US Air Force Developing AIM-260a AMRAAM Replacement to Counter China, enter service in 2022

[F-22Raptor]

DAYTON, Ohio—The Air Force is developing a new air-to-air missile, dubbed the AIM-260, that offers longer range than Raytheon’s Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile and would be used to counter the Chinese PL-15 weapon.

Air Force Weapons Program Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Anthony Genatempo told reporters in a June 20 interview here the service is working with Lockheed Martin, the Army, and the Navy to field the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile in 2022. Work began about two years ago.

“It has a range greater than AMRAAM, different capabilities onboard to go after that specific [next generation air-dominance] threat set, but certainly longer legs,” he said. “As I bring up JATM production, AMRAAM production is kind of going to start tailing off.”

The weapon is initially planned to fly in the F-22’s main weapons bay and on the Navy’s F/A-18, with the F-35 to follow. Flight tests will begin in 2021 and initial operational capability is slated for 2022, Genatempo said.

“It is meant to be the next air-to-air air dominance weapon for our air-to-air fighters,” he said.

The Air Force will buy its last AMRAAMs in fiscal 2026 as JATM ramps up, answering combatant commanders’ needs, Genatempo said.

He told Air Force Magazine the service hasn’t settled on how many JATMs it might buy in the outyears or how the program will ramp up.

“The future of what JATM looks like, especially out in that outyear increment, is very, very up in the air right now,” Genatempo said. “As far as lot sizes go, it’s on the order of a couple hundred per lot and I don’t think we have a definite plan.”

He expects JATM could be in production as long as AMRAAM, which was first deployed in 1991.

http://www.airforcemag.com/Features...ping-AMRAAM-Replacement-to-Counter-China.aspx

 

[F-22Raptor]

Huge development here!

JATM will have a "significantly longer range" yet be similar in dimensions to the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-To-Air Missile, Brig. Gen. Anthony Genatempo, the Air Force's weapons program executive officer,...

https://insidedefense.com/daily-new...-aerial-dominance-weapon-greater-range-amraam

 

[YeBeWarned]

i guess we are looking at a 200+ KM range missile

 

[The Accountant]

Huge development here!

JATM will have a "significantly longer range" yet be similar in dimensions to the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-To-Air Missile, Brig. Gen. Anthony Genatempo, the Air Force's weapons program executive officer,...

https://insidedefense.com/daily-new...-aerial-dominance-weapon-greater-range-amraam

What about PL21 ? It has even greater range than PL15 ?

So niw US is in catching up scenario in few of the areas interesting

 

[CrazyZ]

Probably a multi stage air breathing and rocket combo. My guess is it will have an AESA as well with a lot more processing power than amraam. The costs of such a weapon may not be justified for use against lower end aircraft. Amraam will be in service for some time.

 

[Kamil_baku]

Probably a multi stage air breathing and rocket combo. My guess is it will have an AESA as well with a lot more processing power than amraam. The costs of such a weapon may not be justified for use against lower end aircraft. Amraam will be in service for some time.

Actually using AESA radar is so expensive to use and normally you fire 4 missile to 1 target. even Turkey decided that it will be to expensive with local production and didnt use it.

 

[CrazyZ]

Actually using AESA radar is so expensive to use and normally you fire 4 missile to 1 target. even Turkey decided that it will be to expensive with local production and didnt use it.

AESA on a AAM may be needed to engage stealth aircraft. AESA has much higher gains....may be important to hitting a stealth AC especially if coupled with IR. Using such a missile on expensive AC like the F22 or F35 make sense but would make no sense on mig21 or similar low end AC.

 

[LeGenD]

What about PL21 ? It has even greater range than PL15 ?

So niw US is in catching up scenario in few of the areas interesting

PL-15 BVRAAM have 150 KM range (realistic).

For comparison, AIM-120D is 180+ KM range and METEOR is 300+ KM rated respectively. METEOR VLRAAM is very impressive in particular.

PL-XX (PL-21) is designed to engage large aircraft such as AWACS, and a fighter aircraft cannot carry it (correction: few might).

So no, US is not catching up. China have some exotic weaponry though (PL-21 being an example), but US is not interested in copying them.

 

[The Accountant]

PL-15 BVRAAM have 150 KM range (realistic).

For comparison, AIM-120D is 180+ KM range and METEOR is 300+ KM rated respectively. METEOR VLRAAM is very impressive in particular.

PL-XX (PL-21) is designed to engage large aircraft such as AWACS, and a fighter aircraft cannot carry it.

So no, US is not catching up. China have some exotic weaponry though (PL-21 being an example), but US is not interested in copying them.

Thanks ... are you sure PL21 cant be carried by fighter jets ? This missile is highly confidential ... by the way range of pl15 is not in public knowledge so assuming 150 is incorrect

 

[LeGenD]

Thanks ... are you sure PL21 cant be carried by fighter jets ? This missile is highly confidential ... by the way range of pl15 is not in public knowledge so assuming 150 is incorrect

Welcome.

There is much confusion about touted capabilities of Chinese a2a missiles in press releases worldwide, particularly PL-15 (due to secrecy factor as you hinted). Instances of misreporting probably fueled confusion and circulated around.

PL-15 BVRAAM might be able to engage a target at a range in excess to 150 KM in ideal conditions/situations. However, not by a huge margin.

PL-XX is 20 feet long and feature RAMJET propulsion technology to achieve very long range (300+ KM) much like METEOR but PL-XX is reportedly specialized (HARM) whereas METEOR have speed control measures and extraordinary maneuverability to engage a wide range of airbreathing targets including 'missile defense' applications. PL-XX is reportedly appropriate for engaging large aircraft such as AWACS but surprises can be expected.

Few fighter aircraft would be able to carry PL-XX, given its size. J-20 and J-16 are most likely candidates.

 

[CrazyZ]

My own opinion is that once you make an AAM so large and with so much range (air breathing)....you might as well turn into a SAM....firing it from a ground launcher. With modern digital networking, it can still be guided by an AC.

 

[Pakistani Fighter]

@serenity has PL21 been abondoned?

 

[serenity]

@serenity has PL21 been abondoned?

Hard to say what is PL-21. But the long range missiles definitely not abandoned. Much more and better ones already being developed. Some can carry smaller missiles hundreds of kilometers using multiple small missile carrier than can be launch from larger plane like future bombers. Simple long range types like Meteor also should not be abandoned. Can you believe China allow today other countries to have longer range missiles? Already we plan to get over them by at least one generation. Here it is not about catch up because these things are quite simple compared to something like stealth bomber and best performance engines.

What China has shown everyone is just on surface. Same as USA. Only Europe is open about things and Russia will show off things they don't really finish developing. Only China and USA hide many secrets.