The U.S. Navy is testing a new air-to-air missile reported capable of striking
targets beyond 290 miles (465 km), exceeding the range of known comparable
weapons. The AIM-424 Malice, developed by Raytheon, an RTX unit, is roughly the
same dimensions as the AIM-120 AMRAAM, allowing carriage in F-35 and F-22
internal weapon bays. Peter Layton, former Royal Australian Air Force officer
and visiting fellow at Griffith Asia Institute, said the range could enable
strikes on high-value aircraft such as command-and-control planes or tankers,
but the weapon may be more valuable for defending naval vessels.
