Another image released by the US Navy shows the missile installed inside the weapons bay of an advanced F-35C fighter jet.
According to the website, the AIM 424 Long Range Air to Air Missile (LRAAM), which is already undergoing testing, has been designed to arm the F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-35C Joint Strike Fighter and the upcoming F/A-XX next-generation naval fighter.
AIM 424 appears significantly larger than the long serving AIM 120 AMRAAM and the newer AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), while also being designed to provide substantially greater range.
The Pentagon has been interested in multi stage air to air missiles for years and is now working toward developing weapons capable of striking targets at ranges of up to 1,000 miles in the coming years.
According to TWZ, narrowing the gap with China in long-range air-to-air missile capabilities and gaining a significant advantage over Chinese military capabilities in this area has become a major priority for the Pentagon.
US Navy information indicates that the AIM-424 weighs around 1,500 pounds and has a range of more than 250 nautical miles, or 463 kilometers.
However, the website noted that these figures particularly the missile’s stated range may have been deliberately understated for counterintelligence purposes.
