Draft:AIM-174 air-to-air missile

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" 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 surface-launched SM-6 variants are capable of 250 nmi launches; With the benefit of being launched already at-speed and 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. 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. 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; The publication Naval News reports that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015, while The Aviationist reports that photos of Super Hornets carrying “an SM-6 variant” appeared in 2018.

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). 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. Both the AIM-174 and -260 are separate from the currently under-development Long-Range Engagement Weapon of the USAF.

Design
As of 2024, little is known of the weapon. However, photos reveal that the AIM-174B weighs around 1900 lbs (861 kg), about five times the weight of the AIM-120 AMRAAM.

While some variants of the surface-launched SM-6 are capable of up to 250 nm (290 mi; 460 km) launches, the USN has only confirmed a range of 130 nm (150 mi; 240 km) for the AIM-174B. While the AIM-174 lacks the SM-6’s MK72 rocket booster, in the thinner air of higher-altitudes (relative to a surface launch) and retaining the speed of the launching aircraft (several hundred miles per hour, at minimum), an air-launched AIM-174 may be capable of extreme ranges, relative to other air-launched missiles. The AIM-174 may also be capable of ‘lofting,’ a technique whereby the launched missile immediately ascends upwards to gain additional altitude, leveling-out generally between 80,000 ft (24,000 m) to 100,000 ft (30,000 m); Her spiritual predecessor, the AIM-54 Phoenix BVRAAM was capable of employing this launch profile (along with certain AIM-7 Sparrow variants and all AIM-120 AMRAAM variants). Between the AIM-174’s advantages over a surface-launched SM-6 and the possibility of lofted-launch profiles, the AIM-174’s range may extend to hundreds of nautical miles. The USN also routinely degrades the publicly-available ranges and capabilities of weapon systems for strategic security purposes.