The US Navy has released the first official fact file for the AIM‑424 Long Range Air‑to‑Air Missile, known as Malice, providing a detailed public description of a next‑generation air‑intercept weapon intended to expand the engagement reach of carrier‑based and future combat aircraft.
The missile, developed by Raytheon, was disclosed at the Tailhook Symposium in Reno, Nevada last week and is the latest in a series of new air-to-air missiles developed by the US Navy.
According to the Navy, it is developing the Air Intercept Missile (AIM)-424 Long Range Air to Air Missile (LRAAM) “to strengthen fleet defense and maintain a decisive air domain overmatch against advanced threats.”
Malice “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.”
Missile to be used by latest fighter jets, including F-18s, F-35s
The missile is intended for fourth‑, fifth‑, and sixth‑generation aircraft, including the F/A‑18E/F and F‑35C Lightning II.
According to the fact file released by the Navy, the missile is 13.5 feet (4.1 m.) in length, 13.5 inches (34.3 cm.) in diameter, and has a 26.2‑inch (66.5 cm.) wingspan. It weighs 1,500 pounds (680 kg.), uses a solid‑propellant rocket motor, and carries a blast‑fragmentation warhead. The Navy states its range is “in excess of 250 nautical miles,” placing it well beyond conventional beyond‑visual‑range weapons such as the AIM‑120 AMRAAM.
Navy photographs show four AIM‑424 test missiles loaded on an F/A‑18E Super Hornet assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX‑23), while another image shows that two missiles fit inside the F‑35C’s internal weapons bay.
US Navy not yet released certain details on latest 'Malice' missile
The Navy has not released details on guidance, targeting, or deployment timelines.
Raytheon President Phil Jasper was quoted by Aviation News as saying that Malice “delivers a generational leap in air dominance combat capability that can outrange any threat.”
According to American defense publications, the main threat the missile aims to deter is China, which has been building up its military for a future confrontation in the Pacific. Beijing has already fielded air-launched anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles that have ranges of over 1,000 nautical miles.
Malice, the Navy said, “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.”
The War Zone (TWZ) news website also reported that the Navy is working on a Compact Air-to-Air Missile (CAAM) that would be used for shorter-range engagements and internal carriage on stealth fighters like the F-35 and even drones.
TWZ reported that the main focus of the CAAM would be on “increasing internal carriage capacity for inner boundary weapon” and that it would be used for short-range engagements against enemy targets.
Earlier this year, the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) put out a contracting notice regarding rocket motor developments to support CAAM and other developments.