US Navy reveals it is developing AIM-424 air-air missile

The US Navy has disclosed it is developing the Air Intercept Missile (AIM)-424 Malice Long Range Air to Air Missile (LRAAM), a next-generation missile intended, says the USN, to strengthen fleet defence and maintain a decisive air domain overmatch against advanced threats. The AIM-424 is designed and manufactured by Raytheon.

The missile is 4.11m long, 0.34m in diameter has a blast-fragmentation warhead and powered by a Solid Rocket Motor (SRM). It has a wingspan of 0.67m and weighs 680.4kg. Although its speed isn’t disclosed, the US Navy says it has a range in excess of 250nm, suggesting that it is designed to engage long-range, hypersonic missiles.

The AIM-424 sustains the Department’s ‘first look, first shot, first kill’ advantage, says the US Navy, by providing naval aviators greater reach, greater survivability, and greater tactical flexibility in the air-to-air fight. “Built for 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th generation platforms, LRAAM is designed for the air wing of today and the future”, the service says.

The LRAAM directly supports the US Navy’s contribution to integrated deterrence by increasing the range, lethality, and combat effectiveness of crewed and presumably uncrewed Marine and Naval aviation assets defending US fleets and interests.