AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) spotted for the first time
Posted by Afrogthatribbits@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 44 comments
The AIM-260 JATM is the successor to the AIM-120 AMRAAM.
https://theaviationist.com/2026/05/15/aim-260-jatm-on-super-hornet/
Gastroid@reddit
That baby can shoot down so many spy balloons.
NoMembership8881@reddit
or they could've just saved a few million dollars and switch to guns instead
Ranklaykeny@reddit
Possibly but the missile approach means no random 20mm explosive rounds land in some neighborhood.
It does make me with we had a random cheap missile that didn't cost so much to pop these balloons
Techhead7890@reddit
I never thought about that, but yeah seems like the PGU-28 SAPHEI doesn't have self destruct. (Apparently the CIWS rounds do). Probably not that likely that they fall on anybody in particular and the missile fragments would too, if they didn't also burn up, but I guess general debris was a concern.
Also aren't APKWS rocket-guidance kit a thing, now that the US has to fight drones like the shahed?
Zigzag0333@reddit
In this theme, a couple of short bursts wouldn't have taken the balloon?
thedennisinator@reddit
Guns and rockets don't work well enough at that altitude to make it cost effective. Because the air pressure is so low, the balloons don't deflate very quickly even if you punch a bunch of holes into them. I believe there was a similar case in Canada a long time ago where the pilot peppered a balloon with cannon rounds, but it didn't deflate for a while.
MattheiusFrink@reddit
good night moon, good night fighter plane. good night chinese spy balloon
carkidd3242@reddit
They shot that down with an AIM-9X
https://www.war.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3288543/f-22-safely-shoots-down-chinese-spy-balloon-off-south-carolina-coast/
cyanide_sunrise2002@reddit
Dunno why this is being downvoted. Its funny!
ReturnOfTheSaint14@reddit
I always find it funny that the USAF spent lots of money and time to develop the successor of the AIM-120 (ignoring that the Meteor was there all along) while the USN said "nah fuck it, let's strap some SM-6s onto an F-18 or an F-35 and let's call it a day"
Absolute madlads,but at least the USAF finally succeeded into finishing this program
GBDubstep@reddit
Well the Air Force needs something that can fit within the internal bays of the F-22 and F-35.
ReturnOfTheSaint14@reddit
That's also true,but it's ironic to see how the USN completely gave zero fucks about the fact AIM-174Bs can't fit into the bay of a F-35C,thus making it non-stealthy. I guess stealth is far less important than flex that you're slinging Fox-3s from another timezone
BuildsWithWarnings@reddit
Something to consider is that you can have F/A-18E/F missile truck while the F-35C is still in a stealth config as a spotter.
Charlie3PO@reddit
The AIM-174 is a quick solution, but not exactly efficient. It's huge, draggy, heavy, can't fit inside the F-35 and not many can be carried. On the super Hornet at least, a single AIM-174 takes up 2 AIM-120/260 positions, so less missiles as well.
asmrhead@reddit
My favorite is how it's a spiritual successor to the Phoenix (AIM-54) with AMRAAM (AIM-120) capabilities and it's designated the AIM-174 (54+120).
But it's a total brute force solution and they're ludicrously large. The AIM-260 is far more kinetically efficient and you can pack a bunch of them in a LO weapons bay.
Strega007@reddit
You should probably Google what "PMA-259" is.
elitecommander@reddit
The AIM-260 is a program led primarily by NAVAIR.
ReadyWriter25@reddit
Which one of those bits hanging under that plane is the missile?
mechabeast@reddit
The long skinny one
Nonions@reddit
It's the white one attached on the starboard side of the fuselage, the object 4th from the bottom in this picture.
marxman28@reddit
It kinda looks like an AMRAAM without the forward fins.
Venn--@reddit
I think that's what it is, literally
zapped91@reddit
It’s a two stage missile with a vectoring second stage.
debuggingworlds@reddit
Source?
Leaf__On__Wind@reddit
(longer?) Range of a Phoenix, maneuvering of a Sidewinder?
Kom4K@reddit
It might appear that way because part of the requirements were to approximately match the aim-120 form factor to simplify integration into existing weapons bays
bpeterse44@reddit
That and Irst makes for a good paring for ballon shots
butt_crunch@reddit
No way its not vaporware
ihatemondays117312@reddit
I’m going to crunch your butt
butt_crunch@reddit
I don't understand what I said wrong, I'm just surprised it's actually coming to fruition given it's been so long withput even a picture
asmrhead@reddit
The US military plays it very close to the vest when it comes to guided weapons, especially air to air weapons and capabilities. It's not surprising at all that they weren't parading it around for all the world to see early on.
Spaceman3157@reddit
That's cool and all, but what are the fin-less missile looking things on the wingtip hardpoints?
asmrhead@reddit
Instrumentation datalink pods.
le_suck@reddit
instrumentation/telemetry training pods, similar to https://www.rtx.com/collinsaerospace/what-we-do/industries/military-and-defense/simulation-and-training/test-and-training-instrumentation/common-range-integrated-instrumentation-system-criis
Groundbreaking_Pea_3@reddit
Interesting that they decided against a ramjet concept in favor of a two stage design, I wonder how it'll compare to the Meteor and other european missiles. I would imagine that the thrust vectoring can provide a superior maneuverability to the Meteor, but I would still think the Meteor would have a better kill range, and the midrange MICA-EM likely has similar maneuverability anyways.
Outrageous-Split-646@reddit
How do you know this is the real thing and not just a dummy missile for training?
Arctic_Chilean@reddit
Look at the colored stripes:
"If it's blue, it won't harm you"
"If it's yellow, it will kill a fellow"
Nice_Classroom_6459@reddit
Guy in Air Force Class A's: "Awww..."
DrySpring4881@reddit
In that case it would have blue markings instead of yellow I think.
Afrogthatribbits@reddit (OP)
Exactly, yellow band for high explosive, and brown bands in the back for the rocket motor. Aviationist also reported that plane left with the missile and came back without it.
Outrageous-Split-646@reddit
Wow thanks, TIL
Cielmerlion@reddit
A long pointy tube with little fins on the end. Amazing.
Afrogthatribbits@reddit (OP)
Matches previous renders released
post-explainer@reddit
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