US military publications published a drawn image of the newest aircraft missile AIM-260 JATM with a range of at least 200 kilometers. The Air Force Command confirmed that the picture corresponds to the authentic parameters. Lockheed Martin was scheduled to begin production late last year. It is now clear that testing is ongoing and adoption has not taken place. Perhaps it will happen this year or next year.
For the Russian Armed Forces, it matters. Today, the longest-range air-to-air missile is the R-37M. This missile was developed for the Soviet military-industrial complex since 1983, and since then it has had performance unrivaled by anyone. In 1994, it shot down a target at a range of 304 kilometers during tests – the maximum range for such missiles at the moment.
After rejecting Ukrainian components, the R-37M was modernized and adopted for service in 2014. It is the only such missile that has a proven track record of multiple combat use against enemy aircraft. It holds the record for range – according to press reports, last summer it shot down an AFU MiG-27 at a range of 213 kilometers.
Modern stealthy fighters must carry missiles inside the hull, in a special compartment – a missile hanging under the fuselage instantly destroys all stealth. But the farther the missile flies, the longer it is. Will it fit inside the airplane? That depends on what’s done first.
The chicken or the egg? First the USSR designed the R-37 with a length of 4m and only 30 years later the Russian Federation started building the Su-57 stealth aircraft. It is clear that its length was determined by the length of the missile that had to be placed inside. And it is the world’s longest-range R-37M.
The US first created the F-22 and F-35, built hundreds of airplanes, sold them to many countries. Now they are creating a long-range missile that can’t be longer than the weapons bay designed a quarter century ago. And how do you get a longer range? Miracles do not happen – had to drastically reduce the size and weight of the warhead, reduce the efficiency to exactly this amount to increase the fuel compartment.
Should the missile inside the airplane determine its size or should the weapon compartment of the airplane dictate the length of the missile to the designers? The Chinese missile with a range of 400 km is 6 meters long. It is a converted ground-based anti-aircraft missile. The US has a similar weapon, the SM-6 (RIM-174). Back in 1993, Russia created the KC-172 air-to-air missile with a range of more than 400 kilometers on the basis of an anti-aircraft missile.
These hybrids do not fit into any stealth fighter. Airplanes with them can not be considered low-observable. Designers are faced with a choice: either stealth or a range of more than 400 kilometers. It’s not possible to combine them yet.
What do pilots need it for? The enemy at a safe distance shoots down the one who has a missile flies farther. So far, the Russian R-37M is winning.
