On air-to-air missiles
Revolutionising Aerial Warfare: What to Expect From America’s New AIM-260 Missile
Leading American defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin has been developing an advanced new long range air to air missile, the AIM-260, since 2017. The missile is intended to replace replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM which entered service in late 1990 and has become the staple of U.S. and allied anti aircraft capabilities ever since. The AIM-120 was developed in the waning years of the Cold War to replace the ageing AIM-7 Sparrow, in response to the Soviet deployment of the R-27 from 1983 considerably outmatched the Sparrow. While the AIM-120 was the most capable missile in the world throughout the 1990s by a considerable margin, with the Soviet collapse seriously delaying the rival R-77 program, the AMRAAM’s advantage has since be significantly eroded by the development of new missile systems by U.S. adversaries.
With the ageing AIM-120A and AIM-120B phased out of frontline service, the vast majority of U.S. fighter units and those of major allies today rely on the AIM-120C for air to air engagements - a platform with an extended 105km range and superior electronic warfare countermeasures and guidance systems. Far from guaranteeing an advantage however, the platform is matched in its capabilities and in several cases considerably outmatched by rival Russian and Chinese systems. Newer variants fo the R-77 have a 110km range, while the R-27 design has been extensively modernised to provide a 130km range using the ER, EP and EA variants. China too deploys the PL-12 and PL-15, with comparable capabilities to the AIM-120 and respective ranges of 100km and 150-200km respectively. The PL-15 in particular today outperforms its American counterpart by a considerable margin, and while initially prioritised for elite J-10C, J-16 and J-20 fighters it is increasingly being deployed across the fleet by older platforms such as the J-11B.
The United States does currently field a superior AMRAAM variant, the AIM-120D, although at around $2 million per missile is has been manufactured in relatively small numbers and is not deployed in significant numbers by units other than F-22 Raptor squadrons. Other than the growing capabilities of missiles deployed by American adversaries, a major reason why the United States is seeking to replace the AMRAAM is the increasingly sophisticated countermeasure deployed by enemy aircraft. This was perhaps best demonstrated in February 2019, when an Indian Air Force Su-30MKI reportedly used a combination of its advanced electronic warfare systems, high manoeuvrability and two dimensional thrust vectoring systems to comfortably evade five AIM-120C missiles. The Su-30 was developed in the 1990s, and far more advanced platforms such as the Su-35, J-10C and Su-57 have all been developed with superior electronic warfare systems and new three dimensional thrust vectoring technologies. The high manoeuvrability afforded by these technologies not only provides an overwhelming advantage in short range air to air engagements, which becomes an increasingly likely occurrence should long range missiles fail, but it also allows aircraft to more easily evade missile attacks. Thus there is a need for a more advanced missile which not only has a longer range, but is also more difficult to evade.
A number of technologies and concepts which could be applied to the new AIM-260 missile have been speculated. Ramjet technologies similar to those used by the European Meteor and Chinese PL-21 could seriously extend its range to around 400km or more, while hypersonic speeds could reduce the response time for enemy fighters to conduct evasive manoeuvres. The AIM-120 is currently restricted to speeds of Mach 4, outmatched by platforms such as the Taiwanese Sky Sword II (Mach 5) and Russian R-37 (Mach 6), and speed is likely to be a field in which the new American missile improves on its predecessor. Another major field of improvement expected for the AIM-260 is in guidance, and it has been suggested that the platform could deploy both radar and infrared seekers to provide maximum immunity to jamming. It is also highly possible that the missile will integrate an active phased array antenna (APAA), pioneered by the Russian K-77 missile, which will provide a far wider radar angular coverage azimuth and thereby prevent manoeuvrable fighters such as the Su-35 from simply ducking outside the area covered by the missile’s radar when at close range and thereby completely evading it. APAA technologies could be a major game changer against new Russian combat jets which emphasise the importance of manoeuvrability, as well as new ‘supermaneouvrable’ Chinese fighters such as the J-10C and J-11D.
The capabilities of the AIM-260 remain to be seen, but there appears to be considerable room for improvement on the AIM-120 design. Some improvements which are almost certain include integration of more powerful sensors, all the more necessary as adversaries increasingly deploy stealth aircraft, as well as superior electronic warfare countermeasures. Considering the already high cost of the AIM-120D, the affordability of the AIM-260 is likely to be a major issue - with very likely costing over $4 million each if integrating just a few of the new technologies suggested, possibly much more. With tens of thousands of the missiles set to be ordered, and the U.S. Air Force already facing severe budgetary constraints due to the high acquisition and operational costs of next generation hardware, Lockheed Martin may well opt for a less ambitious design for the AIM-260 in order to make it affordable. It is possible that multiple variants will be developed simultaneously - a downgraded version possibly without APAA guidance or multiple seekers for fighters such as the F-35 and F-16V, and an advanced variant for higher end heavier jets specialised in air superiority such as the upcoming sixth generation Air Dominance Fighter and Penetrating Counter Air Fighter. With Russia and China both developing highly sophisticated next generation munitions with capabilities well ahead of the AIM-120, including the K-77, R-37M, PL-12D and PL-21, the need for a new American missile is particularly urgent.
From :
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/revolutionising-aerial-warfare-what-to-expect-from-america-s-new-aim-260-missile AIM-260 and Peregrine Incoming: Why the U.S. Air Force Urgently Needs New Air to Air Missiles
The United States is set to receive at least two entirely new classes of long range air to air missile in the 2020s, which are intended to replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM currently in service. U.S. defence manufacturer Raytheon, best known for its THAAD, RIM-161 and AIM-120 missiles, in September announced the development of the ‘Peregrine’ - an entirely new family of air to air missiles intended to be deployed by next generation American fighters. The Peregrine’s capabilities are reportedly set to be similar to the AIM-120 currently in service, but will be far more compact. The need for such a missile has arisen due to the very limited weapons payloads of fifth generation American fighter jets, which due to their advanced radar evading capabilities are required to store all missiles internally. The F-22 and F-35 fighters currently in service can deploy just eight and four missiles respectively as a result of this. The Peregrine will allow these jets to double their internal weapons carriage - which for the F-35 in particular will be a game changer and provide a far more respectable eight missile payload.
While the Peregrine program is being privately funded, the U.S. Air Force has also requested the development of the AIM-260 which will emphasise advanced capabilities over compactness. The shortcomings of the AIM-120 against modern threats has made the development of this platform an imperative. The AMRAAM first entered service in 1991 and replaced the AIM-7 Sparrow which had been the foremost long rang anti aircraft missile for American aircraft since the mid 1960s. While the AIM-120 design has been progressively upgraded, improving its range, sensors, accuracy and electronic warfare countermeasures, the missile is considered increasingly outmatched by the latest armaments deployed by rival powers. The Chinese PL-15, with an estimated range of up to 200km, and the Russian R-37M and K-77 with 400km and 200km ranges respectively, are the most prominent examples, with more capable systems currently under development such as the Chinese PL-21. With the AIM-120C restricted to a range of approximately 105km, and the more costly AIM-120D restricted to a 180km range and yet to be widely deployed, the need for new missiles is particularly urgent.
The U.S. Air Force’s need for more capable air to air missiles is compounded by additional factors, including the development of hypersonic air to air missiles such as the Russian R-37M which significantly shortens the response time of targeted aircraft, the development of APAA guidance systems on missiles such as the K-77 which make them nearly impossible to evade, and the fielding of more survivable combat aircraft by potential adversaries. Survivability of new Chinese and Russian jets against beyond visual range missiles has been increased by a number of means, one of the most prominent being the new thrust vectoring engines which have become a signature of modern Russian military aviation and allow jets such as the Su-35 and Su-57 to evade attacks using their significantly enhanced manoeuvrability. Advanced stealth capabilities on aircraft such as the Chinese J-20 have made aircraft extremely difficult to lock onto at range, and these enhancements are complemented by increasingly sophisticated electronic warfare systems. The ability of the AIM-120 to engage enemy targets at range with a high probability of kill has thus increasingly been eroded. The AIM-260 is likely to be considerably faster and benefit from a longer range, more powerful sensors and other attributes which will provide a much needed improvement to its kill probability against higher-end enemy aircraft. APAA guidance systems similar to those on the K-77 are a significant possibility. The Peregrine deployed in larger numbers will meanwhile be better suited to countering older aircraft fielded in large numbers by second rate adversaries such as Iran or Syria - which rely on jets such as the MiG-23 Flogger and F-4 Phantom to form the backbone of their fleets. Against such adversaries greater quantities of firepower will likely be prized over sophistication - making the Peregrine ideal.
From :
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/aim-260-and-peregrine-incoming-why-the-u-s-air-force-urgently-needs-new-air-to-air-missiles
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