US Navy unveils longest-range missile: Will AIM-174B be a game-changer in Indo-Pacific tensions?

[shockedcanadian]

I post this half as information for you and also welcoming and feedback on this from the in-house military experts or hobbyists.

My brain, even in its current pained stake too many days of late, requires vast input, especially as I can't exercise anymore. As such, I am not a military expert but I do listen to countless podcasts on the state of the world today (among many interests), trying to sift through the wheat from the chaff as the world is facing a critical period in our history.

Per the aforementioned pursuits, I tripped upon a podcast (which sounded more like an infomercial truth be told) and they promoted this AIM-174B rocket as a game changer. From what I understand, it essentially allows the U.S Navy to maintain a posture much further away from China so that in the event of war their aircraft carriers and other assets will not be within range of Chinese rockets which apparently have a 250 mile range compared to this missile which is 400 miles.

Not to ever rest on ones laurels, China is currently working on a rocket to surpass this range (Im sure they are looking to purchase U.S spies for this). This pursuit alone should speak volumes about Chinas intentions over the next few years, after all, why would they need a longer range weapon if they are developing for peaceful purposes, but I digress.

Anyone have an opinion on this rocket? Apparently it flies mach 2 which is much slower than the Chinese made missiles but that is all I could find that was not positive in review.

MSN

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.

 

[g5000]

I post this half as information for you and also welcoming and feedback on this from the in-house military experts or hobbyists.

My brain, even in its current pained stake too many days of late, requires vast input, especially as I can't exercise anymore. As such, I am not a military expert but I do listen to countless podcasts on the state of the world today (among many interests), trying to sift through the wheat from the chaff as the world is facing a critical period in our history.

Per the aforementioned pursuits, I tripped upon a podcast (which sounded more like an infomercial truth be told) and they promoted this AIM-174B rocket as a game changer. From what I understand, it essentially allows the U.S Navy to maintain a posture much further away from China so that in the event of war their aircraft carriers and other assets will not be within range of Chinese rockets which apparently have a 250 mile range compared to this missile which is 400 miles.

The range of the AIM-174B is 400 km, not miles. Which means it is the same range as the Chinese "rockets".

You said Chinese "rockets". A rocket is not the same thing as a missile.

See the rest of your post below:

Capable of striking targets up to 400 km (250 miles) away

 

[g5000]

US Navy Deploys the AIM-174B, Longest-Range Air-to-Air Missile Ever Used

US Navy Deploys the AIM-174B, Longest-Range Air-to-Air Missile Ever Used

www.armyrecognition.com

The AIM-174B missile stands out with an impressive range of 250 miles (about 400 kilometers), more than double the range of the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the standard air-to-air missile for American F-22 and F-35 fighters. This extended range puts the AIM-174B well ahead of its competitors, particularly the Chinese PL-15, whose range is shorter than that of the AIM-174B, although the Chinese PL-17 missile can reach targets at a similar distance.

I'm trying to make sense of that last sentence. The PL-15 range is shorter but can reach targets at a similar distance???

 

[shockedcanadian]

US Navy Deploys the AIM-174B, Longest-Range Air-to-Air Missile Ever Used

US Navy Deploys the AIM-174B, Longest-Range Air-to-Air Missile Ever Used

www.armyrecognition.com

The AIM-174B missile stands out with an impressive range of 250 miles (about 400 kilometers), more than double the range of the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the standard air-to-air missile for American F-22 and F-35 fighters. This extended range puts the AIM-174B well ahead of its competitors, particularly the Chinese PL-15, whose range is shorter than that of the AIM-174B, although the Chinese PL-17 missile can reach targets at a similar distance.

I'm trying to make sense of that last sentence. The PL-15 range is shorter but can reach targets at a similar distance???

Yeah that is confusing to the unfamiliar,.seemingly contradictory statements. Someone had commented that there was a vast difference in speed between these.competitors, apparently the American missile is much slower.but who knows? It was a random comment online

 

[whitehall]

There are approximately 10,000 commercial airlines in the air in the world at the same time. The problem with ultra long range air to air missiles is .....identifying the target. Apparently that problem is unresolved.

 

[Mushroom]

Per the aforementioned pursuits, I tripped upon a podcast (which sounded more like an infomercial truth be told) and they promoted this AIM-174B rocket as a game changer. From what I understand, it essentially allows the U.S Navy to maintain a posture much further away from China so that in the event of war their aircraft carriers and other assets will not be within range of Chinese rockets which apparently have a 250 mile range compared to this missile which is 400 miles.

The biggest advantage is that this is an air to air variant of the SM-6. This is essentially replacing the retired AIM-54 Phoenix missile, and they have not had a long distance A2A missile since.

And one big thing that will make a difference, is the added ABM capability. In general, the SM-6 has many variants, depending on the target. They are primarily configured for anti-air, but can also be configured to operate as anti-ship and ABM operations. And in addition to being able to launch penetration attacks on AWAC and tanker assets, putting aircraft with these in an ABM configuration would hamper such attacks on defended assets. As they could them take the out long before they get within range of the missiles on board the ships.

 

[Blaster]

We need an iron dome to protect us from missile strikes.

 

[Harpy Eagle]

We need an iron dome to protect us from missile strikes.

How much more are you willing to pay in taxes for it?

The US has 3,809,525 square miles. At 60 per battery that would take 63493 to cover it all, at a minimum. Really it would be more due to shape of the country

Each battery cost about 50 million.

That puts the cost for just the batteries at 3,174,604,166,667. That is 3 trillion dollars minimum just to build the system.

 

[Mushroom]

There are approximately 10,000 commercial airlines in the air in the world at the same time. The problem with ultra long range air to air missiles is .....identifying the target. Apparently that problem is unresolved.

Which for start should not be operating in a contested airspace. Which is one reason why even the Soviets chastised Iran for flying a commercial jet over contested waters in 1988.

And actually, it is not all that hard to tell a lot about an aircraft from the RADAR return. Identifying an aircraft as a fighter or heavy lift is rather easy, mostly on speed and RADAR return. And over a period of time watching things like air speed, altitude changes, and things like that can really help pin down what an aircraft actually is. For example, at a distance a RADAR operator can see two aircraft in their scope at the edge of their range. Both are big aircraft, some sort of heavy hauler.

But after watching for a while, one is traveling at 50,000 feet at 440 mph, the other is traveling at 45,000 feet at 550 mph. Therefore even at great distance, one can be identified as a Tu-95 Bear, and the other a 747. And air defenders do not just fire at any target randomly unless an area has been officially declared a no-fly zone because of hostilities. The other aircraft has to have been seen as a threat, and refused to identify itself or veer off on the radio.

In the 1988 shooting of Iran Air 655, a couple of hours before take-off there had been an engagement between patrol boats of the Iranian Navy and the US Navy on escort duty protecting neutral nation shipping in the Straight of Hormuz. This was also only a year after the USS Stark was attacked by Iranian Mirage fighters, so combined with the patrol boat attack only hours earlier the crew was still on high alert. And they had tried 11 times to alert the A300 on the International Distress Frequency that they were flying over contested waters, and there was no response. And the aircraft was flying directly at the USS Vincennes, not simply flying nearby. And it was finally shot down 12 miles from the ship.

So neither the Navy or Marines would simply be shooting at random at any RADAR contact they had picked up at extreme range. Unless it was in the kind of situation where an all-out shooting war had been declared. And any airline that takes off in those kind of conditions and flies at the conflict area are led by idiots.

 

[Mushroom]

We need an iron dome to protect us from missile strikes.

Oh, we already have that. But that is a very short range system, only having a range of around 40 miles. The US already has systems that are comparable or surpassing Iron Dome, like SHORAD, C-RAM, PATRIOT, and THAAD. And the Marine Corps is fast-tracking the MRIC, which is expected to become operational next year. Essentially mounting up to 20 SkyHunter air defense missiles (a US made variant of the main Iron Dome missile) on a modified PATRIOT-MEADS launcher (prototypes have been tested on both a trailer and truck configuration).

And I have even talked to US air defenders that are watching that program with great interest. And it would not surprise me that once it is deployed with the MEUs, the Army might also start using it shortly afterwards. As it fills a gap that currently exists between SHORAD/C-RAM and PATRIOT. Although that gap has shrunk considerably since the PAC-3 MSE entered service. As that can load up to 24 PAC-3 MSE missiles, having more missiles with a greater range than even Iron Dome.

 

[Admiral Rockwell Tory]

There are approximately 10,000 commercial airlines in the air in the world at the same time. The problem with ultra long range air to air missiles is .....identifying the target. Apparently that problem is unresolved.

There should be no civilian airliners in a war zone. Do you think they are flying over Ukraine or southwestern Russia right now?