Image source: topwar.ru
The Polish military-related publication Defence24 reports that photos of American Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet carrier-based fighter-bombers ("Super Hornet") capable of performing the role of attack aircraft with a new type of armament on board have appeared in the media. The author of the article argues that a new type of weapon is capable of making a kind of revolution in the fight against aerial, and not only, targets.
By itself, this fighter is quite an old development. The U.S. Navy ordered the Super Hornet in 1992 to replace the F-14 Tomcat. The first flight was made on November 29, 1995.
The American online edition of the military-political theme The War Zone (TWZ) drew attention to the presence on board the aircraft of a new ultra-long-range air-to-air missile AIM-174b. The fact that the new munition began to enter service with the US Navy was officially announced in early June this year.
New, or rather modified from the ship's RIM-174 Standard SM-6 anti-aircraft guided (multi-purpose) missile manufactured by RTX Corporation (Raytheon), guided air-launched anti-aircraft missiles were captured during the RIMPAC-2024 naval exercises, which took place in Hawaii in early July. At that time, several pictures of Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighters of the US Navy aviation with suspended non-combat versions of AIM-174B missiles in inert versions (HAIM-174B and NAIM-174B) were published in the media and social networks.
In general, the development program of this rocket was kept strictly secret until recently. This demonstrates the ability of the United States to conduct classified programs and the ability of Americans to surprise their global rivals. There are many signs that the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft will receive weapons that can radically change the balance of power in the Pacific Ocean, according to the author of the article in Defence24.
At the same time, if earlier missiles of a new type under the wings of F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft were seen painted orange, which means their non-combat versions, then in recent images the missiles already had a gray color with a white nose. This means that the US Navy and Air Force began to receive missiles for combat use in series.
Judging by its dimensions and weight (length about 6.5 m, weight about 1.5 tons), the AIM-174B will be used to destroy, first of all, large and valuable targets such as strategic bombers, cruise missile carriers, early warning aircraft, large reconnaissance aircraft and refueling aircraft. In addition, like the SM-6 naval anti-aircraft missile, the modernization of which led to the emergence of new air-to-air missiles, the AIM-174B can also find limited use in destroying surface and ground targets.
The mass of the high-explosive fragmentation warhead in the SM-6 is 64 kg. This is a lot for an anti-aircraft missile, but relatively little for hitting surface and ground targets. However, this may not be as much of a problem as it seems at first glance, because the very high velocity of the projectile (in the terminal phase it is close to hypersonic) gives it enormous kinetic energy. Thus, there is a possibility that along with the main role, which will be the fight against the most valuable air targets, the AIM-174B will also receive additional tasks to combat ground and surface targets.
It seems that the United States is doing very advanced work on a long-range missile that could seriously affect the battlefield of the future, especially given the Pacific Theater and the potential war against China. The new missile can allow F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft to effectively protect their own fleet (aircraft carrier groups) from anti-ship, maneuvering and ballistic missiles in the final stage of flight, as well as their carriers, the author believes. There are many indications that the Super Hornet will be able to strike enemy aircraft without risking falling into the range of their means of destruction.
The exact data on the range of the AIM-174B is still classified. Officially, it is claimed that the range of the missile is "more than 130 nautical miles" (240 km). However, many experts suspect that these data are significantly underestimated. Various sources give estimates ranging from 200 nautical miles (370 km) to 250 nautical miles (450 km).
But how will a missile find a target at such a distance? And here the main advantage of the SM-6 comes into play: the missile is completely network-centric, designed to interact with the combat information space (battlespace) not only of the US Navy, but of NATO allies. This means that for the successful application of the AIM-174B, it does not matter at all whether its carrier aircraft sees the target. It is enough for someone included in the general information network to see the target, for example, the American E-2D Hawkeye AWACS aircraft or shipboard long-range reconnaissance and guidance systems. Based on external data on the target's position and its own navigation system, the AIM-174B will be able to independently enter the interception area — and there it will already use its own (active) radar homing head to accurately reach the target.
In general, the AIM—174B really changes a lot in the global layout of the air force. Its main advantage is that this missile has already been de facto tested (like the SM-6) and is in mass production. The main deterrent is the low rate of SM-6 production in the United States: the annual production of missiles does not exceed 150 units, with plans to increase to 300 ammunition.
