According to a report by a correspondent of the Vietnam News Agency in Washington, the US Navy is testing a new air-to-air missile, the AIM-424 Malice, capable of engaging targets at a range of 465 km. According to the publication, this significantly exceeds the range of any other known weapon of its class. The missile's specifications were revealed on August 22, 2026, at the US Navy's Tailhook conference in Reno, Nevada.

Dimensions and Integration with Stealth Aircraft

According to US Navy information, the AIM-424 Malice was developed by Raytheon (a subsidiary of RTX Corp.) and is comparable in size to the existing AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. This is a key design advantage: the new missile fits neatly into the internal weapons bays of stealth aircraft, specifically the F-35 and F-22, allowing them to retain their stealth characteristics while carrying long-range weaponry.

Tactical Value — Ship Defense

Peter Layton, a former Royal Australian Air Force officer and visiting fellow at the Griffith Institute for Asia, noted that long-range missiles can be used to engage critical aircraft — command-and-control aircraft and aerial refueling tankers. However, in his assessment, their greater value lies in defending warships, including carrier strike groups at long range.

Limitations and the Question of Timelines

The same expert pointed out a technical caveat: engaging aircraft from extremely long ranges requires sensor systems capable of detecting a target at such a distance and guiding the missile onto it. Moreover, high-speed aircraft can neutralize such attacks simply by heading in the opposite direction. The US Navy has not yet announced when the AIM-424 Malice will officially enter service.

Context: The Return of Long-Range Weaponry

The Pentagon has long shown interest in long-range air-to-air missiles; in fact, such weapons have been absent from the US arsenal since the era of the AIM-54 Phoenix missile and its sole carrier, the F-14 Tomcat fighter. In 2026, Lockheed Martin Corp. received a contract worth approximately 1 billion dollars to begin production of the AIM-260 — another long-range air-to-air missile. Meanwhile, the AIM-174B, an air-to-air variant of the SM-6 surface-to-air missile system with a registered range of over 400 km, has been in service for several years.

Contradictory Data

The primary sources contain minor inconsistencies. First, the lead of the report refers to "testing" of the missile, whereas the main body and the headlines of several publications speak of the presentation of specifications at the Tailhook conference; there is no independent confirmation of active flight testing by the Pentagon in the text. Second, the exact range figure varies: the body of the report states 465 km, while the headlines (including vietnam.vn) say "over 450 km." Both values are consistent in order of magnitude, but the exact figure has not been officially confirmed as of publication.