The US Navy has introduced the AIM-174B, an extremely long-range air-to-air missile, in the Indo-Pacific, aiming to counter China’s aerial dominance. This deployment is part of a broader strategy to enhance US power projection as tensions in the region escalate.
Operational since July, the AIM-174B, derived from Raytheon’s SM-6 air defence missile, is now the longest-range missile ever fielded by the US.Capable of striking targets up to 400 km (250 miles) away, it surpasses the range of China’s PL-15 missile, providing US jets a critical edge in aerial engagements, Reuters reported.
One of the significant advantages of the AIM-174B is its ability to fly several times farther than the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the previous long-range US missile. This capability allows the AIM-174B to keep Chinese threats at bay, protecting key US assets such as aircraft carriers and enabling strikes on high-value Chinese targets, including command-and-control planes.
“The United States can ensure the safety of their important assets, such as carrier groups, and launch long-range strikes on PLA targets,” said Chieh Chung, a researcher at the Taipei-based think tank Association of Strategic Foresight.
The West has long struggled to match this level of capability. The AIM-120, the standard long-range missile for US aircraft, has a maximum range of about 150 km (93 miles), forcing US jets to fly deeper into contested territories and exposing them to significant risks. In a potential conflict in the South China Sea or a scenario involving Taiwan, the US Navy would have to operate within a few hundred kilometres of Chinese forces, increasing the danger to US aircraft carriers due to anti-ship attacks.
The AIM-174B changes this dynamic, allowing the US to keep PLA carrier-hunting aircraft out of firing range and even threaten Chinese planes attacking Taiwan, according to Cheih Chung.
“The big thing is that it lets the United States push in a little bit further into the South China Sea during a conflict,” said a senior US defence technical analyst. “And it’s going to potentially change Chinese behaviour because it’s going to hold large, slow, unmanoeuvrable aircraft at greater risk.”
For decades, the United States relied on the advantage of stealth fighters like the F-117, F-22, and F-35, making missiles like the AIM-120 sufficient. However, the advent of Chinese stealth aircraft, such as the J-20, and the longer-range PL-15 missile it can carry, has eroded the US edge. Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, noted that a stealthy Chinese aircraft could theoretically spot non-stealthy US aircraft and shoot them down well outside the range where they could even fight back.
“If a Chinese fighter can outrange an American fighter, it means they can get the first shot. It’s hard to outrun something that’s travelling at Mach 4,” she said.
The AIM-174B was developed to quickly address this need. In parallel, the US Air Force is working on a separate program, the secretive Lockheed Martin AIM-260, which aims to develop an extremely long-range air-to-air missile small enough for stealth aircraft to carry internally.
China is also developing missiles with longer ranges than the PL-15. However, Justin Bronk, an airpower expert at London’s Royal United Services Institute, pointed out that the radar on these launching aircraft might not be able to spot targets at such extended distances.
“If you go too big and too heavy with the missiles, you end up trading off fuel for the aircraft,” he added.
The use of the Raytheon SM-6, initially designed for a ship-launched air defense role, means that production lines are already available, and funding exists for more than 100 SM-6 missiles a year. Although Raytheon declined to comment on how many AIM-174Bs would be produced, its versatility opens up possibilities beyond the AIM-174B, such as fitting the missile with an anti-radar seeker to disrupt surface-to-air missile batteries from long range.
Even with limited numbers, the AIM-174B’s deployment alters the strategic calculus in a potential regional conflict. As a senior technical analyst noted, “If this is enough to push China’s high-value aircraft way back, then you don’t need many. The threat has caused the adversary to change their behaviour… It makes a South China Sea scenario easier.”
Operational since July, the AIM-174B, derived from Raytheon’s SM-6 air defence missile, is now the longest-range missile ever fielded by the US.Capable of striking targets up to 400 km (250 miles) away, it surpasses the range of China’s PL-15 missile, providing US jets a critical edge in aerial engagements, Reuters reported.
One of the significant advantages of the AIM-174B is its ability to fly several times farther than the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the previous long-range US missile. This capability allows the AIM-174B to keep Chinese threats at bay, protecting key US assets such as aircraft carriers and enabling strikes on high-value Chinese targets, including command-and-control planes.
“The United States can ensure the safety of their important assets, such as carrier groups, and launch long-range strikes on PLA targets,” said Chieh Chung, a researcher at the Taipei-based think tank Association of Strategic Foresight.
The West has long struggled to match this level of capability. The AIM-120, the standard long-range missile for US aircraft, has a maximum range of about 150 km (93 miles), forcing US jets to fly deeper into contested territories and exposing them to significant risks. In a potential conflict in the South China Sea or a scenario involving Taiwan, the US Navy would have to operate within a few hundred kilometres of Chinese forces, increasing the danger to US aircraft carriers due to anti-ship attacks.
The AIM-174B changes this dynamic, allowing the US to keep PLA carrier-hunting aircraft out of firing range and even threaten Chinese planes attacking Taiwan, according to Cheih Chung.
“The big thing is that it lets the United States push in a little bit further into the South China Sea during a conflict,” said a senior US defence technical analyst. “And it’s going to potentially change Chinese behaviour because it’s going to hold large, slow, unmanoeuvrable aircraft at greater risk.”
For decades, the United States relied on the advantage of stealth fighters like the F-117, F-22, and F-35, making missiles like the AIM-120 sufficient. However, the advent of Chinese stealth aircraft, such as the J-20, and the longer-range PL-15 missile it can carry, has eroded the US edge. Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center, noted that a stealthy Chinese aircraft could theoretically spot non-stealthy US aircraft and shoot them down well outside the range where they could even fight back.
“If a Chinese fighter can outrange an American fighter, it means they can get the first shot. It’s hard to outrun something that’s travelling at Mach 4,” she said.
The AIM-174B was developed to quickly address this need. In parallel, the US Air Force is working on a separate program, the secretive Lockheed Martin AIM-260, which aims to develop an extremely long-range air-to-air missile small enough for stealth aircraft to carry internally.
China is also developing missiles with longer ranges than the PL-15. However, Justin Bronk, an airpower expert at London’s Royal United Services Institute, pointed out that the radar on these launching aircraft might not be able to spot targets at such extended distances.
“If you go too big and too heavy with the missiles, you end up trading off fuel for the aircraft,” he added.
The use of the Raytheon SM-6, initially designed for a ship-launched air defense role, means that production lines are already available, and funding exists for more than 100 SM-6 missiles a year. Although Raytheon declined to comment on how many AIM-174Bs would be produced, its versatility opens up possibilities beyond the AIM-174B, such as fitting the missile with an anti-radar seeker to disrupt surface-to-air missile batteries from long range.
Even with limited numbers, the AIM-174B’s deployment alters the strategic calculus in a potential regional conflict. As a senior technical analyst noted, “If this is enough to push China’s high-value aircraft way back, then you don’t need many. The threat has caused the adversary to change their behaviour… It makes a South China Sea scenario easier.”
Discussion about this post