to fly through), the AIM-174's range may extend to several hundred miles, though the USN has confirmed a range of 130 nmi (150 mi; 240 km).[7][8] 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.[9] Since the retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix BVRAAM, the USN has not fielded a dedicated long-range air-to-air missile. 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;[10] The publication Naval News reports that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015.[11]

Little is known about the missile as it is speculated that it was developed as a special access program, similar to the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (of which little is officially known).[12] 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. [13] Both the AIM-174 and -260 are separate from the currently under-development Long-Range Engagement Weapon of the USAF.

See also

edit






References

edit
  1. ^ Johnston, Carter (2024-06-04). "Air-launched SM-6 Spotted Again on F/A-18 Super Hornet". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07. In 2021, a VX-31 F/A-18F was spotted carrying an inert SM-6 without its 21-inch MK72 first-stage booster...
  2. ^ Johnston, Carter (2024-06-04). "Air-launched SM-6 Spotted Again on F/A-18 Super Hornet". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  3. ^ Ho, Ben (10 March 2016). "Fixing the US Navy's Anti-Surface Warfare Shortfall". The Diplomat. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023.
  4. ^ Cenciotti, David (2024-07-03). "First Images Emerge Of U.S. Navy Super Hornet Carrying Two Air-Launched SM-6 Missiles". The Aviationist. Retrieved 2024-07-07. Capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 3.5, the missile has an official range of 130 nautical miles.
  5. ^ Cenciotti, David (2024-07-03). "First Images Emerge Of U.S. Navy Super Hornet Carrying Two Air-Launched SM-6 Missiles". The Aviationist. Retrieved 2024-07-07. Capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 3.5, the missile has an official range of 130 nautical miles.
  6. ^ Johnston, Carter (2024-07-05). "U.S. Navy Confirms SM-6 Air Launched Configuration is Operationally Deployed". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07. The SM-6 Air Launched Configuration (ALC) was developed as part of the SM-6 family of missiles and is operationally deployed in the Navy today.
  7. ^ Johnston, Carter (2024-07-05). "U.S. Navy Confirms SM-6 Air Launched Configuration is Operationally Deployed". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  8. ^ West, Lisa (2024-07-06). "U.S. Navy Reveals Longest-Range Air-to-Air Missile at RIMPAC". UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  9. ^ Cenciotti, David (2024-07-03). "First Images Emerge Of U.S. Navy Super Hornet Carrying Two Air-Launched SM-6 Missiles". The Aviationist. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  10. ^ Johnston, Carter (2024-06-04). "Air-launched SM-6 Spotted Again on F/A-18 Super Hornet". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07.
  11. ^ Johnston, Carter (2024-07-05). "U.S. Navy Confirms SM-6 Air Launched Configuration is Operationally Deployed". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07. ...Naval News is following a possible lead that points to a potential air-launched SM-6 dating back as far as 2015.
  12. ^ Johnston, Carter (2024-07-05). "U.S. Navy Confirms SM-6 Air Launched Configuration is Operationally Deployed". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07. The AIM-260 remains secretive about procurement and delivery given its status as a Special Access Program (SAP). It is likely that the effort to integrate SM-6 is also a SAP…
  13. ^ Johnston, Carter (2024-07-05). "U.S. Navy Confirms SM-6 Air Launched Configuration is Operationally Deployed". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07. …the U.S. Navy joins allies and adversaries in fielding an extra long range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). Examples include Europe's Meteor, Russia's R-37M (AA-13 "Axehead"), China's PL-15 (CH-AA-10 "Abaddon") and PL-21 (CH-AA-X-12).
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:AIM-174_air-to-air_missile&oldid=1234045474"