[By Guancha Observer Network, Mountain Cat]

According to a report on May 8 by the US "Aviation Geek" website, in a recent set of photos, components related to the testing of the next-generation active radar-guided medium-range air-to-air missile AIM-260 of the US military may have been exposed for the first time.

The report said that this set of photos came from Colin Clark, an aviation photographer's personal social media post. The photos show a CRJ-200 aircraft belonging to Northrop Grumman (hereinafter referred to as "Northrop"), with the registration number N806X, photographed near Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The images show that the front part of the aircraft has installed a structure resembling the warhead section of a radar-guided air-to-air missile. This aircraft serves as a flight test platform and has previously had the nose radome structure of the F-35 fighter installed for related tests.

The flight test platform captured at Nellis Base, with the front part of the aircraft installed with the head structure of a radar air-to-air missile. Aviation photographer Colin Clark's social media account.

The report believes that the missile warhead installed on the aircraft is extremely similar to the rendered CG images previously released for the next-generation AIM-260 "Joint Advanced Tactical Missile" (JATM). If confirmed, this will be the first public appearance of the AIM-260 physical component. Although the main contractor for AIM-260 is Lockheed Martin (hereinafter referred to as "Lockheed"), Northrop may also have participated in the project through internal component subcontracting or subsystem development, or possibly as the lessor of this flight platform, providing Lockheed with flight test services. As the next-generation air-to-air missile to replace the current AIM-120 series, AIM-260 has been under development since 2017. However, prior to this, except for low-quality CG renderings, no credible physical displays have been made publicly available. The degree of similarity between the CG images and the actual product was unknown. Therefore, these exposed test aircraft photos can confirm a high consistency between the physical product and the CG rendering, marking that the missile may have entered some form of flight testing and has been ongoing for some time.

The missile head assembly installed on the aircraft's nose.

CG-rendered effect image of AIM-260 being launched from an F-22.

Due to the busy nature of the Nellis Base and surrounding areas, which are relatively more open within US military airports and attract many aviation enthusiasts from home and abroad, the report suggests that the appearance of this test platform during daylight hours at Nellis may indicate that the "confidential veil" of AIM-260 is gradually being lifted, and it might soon be possible to see footage of complete missiles being tested on fighters. Previously undetected tests were likely conducted at bases such as the China Lake Naval Air Station, which are far from populated areas and difficult to capture by observers.

As the primary long-range air-to-air weapon for the US Air Force and Navy in the coming years, AIM-260 is seen as a "hope of the entire village" in future confrontations with China's "developing advanced missiles." Therefore, compared to the AIM-120 missile, AIM-260 will be equipped with a rocket engine that has greater thrust and specific impulse, increasing its speed to five times that of sound to achieve a range of approximately 200 kilometers. In addition to manned fighters like the F-22 and F-35, the US military also plans to integrate AIM-260 onto future "unmanned collaborative combat aircraft" (CCA).

Currently, the latest version of AIM-120, AIM-120D-3, has a range of 160 kilometers, and this series of missiles will continue to be developed. Although they are not in competition with AIM-260, they can serve as a supplement. US arms customers may still choose the cost-effective and operationally mature new versions of AIM-120.

The US military openly acknowledges that AIM-260 was developed with the aim of countering China's advancements in air force missile technology, including missiles such as PL-15 and PL-17. There have been reports from US Air Force officials stating that the PL-15 missile, unveiled in 2016, was one of the main drivers behind the JATM project.

Looking back now, this "driver factor" seems even more pressing.

In 2019, the US Air Force stated in a statement that production of AIM-260 would exceed that of AIM-120 by 2026. It is currently unclear whether the original plan has progressed as intended, but the report suggests that "large quantities of missiles may already have been produced" and will be "put into use in the near future." Some previously disclosed documents indirectly indicate that flight testing of AIM-260 may have begun as early as 2020, including tests using QF-16 target drones under strict security measures. Frank Kendall, the former Secretary of the Air Force under the Biden administration, once claimed that the JATM program would enter the "production phase" in 2023, but the current status remains unclear.

This article is an exclusive contribution from the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7502365959429063204/

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