The U.S. Navy is working on a new ultra-long-range missile intended to destroy hostile aircraft before they can move close enough to endanger American fighter jets or aircraft carriers.
The service revealed the program on Aug. 22, identifying the next-generation AIM-424 LRAAM by its nickname, “MALICE.”
Built for air-to-air combat, the missile is meant to be launched from a jet and strike enemy aircraft or drones at exceptionally long distances.
The goal is to give U.S. pilots the ability to spot a threat on radar, fire from well outside close-contact range and eliminate the target before it can pose an immediate danger, a capability that could improve pilot survivability.
An AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM) is shown mounted inside the internal weapons bay of an F-35C, with an AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) attached to the weapons bay door. (U.S. Navy File Photo)
“LRAAM sustains the Department’s first look, first shot, first kill advantage by providing our aviators greater reach, greater survivability, and greater tactical flexibility in the air-to-air fight,” the Navy said.
The missile is designed to increase the “range, lethality, and combat effectiveness for Marine and Naval aviation forces,” officials added.
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Four AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missiles (LRAAM) are loaded on an F/A-18E Super Hornet for a test event. (U.S. Navy File Photo)
Its range is listed as “in excess” of 250 nautical miles, or roughly 287 statute miles. That is a massive distance for an air-to-air missile, allowing jets to protect an entire fleet from far over the horizon.
At 13.5 feet long and weighing 1,500 pounds, the missile is significantly larger and heavier than standard medium-range air-to-air missiles. In comparison, the AIM-120 AMRAAM weighs about 335 pounds, underscoring the size of the propulsion system needed to propel the LRAAM to extreme distances.
FILE — Two F/A-18 Super Hornets launch from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Officials recently tested the new AIM-424 LRAAM missile on F/A-18 Super Hornets. (U.S. Navy/Handout via Reuters)
The missile is also equipped with a blast-fragmentation warhead, meaning it does not necessarily have to score a direct physical hit. Instead, it detonates near the target, sending fragments outward to destroy or disable the aircraft.
Officials said the missile is compatible with aircraft across multiple generations, including fourth and fifth-generation fighters as well as future sixth-generation aircraft.
The LRAAM is being developed by Raytheon, one of the U.S. military’s primary defense contractors.