The AIM-260 air-to-air missiles supposed to equip frontline fifth and ‘4+ technology’ fighter plane within the U.S. Armed Forces has for the primary time seen the Navy and Air Drive publicly search funds to help manufacturing and procurement. Below the companies’ request for funding for Fiscal Yr 2026, the Air Drive is searching for $368.593 million for the missile, and the Navy $301.858 million. The necessity for the missile has grown more and more pressing as Chinese language frontline fighter models have benefitted from a rising benefit of their capabilities of their air-to-air missiles, with more and more succesful variants of the PL-15 having been launched since 2014, whereas the brand new PL-16 has supplied vital additional functionality enhancements. The PL-15 was one of many first air-to-air missiles to make use of an AESA radar for steerage, offering each larger resistance to jamming an a superior lock on functionality towards low observable targets, comparable to F-35 stealth fighters, whereas boasting an estimated vary of properly over 200 kilometres. It’s presently broadly thought-about by analysts in each the West and in East Asia to be unmatched by any missile class within the American stock.
Improvement of the AIM-260 was initiated in 2017 particularly as a response to the service entry of the PL-15. An extra issue within the resolution is believed to have been the Chinese language Individuals’s Liberation Army Air Drive’s receipt of its first J-20 fifth technology fighters in late 2016, and the J-20’s entry into service in February 2017, which when paired with the PL-15 supplied very actual prospect of leaving prime American fighter models outmatched. Issues relating to the standing of American air energy relative to that of China have elevated very considerably since then, with components together with the speed of modernisation of the J-20 and its completely unrivalled procurement scale by China’s air pressure, and China’s improvement and procurement of a variety of superior supporting belongings comparable to KJ-500A airborne early warning and management methods (AEW&Cs). These considerations had been tremendously exacerbated by China’s unveiling of two new sixth technology fighters in December 2024 already at flight prototype phases.
The AIM-260 was initially supposed to enter service round 2022, with a number of delays thought to have pushed this again by no less than 4 to 5 years to 2026-2027. Though progress in the direction of improvement remained unsure, requests for funding for serial manufacturing and procurements point out that this system has already approached or reached an finish to improvement testing. A lot relating to the testing course of stays unknown, though it was confirmed in late 2021 that the Air Drive had begun utilizing its massive reserves of retired F-16 fighters as aerial targets for this function. Whereas little is thought relating to the missile’s capabilities, main uncertainties additionally embrace its price, the dimensions on which it is going to be produced, and whether or not it is going to be permitted for export.
It has been broadly speculated that the AIM-260 shall be far too pricey to completely exchange the AIM-120 in service, and that manufacturing of the AIM-120C for export and the AIM-120D for home use will proceed in parallel to AIM-260 manufacturing. AIM-260 missiles are anticipated to be strongly prioritised for deployments to the Pacific, the place Chinese language fight aviation models are nearly solely concentrated. Within the Air Drive, it’s anticipated that the missile can even be prioritised to equip the F-47 sixth technology fighter which is able to possible enter service within the mid-2030s. Rising uncertainty relating to the Navy’s personal F/A-XX sixth technology fighter program could lead on the service to as an alternative enhance financing for AIM-260 procurements to equip its older F-35C fifth technology fighters.
