WASHINGTON — The Navy is creating a new long-range air-to-air missile dubbed “Malice,” according to the service, capable of hitting targets at distances exceeding 250 nautical miles (287.7 miles).
“The Department of the Navy is developing the AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM), a next-generation missile intended to strengthen fleet defense and maintain a decisive air-domain overmatch against advanced threats,” the Navy said in a statement posted online over the weekend. “Also known as Malice, the LRAAM directly supports the Department’s contribution to integrated deterrence by increasing range, lethality, and combat effectiveness for Marine and Naval Aviation forces that are defending our fleets, our interests, and our homeland.”
Additional details regarding the specific capabilities and deployment timelines were not disclosed and remain classified, due to operational security concerns, the Navy told Breaking Defense today. However, the Navy said that the missile — which is 13.5 feet long with a diameter of 13.5 inches — is designed for 4th, 5th, and 6th generation aircraft platforms, according to the service’s description of the program.
The Navy published a photo in April depicting four of the missiles loaded onto an F/A-18E Super Hornet for a “test event.” And then another photo from earlier this month showed one missile secured to the internal weapons bay of an F-35C aircraft. In that post, it was described it as the Navy’s “next-generation, long-range air-to-air missile, built to give Marine and Naval aviators the capability they need to defeat advanced threats and defend the force.”
Despite the public postings, the potentially stealthy missile flew under much of the media’s radar until the Navy announced at the Tailhook Symposium this weekend that the missile had undergone testing, according to a report from Aviation Week.
“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 service said in its Saturday posting.
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Raytheon confirmed that it was developing Malice, and said that “strengthening fleet defense and maintaining superiority are essential to address rapidly emerging air-to-air threats.”
“Our Advanced Technology’s team approach is at the core of doing just that with the development of the AIM-424,” Phil Jasper, president of Raytheon, said in a statement to Breaking Defense. “With increased range, lethality, and combat effectiveness for Naval forces, the AIM-424 delivers a generational leap in long range air-to-air combat capability that can out range any threat.”
The Air Force and Navy generally collaborate on air-to-air missile programs, including the new AIM-260. An Air Force spokesperson told Breaking Defense that the service is “closely following the progress of the Navy on the AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile Program.”
Michael Marrow contributed to this report.