AIM-174B
OEM: Raytheon (RTX)
First Produced: 2024
Status: Active
Role: Very-long-range air-to-air missile
Primary Operator: U.S. Navy
OEM Website: rtx.com
The AIM-174B is an air-launched adaptation of the Raytheon SM-6 Standard Missile, giving U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornets the ability to engage airborne targets at ranges reportedly exceeding 300 kilometers. The weapon first appeared publicly on VFA squadron Super Hornets in mid-2024 at RIMPAC and was officially acknowledged as in service shortly afterward.
The AIM-174B gives carrier air wings a counter to adversary tankers, airborne early warning aircraft, and high-value bombers at standoff ranges that previously required surface-launched SM-6 batteries, closing an air-dominance gap opened by the retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix with the F-14 Tomcat in 2006.
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