The US Air Force (USAF) is looking for new options for air-to-air missiles, with a focus on price, range, and size.
In a recent request for information (RFI), the Air Force Material Command is looking for proposals to address two missile requirements.
The first is a low-cost weapon similar in size to the Raytheon AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), but that features maximum range.
The proposal is intriguing because the USAF already has a secretive missile in development, the Lockheed Martin AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile.
The AIM-260 is intended to supplement or replace the AIM-120.
The RFI also calls for a missile that is half the size of the AMRAAM, but with maximum range.
“Industry is also encouraged to provide low-cost solutions for the missile at half the size of an AMRAAM to double aircraft loadout while maximising range in the design,” states the RFI.
A low-cost weapon that is half the size of an AMRAAM could effectively double the air-to-air missile capacity of combat aircraft, thereby increasing their combat endurance. Small collaborative combat aircraft would also be able to carry more such weapons.
The need for smaller missiles reflects the nature of modern air warfare, which is increasingly characterised by masses of cheap one-way attack drones, such as Iran’s Shahed-136, and the proliferation of other airborne targets beyond traditional combat aircraft.
Cost and expediency are a requirement for both possible missiles, with the RFI stating a desire to “maximise the reuse of existing components”.
Recent US government Foreign Military Sales cases suggest brisk international demand for air-to-air missiles.
On 2 May, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said that the possible sale of 1,000 AIM-120C-8 AMRAAMs to Saudia Arabia for $3.5 billion had been approved.
Other countries cleared for big AMRAAM buys so far this year include Poland, Australia, and Japan. Including Saudi Arabia, 2025 has seen the DSCA announce the possible sale of 3,000 advanced versions of the AMRAAM – specifically the AIM-120C-8/D3 variants – for a total value of $9.5 billion.
