Latest news with #JATM
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
New AIM-120E Variant Of AMRAAM Air-To-Air Missile Hinted At By USAF
There are signs that a new AIM-120E variant of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) may now be in development. Hints that work on the AIM-120E is underway came after the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) put out a notice yesterday regarding a sole-source contract that it had awarded to Raytheon (now formally known as RTX) earlier in March. Raytheon is the current prime contractor for the AIM-120 family, the newest known variant of which is the AIM-120D-3. Within the U.S. military, the U.S. Air Force is the lead service for the joint AMRAAM program. The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are also users of these combat-proven missiles. The deal in question, valued at just under $95 million if all options are exercised, is for the 'procurement of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) Risk Reduction Processor Upgrade for Mission Alliance Risk Reduction,' according to AFLCMC. No further details about this particular upgrade were provided in the notice, and it appears to be unrelated to any forthcoming AIM-120E variant. 'Raytheon will produce and sustain the AIM-120 missile variants and associated configurations for US customers, and variants/associated configurations authorized for release to Foreign Military Sales (FMS),' notes a redacted Justification & Approval (J&A) document that AFLCMC released along with the contract award announcement and that dates back to 2018. 'This J&A excludes any potential next generation variants developed after the AIM-120D (i.e. AIM-120E and beyond).' In many cases, U.S. military contracting offices (and those elsewhere across the U.S. government) must justify the need for a sole-source contract and receive approval before moving ahead without a traditional competitive bidding process. TWZ reached out to AFLCMC earlier today to clarify whether the AIM-120E designation mentioned in the J&A document reflected a real development effort and, if so, what that might entail, or if this was simply a notional designation for a future AMRAAM variant. 'We don't have any details that we can provide at this time,' an AFLCMC spokesperson told us flatly in response. Whether or not any future AIM-120E variant might represent a substantial departure from existing AIM-120s is unknown. The Air Force, as well as the Navy, are now required by law to explore whether extended-range variants or derivatives of the AIM-120 and the AIM-9X Sidewinder could help both services meet their future air-to-air missile needs. In particular, a new longer-range version of the AMRAAM could help bridge the gap between existing types and large-scale fielding of the forthcoming AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM). The AIM-260 will have the same general form factor as the AIM-120, in large part to make it easier for existing F-22 Raptors and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to carry them in their internal bays. As of 2019, the goal was for JATM to start entering service in 2022. However, there are no indications that this has occurred despite continued active testing of the missile, including live-fire shots. The Navy has also now fielded, at least on a limited level, another very-long-range air-to-air missile, the AIM-174B, which is an air-launched version of the multi-purpose surface-launched Standard Missile-6 (SM-6). You can learn more about the AIM-174B here. Both the AIM-260 and AIM-174B are highly classified, and additional U.S. military air-to-air missile development work is likely to be ongoing in that realm, as well. It's also worth noting that Raytheon has already developed an AMRAAM-Extended Range (AMRAAM-ER) derivative, which combines elements of the AIM-120 and the surface-to-air RIM-162 Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM). The AMRAAM-ER, which has also sometimes been referred to by the designation AIM-120ER, was designed for surface-to-air use as part of the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). Raytheon developed NASAMS, which can fire regular AIM-120s, as well as AIM-9Xs and IRIS-T missiles, together with Norway's Kongsberg Defense. The idea of an air-launched AMRAAM-ER was put forward at least as far back as 2021, but what progress, if any, may have been made since then in turning that concept into a reality is unclear. What changes would be required to allow for the missile to be internally carried by a stealthy jet like an F-35 is also not clear. The speed and altitude of an aerial launch platform offer benefits when firing any missile, especially when it comes to range and end-game kinematic performance. Extending the air-to-air reach of U.S. combat aircraft is a particular priority at present. China's development of increasingly longer-range air-to-air missiles was a key factor in the decision to start developing the AIM-260. There are concerns now that anti-air missiles with ranges of up to 1,000 miles could be part of the threat ecosystem facing U.S. forces by 2050. When the baseline AIM-120D variant arrived in the mid-2010s, it already offered a significant boost in capability over previous AIM-120 types, including greater range and a two-way datalink with third-party targeting capabilities. In 2021, an F-15C Eagle fighter shot down a target drone with an AIM-120D in what the Air Force described at the time as 'the longest known air-to-air missile shot to date.' The AIM-120D-3 version offers further improvements, including enhanced seeker performance, and incorporates a new System Improvement Program 3F (SIP-3F) operational flight software upgrade. You can read more about the D-3 here. 'Multiple follow-on SIPs are planned to provide AIM-120D-3 updates to enhance missile performance and resolve deficiencies,' the Pentagon's Office of the Director of Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) said in its most recent annual report, which it released in January. A SIP-4 upgrade is already in the works for the D-3, the report notes. Further SIP software updates and other more incremental improvements could be enough to warrant a new designation. The original AIM-120D evolved from a subvariant upgrade effort for the AIM-120C. The AIM-120C-8 subvariant that was subsequently developed for export customers is also understood to have capabilities that are very close to that of the baseline D version. The Air Force even just talking about the potential for an AIM-120E variant as far back as 2018 underscores the expectation that versions of the AIM-120 will remain in service for decades to come, even with the introduction of new missiles like the AIM-174B and the future AIM-260. Still-expanding exports of AMRAAMs for air-to-air and air-to-surface use, including now to Ukraine, are also likely to continue driving interest in further improving the design. Whatever the current state of any work on an AIM-120E variant might be, AMRAAM is already a key component of the United States' air-to-air arsenal, as well as that of many of its allies and partners. Contact the author: joe@
Yahoo
10-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Secretive AIM-260 Air-To-Air Missile Live-Fire Testing Surged Last Year With Navy Help
Members of the U.S. Navy's Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31) contributed to an important increase in live-fire testing of the secretive AIM-260A long-range air-to-air missile last year, it has emerged. In 2024, the 'Dust Devils' of VX-31 also made important contributions to the initial fielding of the AIM-174B air-launched version of the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6), which was in response to an 'emergent Pacific Fleet requirement.' The new details about VX-31's support to the AIM-260A and AIM-174B programs come via the announcement of awards that members of the squadron received last month, which user @AirPowerNEW1 on X was first to spot. The Dust Devils are based at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake in California. The squadron supports various test and evaluation activities with a mixed fleet of aircraft that currently includes F/A-18F Super Hornets, EA-18G Growlers, and AV-8B+ Harriers, as well as MH-60S Seahawk helicopters. 'CDR Christopher Putre, Commanding Officer of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron THREE ONE (VX-31) presents LCDR Orion Flurett with a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal on December 19, 2024, in China Lake, CA. LCDR Flurett, recognized for his meritorious service while serving as Developmental Test-9 Detachment Officer In Charge, VX-31, FROMN [sic; from] July to August 2024,' one post on VX-31's official Facebook account reads. 'LCDR Flurett demonstrated extraordinary leadership and foresight, he planned, managed, and coordinated 78 personnel and two aircraft supporting the live-fire testing of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. In particular, his keen oversight and initiative were critical to receiving approval from NAVAIR [Naval Air Systems Command], VX-31, CTWP, and Eglin AFM [sic; Eglin Air Force Base] leadership for the last-minute increase to category C testing, resulting in the successful completion of 8 sorties encompassing 26.3 mishap-free flight hours, directly contributing to future air wing capabilities.' The post does not specify what types of aircraft supported this increased testing, or whether or not they came from VX-31 or another unit involved in AIM-260A testing. JATM is a joint program that the Navy is working on together with the U.S. Air Force. Active testing of the new missile, including live-fire shots, has already been ongoing for years now. F/A-18E/F Super Hornets are expected to be among the first types to carry AIM-260s operationally along with Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters. It's unclear when the AIM-260 might be slated to enter operational service now. When the existence of the JATM first became public in 2019, the goal was to start fielding the missiles in 2022, but there are no indications that this has occurred. Details about the AIM-260 itself remain limited and no imagery of the missile has emerged to date. The Air Force did confirm to TWZ last month that a recently released JATM rendering reflects the real design. Key requirements for the AIM-260 are known to include substantially greater range than the existing AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), but in a package with the same form factor. The JATM is likely to have new advanced guidance and networking capabilities, as you can read more about here. On the AIM-174B front, 'CDR Christopher Putre, Commanding Officer of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron THREE ONE (VX-31) presents CDR James Kobyra and LT Mollie Sebald with a Letter of Appreciation on December 19, 2024, in China Lake, CA for their instrumental contribution to the successful certification and testing of Captive Air Training Missiles [CATM]' in support of that program, a separate VX-31 Facebook post says. 'Through August and September of 2024, they provided exceptional leadership for the rapid execution on the CATM project, facilitating and demonstrating the feasibility and relevance of the missiles for fleet flight operations. Their efforts enabled the program to meet and [sic; an] emergent Pacific Fleet requirement and provided the fleet with a key capability while meeting a time critical need. Also, they provided a program and the fleet with a cost effective, and tactically relevant capability at delivery time the exemplifies speed to the fleet.' VX-31, as well as VX-9, the 'Vampires,' also based at China Lake, have been actively supporting the development of the AIM-174B for years now. The recent award announcement does provide some additional context around the missile's public unveiling as part of the biennial Rim of the Pacific exercise off Hawaii last year, which ran from June 27 to August 1. The Navy previously confirmed that the AIM-174B has already entered at least limited operational service. The AIM-174B is derived from the combat-proven SM-6, which is a highly-capable multi-purpose missile in U.S. service in multiple ship and ground-launched configurations. SM-6 can engage aerial threats, including ballistic missiles in the terminal phase of flight and highly maneuverable hypersonic weapons under specific circumstances, as well as targets at sea and on land when used in a quasi-ballistic mode. The fact that the Navy's development of an air-launched version of SM-6 was driven at least in part by a requirement from U.S. Pacific Fleet is fully in line with TWZ's previous analysis. You can learn more about how the AIM-174B will factor into the Navy's future air combat ecosystem, especially for fleet defense and attacking high-value assets, and in the context of a high-end fight with China in the Pacific, in our past in-depth feature and the video below. The Navy has otherwise been extremely tight-lipped about the AIM-174B. 'It exists,' Navy Rear Adm. Keith Hash, head of NAVAIR's Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD), said during a panel discussion at the WEST 2025 conference in January when asked about the new air-launched version of the SM-6. 'That's an operational capability. And, as you can see, that one being revealed and shown into the area, there are many more behind [it], things that we're doing there, making sure that we are staying ahead of the conflict, making sure that we're prepared for the fight that's going on. And those activities and that development is active and strong.' The VX-31 award announcements underscore just how significant the addition of the AIM-174B to the Navy's arsenal really is, especially when it comes to being prepared for a future major conflict with China in the Pacific, as well as the importance of ongoing work on the AIM-260. Contact the author: joe@
Asia Times
01-03-2025
- Politics
- Asia Times
New US missile aims to pierce China's rising air power
The US Air Force's newly unveiled AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) promises to reshape aerial warfare with its extended range, advanced guidance and stealth compatibility—just as China's airpower developments escalate the fight for air superiority. Last month, The War Zone reported that the US Air Force had confirmed the authenticity of the recently released AIM-260A JATM's rendering. With a more extended range yet a similar size to the AIM-120 AMRAAM, this missile is poised to replace the latter in US military service. Included in a US Navy industry day briefing, the JATM remains highly classified, with technical and programmatic details withheld. However, it is believed to feature advanced propulsion systems, multi-mode guidance technologies and the capability to receive guidance from various sources such as ground radar and satellites. While publicly available information about the AIM-260A's range is scant, Naval News mentions that the most recent AIM-120D-3 variant was nearing the threshold range of the AIM-260A at 190 kilometers, but the latter missile likely exceeds that range. The rendering reveals a sleek design optimized for high speed and low drag. It features a notably longer rocket motor than the AIM-120, suggesting significantly enhanced range and speed capabilities. The AIM-260A is anticipated to be fitted in stealth fighters like the F-22 and F-35, as well as future stealthy drones under the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. This development reflects the US military's response to longer-range threats, particularly from Chinese missiles. Despite active testing, the exact timeline for the AIM-260A's fielding remains unclear, and there has been no public confirmation of its operational status yet. The JATM's advanced propulsion and potentially multi-mode seeker technology highlight significant advancements in US air-to-air combat capabilities. This development follows the relatively recent unveiling of advanced Chinese air-to-air missiles. The People's Liberation Army-Air Force (PLAAF) has unveiled its J-16 fighters equipped with the PL-17 missile, a long-range beyond visual range (BVR) weapon designed to neutralize high-value aerial targets, such as airborne warning and control system (AWACS) and tankers. The PL-17, significantly larger than its predecessor, the PL-15, features a dual-pulse rocket motor, thrust-vectoring controls, and speeds exceeding Mach 4. Its guidance system integrates an active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar and a two-way datalink, enhancing resistance to electronic countermeasures. Additionally, China is developing hypersonic air-to-air missiles to counter US stealth bombers, such as the B-21 Raider. These weapons, reportedly capable of reaching Mach 9, leverage solid-fuel pulse engines and extreme heat resistance, allowing unpredictable flight paths. China's missile strategy aligns with its broader anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) doctrine, aiming to push US and allied forces farther from its coastline. The BVR revolution in fighter combat has shifted engagements from close-range dogfights to long-range, sensor-driven confrontations, with fighters using stealth, electronic warfare (EW), and active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar to detect and engage adversaries from standoff distances, often before detection, says Samuel Leiter in a March 2023 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) paper. Leiter mentions that this shift reduces attrition and maintains an advantage, emphasizing the critical need for enhanced capabilities in modern aerial warfare. He points out that simulations show that US and Japanese forces with superior aircraft like the F-22 and F-35 consistently perform those of China in engagements despite numerical disadvantages. However, China may already have countermeasures for the AIM-260A and similar missiles. In June 2024, Asian Military Review mentions that China's People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and PLA Naval Air Force (PLANAF) are deploying sophisticated EW platforms like the Y-9DZ and J-16D. These platforms, equipped with advanced jamming pods and electronic support measures (ESM), are designed to disrupt enemy missile guidance systems and radar operations. China's innovation in EW aims to neutralize BVR threats and maintain air superiority in contested regions, reflecting a shift towards dominating the electronic spectrum to counter advanced missile technologies. As to how US and Chinese stealth fighters compare, Brent Eastwood mentions in a 1945 article this month that while China's J-20 features radar-evading features, advanced avionics, and long-range strike capabilities, its stealth is considered inferior to US fifth-generation jets such as the F-22 and F-35. However, Abraham Abrams mentions in a November 2024 article for Aviation Geek Club that the J-20's combat radius, nearly double that of the F-22 and F-35, allows for extended operational reach, crucial for Pacific theater engagements. Abrams notes that the J-20's advanced stealth design and high-thrust WS-15 engines enhance its speed, maneuverability and non-afterburner supersonic flight capabilities. With its large internal fuel capacity and sophisticated avionics, Abrams says the J-20's features provide superior endurance and operational flexibility. Discussing how US F-22s and F-35s could be used in a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, Kris Osborne mentions in a September 2022 article for The National Interest (TNI) that the deployment of F-22 and F-35 fighter jets could be crucial in countering a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan, ensuring air superiority over the Taiwan Strait. F-22s flying from Kadena Air Base in Japan, the F-35B's vertical take-off and landing capabilities enabling operations from austere Pacific island airbases, and the F-35C's carrier-launch versatility would significantly bolster US and allied air power. Despite that technological advantage, US fighter readiness levels leave much to be desired. Last month, Air & Space Forces Magazine reported that in 2024, F-22 readiness levels fell from 52% to 40.19%, while that of the F-35A held steady at 51.4%. The ratings of older fighters, such as the F-15E and D, increased to 33% from 55%, respectively, to 52.9% and 63.7% as the oldest, worst-performing aircraft were retired. The F-15EX fleet, with just eight aircraft, had an 83.13% rating. Further, David Deptula mentions in a May 2024 Forbes article that the US Air Force faces a critical fighter aircraft gap, exacerbated by recent cuts to F-35 purchases, which undermines its ability to counter China's growing military power in the Pacific. In line with those cuts to F-35 purchases, the program was placed under US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) scrutiny as it faces serious questions over its USD 2 trillion price tag, upgrade delays, software issues, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, and maintenance and logistics problems. Deptula points out that the US struggles to maintain air superiority with 55 fighter squadrons compared to 134 during Operation Desert Storm. He stresses that China's production of approximately 100 J-20 fighters annually, far exceeding the US F-22 fleet fixed at 187 units, further widens this gap, posing a significant threat to Taiwan. Given those figures, General David Allvin mentioned in a February 2024 Air & Space Forces Magazine article that it would be cost-prohibitive for the US to build enough aircraft to maintain air superiority for days and weeks. While Allvin says the US in the Pacific should not resign itself to operating in mutually denied airspace as seen in the Russo-Ukrainian War, he calls for further development of affordable, off-the-shelf, unmanned aircraft to bolster numbers.
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Yahoo
This Is What The Classified AIM-260 Missile Actually Looks Like, Air Force Confirms
The U.S. Air Force has confirmed that a recently released rendering of the AIM-260A does indeed reflect the actual design of what is also known as the Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM). The JATM, details about which are still highly classified, is expected to ultimately supplant the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) in U.S. military service. The new AIM-260A rendering was included in an unclassified U.S. Navy industry day briefing that the service posted online earlier this month. The complete briefing provides an overview of projects that fall under the broad umbrella of Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR) Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aviation & Strike Weapons (PEO U&W). JATM is more specifically within the purview of PEO U&W's Air-to-Air Missile Office, or PMA-259. The AIM-174B air-launched version of the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), which was only formally unveiled last year, as well as the AIM-120, AIM-9 Sidewinder, and AIM-7/RIM-7 Sparrow missiles, are also in PMA-259's portfolio. As its name makes clear, JATM is also a joint program that the Air Force is directly involved in. When asked for more information about the AIM-260A rendering and for a more general update on the missile's development, NAVAIR redirected TWZ to the Air Force. 'This is a rendering of the AIM-260A,' an Air Force spokesperson subsequently told TWZ. 'A higher-resolution rendering is not available for public release.' 'Specific programmatic and technical details of the program are classified,' they added. 'JATM milestones and capabilities are classified.' In 2022, now-retired Air Force Gen. Mark Kelly, then head of Air Combat Command (ACC), also shared artwork of upgraded F-22 Raptors with new stealthy sensor pods and drop tanks seen below. One of the jets was depicted firing a then-unknown missile now definitively established to be a JATM. At least one other official AIM-260A rendering has emerged previously, which also aligns with the design seen in the PEO U&W briefing. This one has been around for a bit, from a Hook presentation a couple years ago. — Brian Everstine (@beverstine) February 24, 2025 All three AIM-260A renders show the same core missile design optimized for high speed and low drag with just four fins at the tail end. For comparison, the existing AIM-120 has four tail fins and another four along the middle of its body. There are some minor detail differences between the AIM-260A renders that are now available, including the number and location of what appear to be conformal antennas along the front end of the missile's body. The latest depiction of the JATM from the PEO U&W briefing also has markings that point to a rocket motor that is substantially longer than the one found on the AMRAAM. Per U.S. military-standard munition markings, brown bands denote the presence of low-order explosives like solid-fuel rockets. On missiles, a pair of brown bands typically reflects where the rocket motor starts and ends within the body. Yellow bands mark the location of high-explosives used in warheads. Training missiles with inert rocket motors and/or warheads have blue bands instead. An advanced rocket motor with highly loaded propellant has long been seen as a likely route to give the AIM-260A significantly greater range, as well as speed, over the AIM-120 without making the new missile larger. A core known requirement for the JATM is that it has to have the same general form factor as the AMRAAM, in large part to ensure that it can fit inside the internal bays on stealth fighters like the F-22 and the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. In addition to crewed aircraft, AIM-260As are expected to arm future stealthy drones like the ones under development under the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program. 'The Next-Generation Highly Loaded Grain project team has matured the technology and seeded the development of future mission-modular propulsion systems that can increase weapon ranges by up to 1.5x while maintaining inner boundaries for short-range and time-critical missions,' according to a factsheet detailing notable achievements by NAVAIR's Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCAD) in 2023. PMA-259 has been similarly looking at highly loaded grain rocket motors as part of work toward a possible improved Block III version of the AIM-9X Sidewinder in recent years, as TWZ has explored in detail in the past. As part of the annual defense policy bill for the 2025 Fiscal Year, or National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was passed and signed into law last year, Congress has demanded the Air Force and the Navy look into whether extended-range variants or derivatives of the AIM-9X and the AIM-120 could also help meet future air-to-air missile needs. "The Next-Generation Highly Loaded Grain project team has matured the technology and seeded the development of future mission-modular propulsion systems that can increase weapon ranges by up to 1.5x while maintaining inner boundaries for short-range and time-critical… — 笑脸男人 (@lfx160219) February 24, 2025 The AIM-260A's rocket motor is also likely to be a dual-pulse design that retains energy across the flight envelope to further extend range and help dramatically with endgame maneuverability. Thrust vectoring capability would also be a requisite to give the missile sufficient agility in the absence of additional control surfaces. If the renders of the AIM-260A prove fully accurate, the missile will also have a high-explosive warhead rather than be a hit-to-kill design intended to destroy its target through sheer force of impact. At the same time, if the AIM-260A's rocket motor is longer than that of the AIM-120, but the two missiles are roughly similar in size, this will reduce the space inside JATM for other components. This, in turn, could point to a smaller, but more advanced warhead designed to produce suitable destructive effects with less mass. A broadly similar rearrangement of internal space has also been observed on the AGM-88G Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile-Extended Range (AARGM-ER) compared to the preceding AGM-88E AARGM. Details about the AIM-260A's capabilities otherwise remain limited. An active electronically scanned array radar (AESA) seeker is likely. Multi-mode seeker capability, potentially with imaging infrared and passive radiofrequency (RF) guidance capabilities, could be extremely valuable in the face of an ever-expanding countermeasure ecosystem, although we have no idea if this is a feature now or not. It's also possible it could be introduced in later variants. Advanced networking capabilities would be a key feature, allowing the missile to get additional targeting information from an array of third party sources. This is especially imported for engaging targets beyond the reach of the launch platform's own sensors and it can allow the aircraft firing the missile, especially a stealthy one, to avoid having to switch on its radar and increase its vulnerability to detection as a result. Multiple networked JATMs might even be able to prosecute engagements cooperatively. As TWZ has written in the past: 'The U.S. military has said explicitly in the past that concerns about increasingly longer-range Chinese air-to-air missiles have been a key driver behind work on the AIM-260. Even an extra 50 miles would give JATM a huge boost in capability over the AIM-120D. Better end-game energy state and multi-mode seeker would further boost its comparative abilities. As such, it would sit atop the AIM-120 as a long-range air-to-air weapon, with some significant overlap. Networking capabilities on all these weapons also give them the ability to leverage third-party targeting and all the guileful tactics that come with that feature set.' It's also it's unclear when the first JATMs might enter the U.S. military arsenal. When the program first emerged publicly in 2019, the goal was to begin fielding the missiles in 2022. However, there have been no indications publicly that this has occurred despite active testing of the missile, including live-fire shots, and other work to support its entry into service. No imagery of a real AIM-260A has emerged to date. What we do know for sure now is that the rendering in the recently released Navy briefing, as well as ones that have merged in the past, do show the AIM-260A JATM design. Contact the author: joe@
