New XAIM-174B missile tested to restore U.S. air superiority
First images have surfaced online from the tests of a new long-range air-to-air missile, enabling American pilots to regain air supremacy. We present what the XAIM-174B will be.
According to the portal The Aviationist, images have surfaced online showing an F/A-18E Super Hornet belonging to VFA-192 "Golden Dragons." It was taxiing at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii and was carrying two XAIM-174B missiles, which will most likely evolve into the AIM-174B in the future.
In the photo below, you can see the Super Hornet with missiles marked NAIM-174B, which indicate training or test missiles that are fully equipped except for the warhead. Additional equipment, such as flight parameter collection tools, may take its place.
XAIM-174B missiles - based on anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic SM-6
After the retirement of the F-14 Tomcat aircraft along with the AIM-54 Phoenix missiles in 2004, Americans were left without missiles with a range of about 124 miles. The gap was not filled by modernizations of the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, from which the European MBDA Meteor or its Chinese copy, the PL-15, with a range of about 124 miles, is a much better design.
Wanting to fill the capability gap, the Americans decided to utilize what they had on hand instead of designing something entirely from scratch. They deemed it a good idea to adapt anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic missiles for launch from aircraft.
The photos confirm that the XAIM-174B is practically an SM-6 with the MK72 rocket booster removed. This is unnecessary in a high-altitude launch, where the air is thinner than near the ground. This likely decreased the missile's weight from 3,306 lbs to under 2,205 lbs.
As a result, they achieved an air-to-air missile estimated to have a range of up to 155 miles or more. Its guidance system is an active radar homing head similar to the AIM-120 AMRAAM, and target elimination is handled by a 309-pound warhead.
It is also possible that the missile's speed of around Mach 3.5 (2,683 mph) will remain unchanged, as in the thinner atmosphere, the missile's main march engine may also be able to achieve it without the booster, which was necessary for launch from ground or water level.
