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3w ago

U.S. Navy Publicly Reveals AIM-424 “Malice” Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile

The Navy released specifications and photos that show a Raytheon-built missile with stated range beyond 250 nautical miles and planned fit on Super Hornet and F‑35C aircraft, a move that could change carrier air tactics.

U.S. Navy File Photo - An AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM) is mounted in the internal weapons bay of an F-35C with an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) mounted on the weapon bay door. The AIM-424 LRAAM is the Department of the Navy's next-generation, long-range air-to-air missile, built to give Marine and Naval aviators the capability they need to defeat advanced threats and defend the force.
US Navy Unveils AIM-424 Malice Ultra-Long-Range Air-To-Air Missile

Overview

  • The Navy published a fact file and photos disclosing the AIM-424 LRAAM’s basic specs, including a stated range in excess of 250 nautical miles, a length of about 13.5 feet, a weight near 1,500 pounds, a solid rocket motor, and a blast-fragmentation warhead.
  • Raytheon is the developer and the Navy’s images show four test missiles carried externally on an F/A-18E Super Hornet and two missiles fitted inside an F‑35C internal weapons bay.
  • The service declined to release details on guidance, seeker type, targeting methods or a deployment timeline, citing operational security and leaving key performance aspects unconfirmed.
  • Raytheon’s president called the weapon a “generational leap” that can outrange threats, language the company uses to frame the missile as a tool for stronger fleet defense and integrated deterrence.
  • Analysts say the public reveal could allow carrier air wings to engage threats at much greater standoff distances and improve pilot survivability, but they caution that without seeker and guidance information independent assessment of combat effectiveness is limited.