According to what has been indicated by sources familiar with the operation to specialized media, the U.S. has given its approval for Australia to move forward with the acquisition of the new long-range air-to-air missile AIM-260A, which would make the country the first international buyer of the weapon. The operation is intended to reinforce the arsenal of the Royal Australian Air Force’s fighters, whose backbone consists of F/A-18F Super Hornets and F-35A Lightning II aircraft, although this is an agreement that also seeks to promote the missile to other Washington-aligned nations in the Indo-Pacific.
Delving into some of the details that have been made known, it is noteworthy that the potential contract would cover a total of 450 AIM-260A missiles, as well as 30 units to be used in tests. Altogether, Canberra would have to invest a sum of around 2.6 billion dollars for the missiles, a figure that would rise to 3.1 billion if the various additional equipment and logistical support for their incorporation into the aforementioned institution are also considered. Furthermore, the first batches are expected to be delivered starting in the third quarter of 2033, a date that aligns with the delivery schedules planned for U.S. forces.
It should be highlighted that the news is surprising insofar as the U.S. has not yet published photographs or other material that would provide greater details about the AIM-260, with the U.S. Navy being the only one to indicate that the missile was undergoing tests earlier this year, while still keeping the specifics under lock and key. In this regard, the possibility of a potential sale to Australia is an indication of the progress achieved in the development, in the same way that similar agreements with other interested U.S. allies would be.
In line with this, it must be considered that the new missile mentioned so far is not yet fully operational within the U.S. Air Force, as was indicated to local media last month, with only a few units forming part of the initial operational capability that would have been reached alongside the F-22 fighter fleet; with other variants awaiting the same path. Once this process is completed, the missile is expected to consolidate itself as a system with considerably greater performance than the current AMRAAM in terms of range, with analysts’ estimates ranging between 200 and 320 kilometers.
*Images used for illustrative purposes
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