The US Navy received long-range air-to-air missiles
Photos of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft with a new type of weapon have appeared on the Internet. The new missile program and its implementation could mark a scientific and technological revolution in the fight against air targets... and even more.
According to The War Zone, the AIM-174B is a new air-to-air missile. Its appearance marks a significant increase in the capabilities of the US Navy in the fight against air targets, although the use of a new weapons may go beyond the air sphere. The missile, also known as the SM-6 ALC (Air-Launched Configuration), has officially entered service with the US Navy, Naval News has confirmed.
The weapon, photographed by aerial spotters during the RIMPAC 2024 maneuvers, has not yet been officially announced. The sudden appearance of a new weapon without a pre-presented development program in the press remains largely a mystery. This reflects well the ability of the United States to conduct secret programs and the ability of Americans to avoid leaking information to the press when necessary. There are many signs that the F/A-18 aircraft will be equipped with weapons that could radically change the balance of power in the Pacific.
As can be seen from photographs published on social networks, the missile is suspended on the underwing pylon of the BRU-32B/A type of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. A few years ago, visually similar weapons were spotted underneath another aircraft of this type. However, that rocket was painted orange, which could mean that it was just an experimental product, a mass-size model, or maybe even a flying target.
AF/A-18E Super Hornet with VFA-113 on board military USS Carl Vinson with a DATM-174B training missile during exercises at RIMPAC 2024.
All three F/A-18E/F VFA CVW-2 are assigned to the air wing of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and, apparently, received the AIM-174B missile launcher.
In recent weeks, the new missiles have been seen in gray with a white nose cone, which is typical of the production air-to-air missiles adopted by the US Air Force and Navy. The rocket's glider is also visible in great detail in the photographs. On its body there is an eloquent marking DATM-174B. The abbreviation means that the missile is special, test, the usual designation for a combat missile is AIM-174B. At the RIMPAC exercises, F/A-18E/F fighters were also seen carrying missiles with the designation NAIM-174B suspended on underwing pylons, with the prefix N indicating modifications for special tests when a return to the original configuration is not planned.
The type number in the missile's designation "174" and the geometric and aerodynamic exterior of the missile's airframe reveal the mystery of the weapon's origin. RIM-174B is the designation for the ship-to-air missile, also known in the US Navy as the SM-6 (Standard Missile-6) Block IA. In the US Navy, it is used to combat aerodynamic and ballistic targets, and also has limited capabilities for attacking surface targets. The AIM-174 is a variant of the SM-6, adapted for use on combat aircraft.
A rocket modified for air launches can use the altitude and speed of its launch vehicle as launch conditions. For this reason, it lacks the Mk 72 solid rocket launch booster used in the original RIM-174B variant, launched from the ship's Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS).
The AIM-174B missile without the Mk 72 booster weighs 1 lb ± 890 lb (14 kg ± 857 kg). The missile's flight speed at the final part of the trajectory can reach Mach 6 (3,5 m/s) when intercepting air targets, aerodynamic and ballistic at altitudes up to 1 feet (050 meters) or Mach 110 (000 m/s) when striking ground and surface targets at a range of 34 nautical miles (000 km).
The missile has an active radar seeker from the AIM -120 AMRAAM air-to-air missile for targeting the target in the final part of the flight path, but, unlike AMRAAM, it is not equipped with an inertial system as the main one for controlling the missile in the initial and middle part of the flight path, but a programmable GPS navigation system, which is more accurate and allows you to do without a radio altimeter when attacking surface and ground targets in flight at low and ultra-low altitudes.
And instead of a corrective radio command system, like AMRAAM, a network correction system, Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC), is used. At the declared flight ranges of 370–460 km, radio command systems are dead as corrective systems, regardless of the operating frequency range.
Another key difference between the CEC system and hopelessly outdated radio command systems is the ability to receive corrective commands from other more knowledgeable target designation sources, from F-35 aircraft patrolling in the area of the expected target location, AWACS aircraft and Boeing E-3 Sentry or ships equipped Aegis combat system.
Brand New Features
It seems that as a result of this modification, the weapon does not lose its aerodynamic parameters, including launch range. In this regard, an air-launched missile may even outperform its prototype, a ship-based missile. Considering that estimates of the launch range of the "traditional" ship-launched RIM-174B range from 240 to 460 km, this means that the AIM-174B may be the longest-range air-to-air missile in its class, surpassing the Russian R-37 (AA -13 Axehead in NATO nomenclature), Chinese PL-15 (CH-AA-10 Abaddon) or European Meteor.
Apparently, in a relatively simple way, without the need to launch new production lines, since the AIM-174B uses the technology of the proven production SM-6 missile with high performance, the Americans took the shortest path, which will allow them to quite quickly create a new type of weapon with high tactical capabilities. technical characteristics and be at the forefront of global competition.
This is important because Russian, Chinese and European competitors have succeeded in creating longer-range air-to-air missiles, and the Americans seem to be lagging behind in this segment. Their 5th generation aircraft, thanks to the reduced effective surface for reflecting radar waves, can, in their opinion, quietly approach the enemy and be the first to open fire with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. One might get the impression that this is enough for them.
However, in recent years the situation has changed. It turned out that Washington is not able to replace its entire fleet of fighters with 5th generation aircraft, so it will rely on 4th generation aircraft for many years to come. Such aircraft not only remain in US service, but also continue to be produced today (F-15EX Eagle II, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet).
To effectively use them to gain air superiority, it was necessary to create a weapon for them that could hit the enemy from a safe distance. Aircraft without stealth features have certain advantages that their younger 5th generation counterparts do not have. These include, among other things, a high payload: for the F-15EX it is 15 tons, for the F/A-18E/F this value is 8 tons, as well as large restrictions on the weight and size characteristics of missiles in the internal compartments and on the external sling for the F -35 A/B/C. Stealth fighters such as the F-35 are not in themselves a barrier to the development of longer-range weapons, but their weapons bays do not allow the use of large air-to-air missiles anyway.
Will the AIM-174 be the successor to the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles in service with the US Navy?
The answer is definitely no.
First, a program is currently underway to acquire a completely different air-to-air missile that will replace existing medium-range weapons. The AIM-260 JATM (Joint Advanced Tactical Missile) is a dedicated missile with a range approximately twice that of the AMRAAM. This weapon should be similar to the AIM-120 in size and weight (length - 3,65 m, starting weight - 162 kg), and also be suspended under the same pylons as its predecessors. It will also fit into the weapons bays of 5th generation fighters.
In this context, the AIM-174B will become a more specialized weapon with a significantly longer range. It also appears that such a large missile will be used for missions typical of interceptors such as the once famous F-14 Tomcat, equipped with AIM-54 Phoenix missiles.
Due to its dimensions and weight, the missile length is about 6,5 m, the launch weight is about 860 kg, the AIM-174B will be used to destroy mainly large and valuable targets, such as: strategic bombers, cruise missile carriers, early warning aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft or tanker aircraft. Meanwhile, the newest AIM-260 missile will be used primarily to combat tactical aviation enemy, that is, in the role that AMRAAM plays today.
The US Navy confirms that "the new missile, officially known as AIM-174, has been operationally deployed and is the longest-range air-to-air missile ever deployed" (Navy news, navalnewscom, July 5, 2024).
Like the classic SM-6, the AIM-174B could also find limited use against surface and ground targets. The mass of the SM-6 high-explosive fragmentation warhead is 64 kg. This is a lot for an anti-aircraft missile, but relatively little for a weapon designed to attack surface and ground targets.
However, this may not be as big a problem as it seems at first glance, because the very high speed of the rocket at the final stage of its trajectory gives it enormous kinetic energy. Therefore, it is possible that, in addition to its main role in combating the most valuable air targets, the AIM-174B will receive additional tasks in combating ground targets.
Multipurpose weapon
The United States appears to be working on a promising and very advanced long-range all-purpose missile that could have a major impact on the future battlefield, especially in the European and Pacific theaters and potential wars against Russia and China. The new missile could allow Super Hornets to effectively defend their own fleet (aircraft carrier groups) from anti-ship, cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as to strike our ships and the ships of the allied Chinese fleet, as well as ground targets - for example, deployed air defense systems.
Re-equipping multi-role fighters such as the F/A-18E/F with the AIM-174B missile will make them interceptors that will follow in the footsteps of the legendary F-14 Tomcat and at the same time become many times more versatile. There are many indications that Super Hornets will be able to engage enemy aircraft without the risk of getting within range of their weapons.
It should be remembered that the SM-6 is one of the main weapons of American ships equipped with the AEGIS system, i.e. the US Navy's anti-aircraft and anti-missile shield. There is no doubt that the AIM-174B missile will be capable of operating in a network-centric environment, like its anti-aircraft counterpart RIM-174B (SM-6 Block Ia).
It's hard to miss the potential of a long-range air-to-air missile that can be targeted by any aircraft, such as an F-35C Lightning II or E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning aircraft, or a ship equipped with a high-powered radar, such as a destroyer. like "Arleigh Burke". In many cases, this may even be necessary, since the AIM-174B's current intended range exceeds the capabilities of the AN/APG-79 airborne radar used in the latest Super Hornets.
Although the US Navy has officially confirmed the adoption of the AIM-174, a similar step from the US Air Force should not be expected. There are two reasons for this.
Firstly, the Standard family of missiles have been in service with the US Navy for almost six decades - the first version of the RIM-66 Standard MR was put into service in 1967! And in the US Air Force they are a foreign body.
Secondly, the US Air Force has several missile programs of its own, such as the long-range weapons program marketed by RTX (formerly Raytheon Technologies).
A separate issue is the readiness of new weapons for production.
While the JATM missile has been officially coded AIM-260, which could mean it will soon enter service, the same cannot be said for other types of long-range weapons being developed for the US Air Force. The AIM-174B could be an interesting alternative in the special missions weapons segment, especially since the F-15EX seems to be an ideal carrier for a weapon of this size and capability.
Moreover, like the US Navy, the US Air Force plans to integrate 4th and 5th generation fighters to take advantage of the payload of the former and the stealth and situational awareness of the latter. For this reason, it cannot be ruled out that the aviation modification of the SM-6 will eventually be installed on the F-15EX Eagle II fighter.
I do not share the wild enthusiasm of Western experts about this missile. Yes, its control and guidance system is innovative, one might even say revolutionary.
The airframe of the missile is based on the old "pre-revolutionary" SM-2 RIM-174B. Its engine produces 4000 pounds (1800 kilograms) of thrust and runs for 30 seconds. This means that only during the first 30 seconds of flight the rocket accelerates, and then, during the autonomous portion of the trajectory (AUT), which does not exceed 30 kilometers, it continues to move due to the accumulated kinetic energy. However, the speed of the rocket slows down due to braking in dense layers of the atmosphere, and the engine remains turned off.
What speed will the missile have when approaching a target, for example, a surface ship at a distance of 400–460 kilometers? It's a difficult question. Perhaps the speed will be 160 or even 180 meters per second. Will the ship's air defense system be able to effectively counter such a threat? This is certainly an interesting question.
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