United States Orders Next-Generation AIM-260 Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile

The U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force have allocated budget funds for the purchase of the new long-range AIM-260 air-to-air missile.

This information was published in the U.S. Armed Forces’ 2026 budget.

Specifically, the Air Force requested a budget of $368.593 million for the procurement of this type of missile, while the Navy allocated $301.858 million.

Additionally, both branches have earmarked $687 million in the budget for the development and production of the AIM-260 missile, which is expected to be deployed across both carrier-based and conventional aviation platforms.

The AIM-260A missile is being developed by Lockheed Martin as a complement to the existing AIM-120, with the potential to fully replace the AMRAAM missile.

At present, no official specifications for the missile have been disclosed. However, government discussions indicate that the missile will feature an active radar homing head with a bidirectional data link for trajectory correction and an inertial navigation system.

It is expected that the missile will reach speeds of up to Mach 5. While its range remains classified, company representatives state that it will be “significantly greater” than that of the AIM-120D-3, the precise specifications of which have also not been officially revealed.

Militarnyi previously reported that the UK government had confirmed a delay in integrating the Meteor long-range air-to-air missile onto the F-35B fighter jet, pushing its expected service entry into the early 2030s.

The delays span multiple UK administrations and are primarily driven by the timelines of the US-led Joint Programme Office and Lockheed Martin, the program’s prime contractor.