Missile AIM-260 JATM

The AIM-260 program commenced in 2017 in response to long-range air-to-air missiles developed by potential adversaries, specifically the Chinese PL-15. It is a Special Access Program and most of its performance data remains classified. Aerial target testing began in April 2020 and the missile is believed to have entered initial production in 2024, but it has not achieved initial operational capability: in October 2025 a senior Air Force official cited integration difficulties on the F-22 and F-35, while another described the program as progressing well. The Air Force and Navy together requested 687 million dollars for procurement and continued development in the FY2026 budget, and production is expected to overtake that of the AIM-120. In May 2026 photographs emerged of an F/A-18F of test squadron VX-31 carrying what is believed to be a live AIM-260A.

The AIM-260 is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile with a high explosive blast-fragmentation warhead. A rocket motor described in a 2023 Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division fact sheet packs more propellant into a smaller volume, credited there with 1.5 times greater range. The exact figure is classified, as is that of the AIM-120D-3 it is measured against; analysts place it at a minimum of 100 miles, and Aviation Week has reported that Air Force test-range charts show a JATM range circle roughly twice the size of the AMRAAM's. The missile keeps dimensions close to the AIM-120 so that it fits existing launch equipment and the internal weapons bays of fifth-generation fighters. It is designed for use by both manned aircraft and unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft.

Initial launch platforms are the F-22 Raptor and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, with integration planned afterwards on the F-35 Lightning II and F-15EX Eagle II. Because of the classified nature of the program, the Air Force funded a purpose-built storage vault at Hill Air Force Base to hold the missile inventory.

Australia is the first foreign customer. The US State Department cleared a Foreign Military Sale in late 2025 covering up to 450 operational AIM-260A rounds plus five test vehicles and 30 guided test vehicles, valued at 2.6 billion dollars for major defense equipment and about 3.1 billion dollars in total. On 6 August 2026, at Exercise Pitch Black in Darwin, the Australian government committed almost 736 million Australian dollars against that clearance. The missile will be integrated first on the Royal Australian Air Force's F/A-18F Super Hornet, then the F-35A and the EA-18G Growler, with the MQ-28 Ghost Bat named as a future candidate. First deliveries are expected in the third quarter of 2033.