The U.S. has been quietly working on a new air-to-air missile meant to “out-stick” next generation Chinese and Russian missiles. The existence of the AIM-260, or Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, was revealed last week, with the expectation for the missile to enter service in 2022.

Air Force Weapons Program Executive Officer Brig. Gen. Anthony Genatempo revealed the existence of the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile to reporters, stating that it had been under development since 2017. Flight tests will begin in 2021 and the missile is expected to reach initial operational capability—a point at which the missile will start reaching fighter units—in 2022.

Genatempo, as reported by Air Force Magazine , described JATM as a “next air-to-air air dominance weapon for our air-to-air fighters.” The missile will initially arm the F-22 Raptor, equipping the main weapons bay, and the Navy’s F/A-18E/F fighter jets. Deployment on the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter will follow, but the missile will skip older generation jets such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon, both of which will still be around in the 2020s.

AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. The AIM-260 will be of similar size but with a considerably longer range. U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Caitlin Russell

The Air Force describes JATM as having a range greater than the existing AMRAAM missile (top). The AMRAAM, also known as the “Slammer,” is the military’s medium to long range air-to-air missile. In 2016, a Navy official admitted that the Pentagon was “probably close to maxing (AMRAAM) out”.

Fighter jets typically carry two types of missiles: short-range, infrared-guided missiles like the American AIM-9X Sidewinder, and long-range, radar-guided missiles such as AMRAAM. The missile has been in service since the 1980s, gradually upgraded as technology advances. The latest version’s range is classified but thought by experts to be somewhere around 75 to 100 miles. Unlike most fighters, which carry a mix of missile types to fit the missile, the F-35 carries only AMRAAM missiles.

New Chinese and Russian advances in air-to-air missile technology are driving the development of JATM. The Chinese PL-15 arms the new Chengdu J-20 fighter and is thought to be a very long range air-to-air missile thought to have a maximum range of 124 miles . The PL-15 is designed to go after tankers and airborne warning and control aircraft that enable U.S. fighters and bombers to operate at long ranges. Knocking these down, or forcing them to fly farther behind friendly lines, would deal a major blow to U.S. airpower.

J-20 fighter at the Zhuhai Air Show, 2018. Center weapons bay is open revealing four PL-15 missiles. VCG Getty Images

The Pentagon says the JATM will go from the beginning of the development stages to IOC in just six years, a minor miracle in defense procurement. Such a short schedule suggests some part of development had already taken place under a different, classified program or the missile borrows heavily from an existing one.

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