US Navy reveals ultra-long-range air-to-air AIM-424 Malice missile with over 460 km. range

The U.S. Navy has officially disclosed details of its next-generation AIM-424 Malice air-to-air missile, a weapon designed to significantly extend the engagement range for carrier-based and future combat aircraft. Developed by Raytheon, the missile was presented at the Tailhook Symposium, marking a significant step in the Navy's development of advanced air-intercept capabilities.

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to strengthen fleet defense and maintain a decisive air domain overmatch against advanced threats.

The AIM-424 LRAAM (Long Range Air to Air Missile) is intended to bolster fleet defense and ensure decisive air domain superiority against evolving threats. The Navy states that the Malice missile directly supports integrated deterrence by enhancing the range, lethality, and combat effectiveness of Marine and Naval aviation forces defending U.S. interests and the homeland. Photographs released by the Navy show four AIM-424 missiles loaded onto an F/A-18E Super Hornet, with two missiles fitting within the internal weapons bay of an F-35C.

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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.

According to the Navy's fact file, the Malice missile measures 13.5 feet in length, has a 13.5-inch diameter, and a 26.2-inch wingspan, weighing 1,500 pounds. It is equipped with a blast-fragmentation warhead and utilizes a solid-propellant rocket motor. Its stated range is "in excess of 250 nautical miles," far surpassing conventional beyond-visual-range weapons like the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The missile is slated for use on fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation aircraft, including the F/A-18E/F and F-35C Lightning II.

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delivers a generational leap in air dominance combat capability that can outrange any threat.

While the Navy has not released specific details regarding guidance, targeting systems, or deployment timelines, Raytheon President Phil Jasper described Malice as delivering a "generational leap in air dominance combat capability that can outrange any threat." American defense publications identify China's military buildup in the Pacific as a primary threat the missile is designed to counter, given Beijing's deployment of long-range air-launched anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles. The Navy asserts that Malice will provide aviators with a "first look, first shot, first kill" advantage, offering greater reach, survivability, and tactical flexibility in air-to-air combat.

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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.