Australia to buy sophisticated US air-to-air missiles

Australia will become the first export customer for the AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), an air-to-air missile that will be integrated onto the country’s full fleet of fighter platforms.

Defence Minister Richard Marles made the announcement on Aug. 6 while attending the multinational fighter exercise Pitch Black 2026 in Darwin.

Marles said the JATM will allow the Royal Australian Air Force “to strike at a longer range, deter any adversary and protect our national interests.”

Australia and the U.S. are alarmed at growing threats from China, whose air force is fielding long-range missiles such as the PL-15 and the even larger PL-17.

With aging missile types like the incumbent AIM-120 AMRAAM now outclassed by their Chinese equivalents, the AIM-260 is designed to restore order.

Canberra will splash out A$736 million — around $520 million USD — on an unspecified quantity of AIM-260s through the Foreign Military Sales process.

On March 17, the U.S. had approved the sale of up to 450 JATMs with an estimated price tag of $3.16 billion USD. Given that the recently announced order costs significantly less than this sum, Australia is presumably purchasing well under 100 missiles in this first tranche.

The AIM-260 will be integrated first onto the RAAF’s F/A-18F Super Hornet fleet, followed by the F-35A and then the EA-18G Growler. Another future Australian candidate is likely to be the MQ-28A Ghost Bat unmanned combat aircraft, which test-fired an AMRAAM last December.

Lockheed Martin’s secretive munition is a GPS-aided air superiority missile with increased range and effectiveness compared to existing U.S. air-to-air weapons. There have still been no official photos released of the missile.

The JATM’s capabilities — such as its range, propulsion and seeker — remain heavily classified. Its range is likely to be at least 120 miles — quite possibly more — which is far superior to the incumbent AIM-120 AMRAAM. Its form factor is similar to the AMRAAM’s to ensure it fits inside the weapon bays of existing fighters.

Australia said in a statement that the AIM-260 “will provide air force platforms with a credible deterrent against airborne targets, complementing existing air-to-air missile capabilities and other surface-based missile capabilities across the Australian Defence Force.”

Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy described JATMs as “some of the most sophisticated air-to-air weapons in the world, and Australia will be the first country to operate them outside the U.S.”

However, it will take years — not before 2033, according to some reports — until the JATM reaches Australian hands and is bolted onto RAAF Super Hornets.

Australia’s acquisition also opens the door for other Indo-Pacific air forces to procure the JATM in the future, especially given the widespread adoption of the F-35 by close U.S. allies in the region.

Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.

澳大利亚将成为AIM-260A联合先进战术导弹（JATM）的首个出口客户，这是一种空对空导弹，将被整合到该国的整个战斗机机队中。

国防部长理查德·马尔斯于 8 月 6 日在达尔文出席“漆黑 2026”多国战斗机演习时宣布了这一消息。

马尔斯表示，JATM 将使澳大利亚皇家空军“能够进行更远距离的打击，威慑任何对手，并保护我们的国家利益”。

澳大利亚和美国对来自中国的日益增长的威胁感到担忧，中国的空军正在部署PL-15和更大的PL-17等远程导弹。

由于像现役的 AIM-120 AMRAAM 这样的老旧导弹类型现在已被中国的同类导弹超越，AIM-260 的设计目的就是为了恢复秩序。

堪培拉将通过对外军售程序斥资 7.36 亿澳元（约合 5.2 亿美元）购买数量不详的 AIM-260 导弹。

3月17日，美国批准向澳大利亚出售至多450枚联合自动导弹（JATM），预计总价值31.6亿美元。鉴于最近宣布的订单金额远低于此，澳大利亚首批采购的导弹数量可能远低于100枚。

AIM-260导弹将首先装备澳大利亚皇家空军的F/A-18F“超级大黄蜂”战斗机，随后是F-35A战斗机，最后是EA-18G“咆哮者”电子战飞机。澳大利亚未来可能采用的另一款导弹是MQ-28A“幽灵蝙蝠”无人作战飞机，该机已于去年12月试射了一枚AMRAAM导弹。

洛克希德·马丁公司这款神秘的弹药是一款GPS辅助的空中优势导弹，与现有的美国空空武器相比，射程和效能均有所提升。目前，该导弹尚未发布任何官方照片。

JATM导弹的各项性能——例如射程、推进系统和导引头——仍属高度机密。其射程可能至少为120英里，甚至可能更远，远超现役的AIM-120 AMRAAM导弹。其外形尺寸与AMRAAM相似，以确保能够装入现有战斗机的弹舱。

澳大利亚在一份声明中表示，AIM-260“将为空军平台提供对空中目标的可靠威慑，补充澳大利亚国防军现有的空对空导弹能力和其他地基导弹能力。”

国防工业部长帕特·康罗伊称JATM是“世界上最先进的空对空武器之一，澳大利亚将成为美国以外第一个使用这种武器的国家”。

然而，据一些报道，JATM 到达澳大利亚并安装到澳大利亚皇家空军的超级大黄蜂战斗机上，还需要数年时间——最早也要到 2033 年。

澳大利亚的采购也为其他印太地区空军未来采购JATM打开了大门，尤其是在美国在该地区的亲密盟友广泛采用F-35的情况下。

戈登·阿瑟是《防务新闻》的亚洲特派记者。在香港工作20年后，他现居新西兰。他曾到访亚太地区约20个国家，参加过军事演习和防务展览。