AIM-424 LRAAM
| AIM-424 LRAAM - Malice | |
|---|---|
 An AIM-424 (right) mounted to the internal weapons bay of an F-35C, with an AIM-120 AMRAAM (left) mounted to the weapon bay doors | |
| Type | Long-range air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Raytheon |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 13.5 ft (4.1 m) |
| Diameter | 13.5 in (0.34 m) |
| Wingspan | 26.2 in (0.67 m) |
| Warhead | Blast fragmentation |
| Engine | Two-stage solid-propellent rocket motor |
Operational range | 250 nmi (290 mi; 460 km)+ |
Launch platform |
The AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM), also identified by the United States Navy as AIM-424 LRAAM - Malice or just Malice, is a long-range air-to-air missile under development by Raytheon[3] for the United States Navy. The weapon was publicly disclosed at the Tailhook symposium in Reno, Nevada, on 22 August 2026, at which point it was already in flight testing.[2]
Development
[edit]The Navy announced the existence of the AIM-424 at the Tailhook symposium on 22 August 2026, stating the missile was in flight testing and was intended to be deployed on the F/A-18E/F Block III, the F-35C TR-3/Block 4, and the future F/A-XX.[2]
According to Aviation Week, the AIM-424 concept may have been under lengthy development under the Long-Range Engagement Weapon (LREW) special access program. First disclosed in 2017, LREW was a United States Air Force-driven requirement for a two-stage air-to-air missile that could be carried in the internal weapons bay of a stealth fighter (F-35 or F-22), a similar use case to AIM-424.[4][2] AIM-424 is a separate program from the Lockheed Martin AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), which the Navy and the Air Force are preparing to field at the time of the AIM-424's disclosure.[2]
Development of the missile has been linked to Navy requirements for greater engagement range from carrier-based aircraft in response to the threat of Chinese air-launched anti-ship ballistic missiles and cruise missiles with ranges in excess of 1,000 nautical miles.[2]
Design
[edit]The AIM-424 is a missile broadly comparable in size to the AIM-174B Gunslinger (though slightly shorter and lighter) and substantially larger than the AIM-120 AMRAAM, weighing about thrice as much and nearly twice the diameter.[2] A Navy photograph released through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service shows four AIM-424 rounds carried by an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Navy's Air Test And Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) during a test event.[1][3]
The missile may feature a dual-pulse solid-propellant motor to optimize kinematic performance during the cruise / ballistic coast (depending on flown trajectory) and terminal phases of flight.[5][6] It reportedly employs a separating booster + upper-stage motor configuration.[2][7][8][9][10]
Specifications
[edit]The following is a list of AIM-424 LRAAM specifications:[3][11]
- Primary Function: Air-to-Air Missile
- Contractor: Raytheon
- Propulsion: Solid-propellant rocket motor
- Length: 13.5 feet (4.11 m)
- Diameter: 13.5 inches (343 mm)
- Wingspan: 26.2 inches (665 mm)
- Weight: 1,500 pounds (680 kg)
- Range: In excess of 250 nmi (288 mi; 463 km)
- Warhead: Blast fragmentation
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 "AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missiles (LRAAM)". Defense Visual Information Distribution Service. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Everstine, Brian; Trimble, Steve (22 August 2026). "U.S. Navy Testing New Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile". Aviation Week & Space Technology. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
Specifics of the two-stage missile are classified.
- 1 2 3 4 Rogoway, Tyler (22 August 2026). "AIM-424 "Malice" Very Long-Range Air-To-Air Missile Emerges From The Shadows (Updated)". TWZ. Retrieved 23 August 2026.
- ↑ Rogoway, Tyler (2 November 2017). "The Pentagon Is Quietly Developing A Next Generation Long-Range Air-To-Air Missile".
- ↑ Honrada, Gabriel. "New US 'Malice' missile aims at China's carrier kill chain". Retrieved 29 August 2026.
- ↑ Naumann, Karl; Stadler, Ludwig (15 November 2012). "Double-Pulse Solid Rocket Motor Technology - Applications and Technical Solutions". 46th AIAA/ASME/SAE/ASEE Joint Propulsion Conference & Exhibit.
- ↑ Rogoway, Tyler (22 August 2026). "AIM-424 "Malice" Very Long-Range Air-To-Air Missile Emerges From The Shadows (Updated)". TWZ. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
According to Aviation Week, the missile is a two-stage design, which should result in extreme range and very high-speed.
- ↑ South, Todd (25 August 2026). "Air Force 'Closely Following' Navy's New Air-to-Air 'Malice' Missile". Air & Space Forces Magazine. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
Aviation Week reported that Malice has a two-stage design—reminiscent of a decade-old program known as the Long Range Engagement Weapon, developed in the mid-2010s under then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter.
- ↑ Sakurai, Rin (23 August 2026). "U.S. Navy Reveals AIM-424 "Malice" Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile". The Aviationist. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
The Aviation Week reports that the new munition is a two-stage missile – and the missile seems to feature an inlet for a solid-fuel dual-mode ramjet – which implies the munition is capable of flying at very high speeds across a very large distance.
- ↑ Honrada, Gabriel (25 August 2026). "New US 'Malice' missile aims at China's carrier kill chain". Asia Times. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
By employing a two-stage solid-propellant propulsion architecture, the AIM-424 preserves terminal maneuverability at extreme distances, enabling it to intercept hostile bombers, airborne early-warning platforms and tankers before they can launch anti-ship missiles at US carrier strike groups.
- ↑ "AIM-424 LRAAM – Malice". United States Navy. Archived from the original on 23 August 2026. Retrieved 23 August 2026.