Overview
- The Navy publicly disclosed the AIM-424, nicknamed Malice, at the Tailhook symposium in Reno on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2026, releasing official images and a Fact File that confirm the weapon’s existence.
- Raytheon’s Advanced Technology division is identified as the developer and the Navy lists the missile’s range as in excess of 250 nautical miles, a distance meant to give U.S. naval aviation greater stand-off against advanced threats.
- Official photos show the missile carried externally on an F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and fitted inside an F-35C internal bay, indicating design work to support both legacy and stealth platforms.
- The AIM-424 is in flight testing and integration phases with at least one captive‑carry flight in April 2026 and an F-35 fit check in August 2026, while detailed propulsion, seeker modes, and deployment timing remain classified.
- Industry reporting describes a multi-stage or ramjet-like architecture to achieve extreme range, and analysts say the weapon is meant to restore long‑reach air-to-air capability to protect carriers and high-value support aircraft in contested theaters.