The U.S. Navy will start procuring the new AIM-260A JATM beyond-visual range air-to-air missile from Fiscal Year 2026 to succeed AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles.
Naval News reported that a budget of $309 million has been allocated for AIM-260A JATM in the FY2026 budget. While the unit cost of the missile is unknown, it is safe to say the first acquisition will be in the hundreds range, considering the unit cost of an AIM-120D missile, which the new AIM-260A missile will succeed.
AIM-260 has been developed as a successor to the AIM-120 AMRAAM line of air-to-air missiles, which are reaching the end of production. The missile has been designed to achieve a longer range, presumably with a multi-pulse rocket motor.
The design of AIM-260, as shared by NAVAIR previously, has only one set of fins at the tail. It is unknown if other means of manoeuvring, like thrust vectoring, are present.
The missile is planned to be used by F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor, and F-35A/B/C fighters. In the U.S. Navy service, AIM-260 will be fielded alongside the considerably larger long-range AIM-174B derived from the SM-6 (RIM-174) air defence missile.
Author: Kaan Azman
Editor: Özgür Ekşi
