{"id":29114841,"date":"2026-10-22T11:15:07","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T09:15:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/aim-174b-and-aim-260-super-hornet-vx-31-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-10-22T11:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T09:15:11","slug":"aim-174b-and-aim-260-super-hornet-vx-31-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de\/aim-174b-and-aim-260-super-hornet-vx-31-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"AIM-174B and AIM-260 Seen Together on a Navy Super Hornet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\n\n\n\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\n\n<style>\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color 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On 14 October 2026, an aviation photographer caught a US Navy F\/A-18F from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 over Ridgecrest, California, carrying an AIM-174B and an AIM-260 at the same time.<\/p>\n<p>The image, published by TWZ and Naval News on 21 October, is the first known public record of the AIM-174B and AIM-260 on the same aircraft. Both rounds were inert captive-carry shapes, identified by their blue bands, and the jet also carried an IRST21 infrared search and track sensor in a modified centreline fuel tank.<\/p>\n<p>On its own, a test jet with two missiles is routine at China Lake. What makes this picture worth a second look is the pairing: the Navy&rsquo;s longest-reaching air-to-air weapon and its next-generation AMRAAM successor, flying together on the fighter that will carry both into the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:28px 0\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 10px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117;font-size:17px\">Quick Facts<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Photographed:<\/strong> 14 October 2026, over Ridgecrest, California<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Published:<\/strong> 21 October 2026 (TWZ, Naval News)<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> US Navy F\/A-18F Super Hornet, VX-31 &ldquo;Dust Devils&rdquo;, NAWS China Lake<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Loadout:<\/strong> Inert AIM-174B and AIM-260A JATM (captive carry), IRST21 pod<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>AIM-174B:<\/strong> Air-launched SM-6 derivative by Raytheon; deployed since 2024<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>AIM-260A:<\/strong> Lockheed Martin Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, AIM-120 successor<\/p><p style=\"margin:5px 0;font-size:15px;color:#333\"><strong>Ranges:<\/strong> Classified for both weapons<\/p><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A test squadron, a long lens and a first<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>VX-31, the &ldquo;Dust Devils&rdquo;, flies from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the Navy&rsquo;s weapons development range in the California desert. The squadron&rsquo;s <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fa-18-hornet\/\">F\/A-18F Super Hornets<\/a> do the unglamorous work of integration: carriage, separation, software and sensor trials long before a weapon reaches a fleet squadron.<\/p>\n<p>Both outlets credited the image to aviation photographer @_photosxlyss2_. Neither the Navy nor the manufacturers have commented on what the flight was testing. Captive carry of two different long-range missiles together, plus a passive IRST sensor, does at least suggest work on how a single Super Hornet manages a mixed long-range loadout.<\/p>\n<p>The IRST21 matters in that picture. It detects and tracks aircraft passively, by their heat, without the radar emissions that tell an opponent a fighter is looking. According to TWZ, the Block II version went into full-rate production around a year ago for Navy and Air National Guard fighters. A silent sensor and two long-range missiles on one jet is a combination worth testing early.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/10\/aim-174b-and-aim-260-super-hornet-vx-31-2026-img1.jpg\" alt=\"US Navy F\/A-18E Super Hornet of VFA-14 carrying an AIM-174B missile on the catapult of USS Abraham Lincoln during Northern Edge 2025\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An F\/A-18E Super Hornet of Strike Fighter Squadron 14 carrying an AIM-174B under its wing, prepares to launch from USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) in the Gulf of Alaska during Northern Edge 2025. (U.S. Navy photo by MC Seaman Shepard Fosdyke-Jackson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">AIM-174B: an SM-6 with wings to ride on<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>The AIM-174B is the air-launched member of Raytheon&rsquo;s Standard Missile-6 family. It is essentially an SM-6 without the Mk 72 booster that ships use to get the missile out of a vertical launch cell. The Navy calls it the SM-6 Air Launched Configuration; its official nickname, revealed in the Navy&rsquo;s 2025 naval aviation playbook, is Gunslinger.<\/p>\n<p>It is a big weapon for a fighter: roughly 860 kg (about 1,900 lb), several times the weight of an AIM-120 AMRAAM. That mass buys range. The Navy has never published a figure, and estimates in open sources vary widely, but all put it well beyond the AIM-120D, in the region of hundreds of kilometres. Its intended targets are high-value aircraft such as tankers, airborne early warning jets and bombers.<\/p>\n<p>The missile broke cover on VFA-2 Super Hornets at RIMPAC in July 2024, when a Navy spokesperson told Naval News that the Air Launched Configuration was operationally deployed. It has since appeared at Gray Flag 2024 with VX-9, at Northern Edge 2025 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln, and with forward-deployed squadrons in Japan. According to the Pentagon&rsquo;s test office, it entered live fire test and evaluation in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qdKlPDfrxMo\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">TWZ on how the AIM-174 changes the Navy&rsquo;s long-range air-to-air equation.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">AIM-260A JATM: the quiet successor<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>The AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missile is a very different animal. Developed by Lockheed Martin for the US Air Force and Navy, it is meant to supplement and eventually replace the AIM-120, and it has to fit inside the weapon bays of the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-22-raptor\/\">F-22 Raptor<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-35-lightning-ii\/\">F-35<\/a>. Its range, speed and seeker are undisclosed, and it is widely described as the answer to China&rsquo;s PL-15.<\/p>\n<p>The JATM stayed out of sight for years. It was finally photographed in public in May 2026 on another VX-31 F\/A-18F leaving Eglin Air Force Base, and later on a Royal Australian Air Force Super Hornet at Gray Flag. In September 2026, Lockheed Martin and the Department of War signed a framework agreement to accelerate production, laying the groundwork for a multiyear procurement contract that still needs Congressional approval.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;This agreement builds on years of collaboration to deliver this critical air dominance capability to the warfighter.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Tim Cahill<\/strong> &mdash; President, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, 17 September 2026<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the pairing matters<\/h2>\n\n\n<p>Put the two together and the logic of the Navy&rsquo;s Pacific air wing is visible on a single jet. The AIM-174B is the long arm, intended to push enemy tankers and radar aircraft back before a fight starts. The AIM-260 is the workhorse for the fight itself, compact enough for stealth fighters and with more reach than any AMRAAM.<\/p>\n<p>There is a third act waiting: the AIM-424, a long-range air-to-air missile the Navy disclosed in August 2026 and is now testing on Super Hornets. For now, though, the AIM-174B and AIM-260 photographed together over Ridgecrest show where the Super Hornet is heading: a sensor-and-missile truck that hits at ranges its designers in the 1990s never planned for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Sources: TWZ, Naval News, U.S. Navy, Lockheed Martin, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation, The Aviationist, Naval Aviation 2025 (US Navy)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\n\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\n\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\n\n\n\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\n\n\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Which Super Hornet carried the AIM-174B and AIM-260 together?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">A US Navy F\/A-18F Super Hornet of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31, the Dust Devils, based at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. An aviation photographer caught it over Ridgecrest, California, on 14 October 2026. TWZ and Naval News published the image on 21 October as the first known public record of both missiles on one aircraft.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the AIM-174B Gunslinger?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The AIM-174B is the air-launched version of Raytheon's SM-6 Standard Missile, essentially an SM-6 without the ship-launch booster. The Navy calls it the SM-6 Air Launched Configuration and nicknamed it Gunslinger. It weighs roughly 860 kg and is meant for long-range shots at high-value aircraft such as tankers, airborne early warning jets and bombers.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the range of the AIM-174B missile?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The US Navy has never published the range of the AIM-174B. Open-source estimates vary widely, but all place it well beyond the AIM-120D AMRAAM, in the region of hundreds of kilometres. Its size and SM-6 heritage give it far more energy than conventional fighter-launched air-to-air missiles, which is why it targets distant support aircraft.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the AIM-260A JATM?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missile is a Lockheed Martin air-to-air missile developed for the US Air Force and Navy to supplement and eventually replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM. It is compatible with the F-22 Raptor and F-35. Its range and performance are undisclosed, and it was first photographed publicly in May 2026 on a Navy F\/A-18F.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When did the AIM-174B enter Navy service?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The AIM-174B broke cover on VFA-2 Super Hornets at RIMPAC in July 2024, when a Navy spokesperson told Naval News that the SM-6 Air Launched Configuration was operationally deployed. It has since appeared at Gray Flag 2024, at Northern Edge 2025 aboard USS Abraham Lincoln and with forward-deployed squadrons in Japan.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is the AIM-260 in production?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">In September 2026, Lockheed Martin and the US Department of War signed a framework agreement to accelerate AIM-260 JATM production. It lays the groundwork for a multiyear procurement contract, which still requires Congressional approval. Testing continues with Navy units including VX-31, and the missile has also flown on a Royal Australian Air Force Super Hornet.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Which Super Hornet carried the AIM-174B and AIM-260 together?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"A US Navy F\/A-18F Super Hornet of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31, the Dust Devils, based at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. An aviation photographer caught it over Ridgecrest, California, on 14 October 2026. 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Testing continues with Navy units including VX-31, and the missile has also flown on a Royal Australian Air Force Super Hornet.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/aim-260-super-hornet-raaf-gray-flag-2026\/\">AIM-260 Super Hornet Photo: RAAF Jet Carries Inert JATM at Gray Flag<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/aim-260-jatm-pentagon-lockheed-framework-agreement-2026\/\">AIM-260 JATM: Pentagon Signs Lockheed Production Deal<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/blackbeard-hypersonic-missile-super-hornet-testing-begins-2026\/\">Blackbeard on the Super Hornet: Hypersonic Testing Begins<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Share this story A grey Super Hornet over the Mojave, blue-banded test rounds under its wings, and a first for US naval aviation. On 14 October 2026, an aviation photographer caught a US Navy F\/A-18F from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 over Ridgecrest, California, carrying an AIM-174B and an AIM-260 at the same time. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":29114802,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-29114841","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>AIM-174B and AIM-260 on One Super Hornet | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A VX-31 F\/A-18F was photographed carrying the AIM-174B and AIM-260 together for the first time. 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