Navy reveals AIM-424 Malice airtoair missile in flight tests
The U.S. Navy is flight testing the AIM-424 "Malice," a new long-range airtoair missile unveiled August 22 at the Tailhook Symposium in Reno, Nevada. Built for F/A-18 Super Hornets, F-35C fighters, and the future F/A-XX, the two-stage weapon is designed to exceed the reach of today's AIM-120 AMRAAM and the recently disclosed AIM-174B.
Key Takeaways
- The Navy announced the AIM-424 LRAAM—nicknamed "Malice"—at the 2026 Tailhook Symposium after months of flight testing.
- Raytheon builds the roughly 1,500-pound, two-stage airtoair missile, sized between the AIM-260 and AIM-174B.
- Official imagery shows four Malice rounds on an F/A-18E and internal carriage aboard an F-35C weapons bay.
- The weapon targets long-range threats to carrier strike groups, including bombers carrying anti-ship missiles.
- Deployment timelines and many performance details remain classified.
What Is the AIM-424 Malice airtoair missile?
The AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile, also called Malice, is a next-generation airtoair missile the Department of the Navy is developing to strengthen fleet defense. A Navy spokesperson said it supports integrated deterrence by increasing range, lethality, and combat effectiveness for Marine and Naval aviation forces defending fleets, interests, and the homeland.
The weapon uses a solid-propellant, two-stage rocket design. Public Navy specifications list a length of 13.5 feet, a weight of 1,500 pounds, and a stated range in excess of 250 nautical miles—though analysts note such figures may be conservative for operational security.
Why Does the Navy Need a Longer-Range airtoair missile?
China has fielded air-launched anti-ship ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges over 1,000 nautical miles, according to reporting from Aviation Week. That reach forces U.S. carriers to respond with weapons that can threaten the aircraft carrying those missiles before they launch.
Malice is intended to intercept bombers, tankers, early-warning aircraft, and other high-value platforms—not just fighters—extending the defensive perimeter around carrier strike groups across the Indo-Pacific.
How Does Malice Compare to Existing Navy Missiles?
The AIM-424 sits in a layered inventory alongside the AIM-120 AMRAAM, the compact AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, and the AIM-174B "Gunslinger" adapted from the SM-6. Imagery suggests Malice is much larger than the AIM-120 and comparable in size to the AIM-174B.
RTX President Phil Jasper said the AIM-424 delivers a generational leap that can outrange any threat. The concept may trace to the Long Range Engagement Weapon program, which completed a successful two-year demonstration by fiscal 2017.
When Will the AIM-424 Enter Service?
The Navy has not disclosed deployment timelines, production quantities, or unit costs. Flight testing is underway with Navy Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 23 (VX-23), with photographs dated April 2026 showing a Super Hornet loaded with four missiles and an F-35C carrying one internally alongside an AIM-120 on the bay door.
As with other high-stakes defense developments covered in our True Crime & Unsolved Mysteries section, much about Malice remains classified until the fleet fields it at scale.
For authoritative details on the announcement, see Aviation Week's reporting from the Tailhook Symposium.