In this year’s July, during the global largest maritime joint exercise known as the 2024 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), the United States Navy publicly displayed the AIM-174B long-range air-to-air missile mounted on an F-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft, attracting the attention of people and sparking discussions among military enthusiasts.
Furthermore, the fourth-generation AIM-260 long-range air-to-air missile, which utilizes infrared guidance, serves as a combat tool for stealth fighters in radar silent mode, effectively extending the combat radius and battlefield survivability of fifth-generation stealth aircraft.
Inviting Tony Hu, Deputy Director of Security Cooperation at the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) and former General Manager of the Taiwan branch of the Raytheon Company and commander of the U.S. Missile Force, for an interview, Hu expressed that many people ask if the United States is preparing for war. He affirmed that the U.S. understands that maintaining peace and deterring enemies require adequate war preparations. A country can only negotiate from a position of military strength; otherwise, it becomes vulnerable to exploitation.
Hu believes in the principle of “Peace through strength” – only with strong military capabilities can true peace be achieved.
Hu stated that over the past 40 years, significant changes have occurred in the world, and the United States can no longer solely maintain peace in the Indo-Pacific region. This is why the U.S. has been strengthening alliances in the Indo-Pacific region, including Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and Australia.
“Many NATO countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Canada, Spain, among others, have also started participating in exercises in the Indo-Pacific region to collectively defend against the new evil axis alliance led by the Chinese Communist Party, which seeks to provoke war,” Hu said.
He emphasized that recognizing this situation, the U.S. must develop new weapons to counterbalance China in the vast Indo-Pacific region.
According to Reuters, the AIM-174B is a derivative of the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) developed by the U.S. defense giant Raytheon. It was first tested in 2018 and is recognized as the air-to-air missile with the longest range among its kind in the U.S. military, reaching an effective distance of 400 kilometers.
Notably, the AIM-174B is capable of targeting both aerial and ground threats, including anti-aircraft positions on land and ships at sea.
Hu pointed out a unique capability of the AIM-174B called “Cooperative Engagement Capability (CEC).” One aircraft can launch the AIM-174B missile, while another aircraft can provide updated targeting information during the missile’s 400-kilometer flight to engage the target effectively.
Regarding concerns about China’s primary long-range air-to-air missile PL-15, with a claimed range of 200 kilometers, Hu mentioned that he believes Chinese military aircraft do not yet possess cooperative engagement capabilities, limiting their guiding range to just over 100 kilometers, not reaching 200 kilometers.
Hu emphasized that the AIM-174B is suitable for engaging high-value aerial assets of adversaries, such as airborne early warning aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft, aerial refueling aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft, and even bombers, acting as a ballistic missile and enhancing the combat flexibility of the Super Hornet fighter aircraft.
According to foreign reports, the U.S. Department of Defense has handed over the issue of AIM-174B deployment to the U.S. Navy, stating that the missile has been “deployed for combat operations” but refraining from commenting on providing it to allies, integrating it into other aircraft, or the annual quantity required.
In terms of the SM-6, Hu added that it is a smart missile capable of air and ship defense against short-range missiles. Furthermore, it carries the SM-3 medium-range missile to intercept enemy long-range missiles while they are still in flight before descending, safeguarding against threats from outer space.
“The SM-6 needs to get closer to the target after it descends, ultimately protecting not only the missile but also the aircraft carrier battle group,” Hu explained.
According to the U.S. military media outlet “War Zone,” the U.S. Air Force is laying the groundwork for the rapid production of the next-generation AIM-260 air-to-air missile, aimed at equipping manned and unmanned aircraft with specialized capabilities for air-to-air combat. Upon the large-scale armament of AIM-260, it will significantly enhance the combat range of fighter aircraft, potentially increasing lethality and survivability.
In the context of the competition between U.S. and Chinese air combat capabilities, both sides must contend in various aspects, including stealth fighters, airborne early warning aircraft, and air-to-air missiles, with the most fierce competition currently revolving around air-to-air missile technological advancements.
As described in the military column “Mark Time and Space,” the AIM-260 is a new type of air-to-air missile designed for U.S. Air Force production and customized by Lockheed Martin to match the internal bays of fifth-generation aircraft like the F-22 and F-35, tailored for future complex aerial combat environments.
It is speculated that the AIM-260’s range is likely double that of the currently active AIM-120D3, possibly exceeding 300 kilometers. The deployment of AIM-260 is expected to significantly expand the combat radius and battlefield survivability of fifth-generation stealth fighters.
Based on an analysis by the U.S. military media “War Zone,” the standout feature of the AIM-260 may lie in its use of active phased-array and infrared dual-mode guidance heads, making it an ideal combat tool for stealth fighters in radar silent mode.
Hu mentioned that the AIM-260 enhances the combat range of U.S. fighter aircraft, reaching almost 200 kilometers, ensuring that no enemy aircraft can escape encounters.
According to the U.S. Navy News, the U.S. Army deployed a new ground-based missile launch system, the Typhon Weapons System, in northern Philippines during the “Salaknib 24” joint exercise in April. The medium-range missile system has a range of over 2,000 kilometers, reaching the sensitive coastal areas of southeastern China, the South China Sea, and the Taiwan Strait. Experts view this as a warning signal to China, demonstrating the U.S.’s robust military defense capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region.
Hu additionally clarified that the Typhon Weapons System is an independent command system, currently deployed by the U.S. Army in Japan. He highlighted that this system can be moved to different islands in the Indo-Pacific region swiftly, including the Philippines, Taiwan, and small Japanese islands, for any potential conflicts in the area.