AIM-424 LRAAM
American long-range air-to-air missile
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM), also identified by the United States Navy as AIM-424 LRAAM - Malice or just Malice, is a long-range air-to-air missile under development by Raytheon[3] for the United States Navy. The weapon was publicly disclosed at the Tailhook symposium in Reno, Nevada, on 22 August 2026, at which point it was already in flight testing.[2]
_on_F-35C.jpg)
| AIM-424 LRAAM - Malice | |
|---|---|
An AIM-424 (right) mounted to the internal weapons bay of an F-35C, with an AIM-120 AMRAAM (left) mounted to the weapon bay doors | |
| Type | Long-range air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Raytheon |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 13.5 ft (4.1 m) |
| Diameter | 13.5 in (0.34 m) |
| Wingspan | 26.2 in (0.67 m) |
| Warhead | Blast fragmentation |
| Engine | Two-stage solid-propellent rocket motor |
Launch platform | |
_on_Super_Hornet.jpg)
Development
The Navy announced the existence of the AIM-424 at the Tailhook symposium on 22 August 2026, stating the missile was in flight testing and was intended to be deployed on the F/A-18E/F Block III, the F-35C TR-3/Block 4, and the future F/A-XX.[2]
According to Aviation Week, the AIM-424 concept may have been under lengthy development under the Long-Range Engagement Weapon (LREW) special access program. First disclosed in 2017, LREW was a United States Air Force-driven requirement for a two-stage air-to-air missile that could be carried in the internal weapons bay of a stealth fighter (F-35 or F-22), a similar use case to AIM-424.[4][2] AIM-424 is a separate program from the Lockheed Martin AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), which the Navy and the Air Force are preparing to field at the time of the AIM-424's disclosure.[2]
Development of the missile has been linked to Navy requirements for greater engagement range from carrier-based aircraft in response to the threat of Chinese air-launched anti-ship ballistic missiles and cruise missiles with ranges in excess of 1,000 nautical miles.[2]
Design
The AIM-424 is a two-stage missile broadly comparable in size to the AIM-174B Gunslinger (though slightly shorter and lighter) and substantially larger than the AIM-120 AMRAAM, weighing about thrice as much and nearly twice the diameter.[2] A Navy photograph released through the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service shows four AIM-424 rounds carried by an F/A-18E Super Hornet from the Navy's Air Test And Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23) during a test event.[1][3]
Specifications
The following is a list of AIM-424 LRAAM specifications:[3][5]
- Primary Function: Air-to-Air Missile
- Contractor: Raytheon
- Propulsion: Solid-propellant rocket motor
- Length: 13.5 feet (4.11 meters)
- Diameter: 13.5 inches (0.34 meters)
- Wingspan: 26.2 inches (0.67 meters)
- Weight: 1500 pounds (680.4 kg)
- Range: In excess of 250 nm (463 km)
- Warhead: Blast fragmentation