AIM-260 JATM Missile Spotted On Australian Super Hornet

Published Oct 1, 2026 1:01 PM EDT

U.S. Navy photo by Dana Rene White

A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet has been photographed carrying an inert AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) during a major U.S. Navy test event in California. The development comes weeks after Australia announced that it would buy the new missile , with its Super Hornets being the first RAAF aircraft to receive it.

The photograph was released by the U.S. Navy and shows an RAAF F/A-18F assigned to No. 1 Squadron taking off from Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu on September 11 during Gray Flag 2026 . The loadout also includes a CATM-9X — the inert training variant of the AIM-9X — and a CATM-120, the inert training version of the AIM-120 AMRAAM , three external fuel tanks, an AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR targeting pod, and a Tactical Combat Training System (TCTS) pod.

An AIM-260 JATM is seen on station 7, the “cheek” station, of a Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18F Super Hornet during Gray Flag 2026. U.S. Navy photo by Dana Rene White

Gray Flag is the naval aviation test community’s flagship large-force test event, providing opportunities for large-scale integration of new capabilities across services, platforms, industry, and allied forces. Gray Flag 2026 was the largest edition of the exercise to date. According to the Navy, more than 3,000 personnel from over 150 organizations participated, flying more than 750 sorties and logging over 2,000 flight hours across hundreds of multi-domain test objectives.

Previous iterations of Gray Flag have been used to test new and still-developmental weapons in increasingly complex, operationally representative scenarios, including actual missile engagements against realistic targets. Making use of the sprawling Point Mugu Sea Range, the event has also become an important opportunity for working out how sensors, weapons, aircraft, and networks interact as part of larger kill chains and kill webs . A new, longer-range air-to-air missile is especially relevant when it comes to developing tactics, techniques, and procedures within a broader, networked air-combat architecture.

Beyond being the first apparent glimpse of an Australian JATM in any context, integration of the weapon onto Australia’s Super Hornet fleet has apparently already progressed to the point of carrying the missile — in inert form — during a major U.S.-based test and integration exercise.

A close-up look at an AIM-260 test round on the same station of a U.S. Navy Super Hornet. Jonathan Tweedy/@flightline_visuals

As TWZ reported in August, Australia is set to become the first country outside the United States to operate the AIM-260 following a roughly $480-million procurement through the U.S. Foreign Military Sales program. The Australian government said at the time that the missile would first be integrated onto the RAAF’s F/A-18F fleet, before being fielded on the F-35A and EA-18G Growler . Looking further ahead, the RAAF’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) could also emerge as a candidate for integration with JATM.

Australia’s announcement did not provide a delivery schedule or specify when JATM would enter Australian service.

The overall proportions and external configuration of the AIM-260 were revealed when an example appeared on a U.S. Navy F/A-18F in May of this year . That aircraft, operated by Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31), provided the first publicly known photographic view of the highly classified missile.

An F/A-18F from VX-31 carrying the AIM-260. Jonathan Tweedy/ @flightline_visuals

The AIM-260’s exact specifications remain classified. It is intended to provide substantially greater range than the AIM-120 AMRAAM while retaining a broadly similar form factor. That compact configuration is important because the missile is designed not only for external carriage but also for internal carriage by aircraft such as the F-22 and F-35.

The weapon has been developed as a response to the increasingly long-range air-to-air threat posed by China’s PL-15 and other advanced missiles . Official range figures have not been released, although previous reporting has pointed to an intended range of at least 120 miles and potentially considerably more.

Close-up of a J-20 fighter carrying four inert examples of the PL-15 in its main ventral bays. via Chinese internet

The Australian procurement therefore represents an important expansion of the JATM program beyond the U.S. fleet.

The timing of the Point Mugu photograph is particularly interesting. Gray Flag is specifically intended to bring together large numbers of aircraft, weapons, sensors, networks, and other systems for demanding integration and test activities. An Australian Super Hornet carrying an apparent JATM at such an event would be entirely in line with the purpose of the exercise.

Ground crew members stand by an EA-18G Growler on the flight line at Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu, during Gray Flag, on September 30, 2026. U.S. Navy photo by Katie Archibald

It is not clear, however, what role the missile was playing. The photograph does not establish whether it was an Australian-owned operational weapon, a U.S. test asset, or a missile being used for a particular integration activity. Blue bands on the missile body confirm that it’s a training missile with inert rocket motor and/or warhead.

Public evidence of an Australian aircraft carrying the AIM-260 would be another important milestone in the weapon’s transition from a closely guarded U.S. development program toward allied service.

It would also underscore the most interoperability aspect of the Australian acquisition. Canberra is buying into a U.S. long-range air-to-air weapon program at a time when the Royal Australian Air Force and U.S. forces are increasingly expected to operate together across the Indo-Pacific.

A Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail, two EA-18G Growlers, and two F-35As fly in formation with two U.S. Air Force B-2 bombers and two F-22 Raptors. Australian Department of Defense

The exercise also comes as the U.S. moves to accelerate development and future production of the AIM-260. In September, the Pentagon and Lockheed Martin reached a framework agreement laying the groundwork for a future multiyear procurement deal, while the Air Force Test Center confirmed that the missile is already undergoing both ground and airborne testing. The agreement is intended to give Lockheed Martin and its suppliers the demand signal needed to expand production capacity, although the number of missiles, costs and delivery schedule remain undisclosed.

The development should also be seen in the context of broader U.S.-Australian cooperation on air-launched weapons. RAAF F/A-18Fs are also being integrated into the U.S.-Australian Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM) effort under the Southern Cross Integrated Flight Research Experiment (SCIFiRE), with Australia providing test infrastructure for the weapon’s flight-test program. You can read more about this program here .

The video below shows a hypersonic test conducted at Woomera in 2016 under the U.S.-Australian Hypersonic International Flight Research Experimentation (HiFIRE) program.

Australia said its F/A-18Fs would be the first RAAF aircraft to receive JATM, and an Australian Super Hornet has now been photographed carrying one during a major U.S. Navy test event. For the RAAF, getting JATM onto its frontline fighters is consequently an increasingly urgent requirement, giving its Super Hornets a credible long-range counter to the weapons they could face in a future high-end fight.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

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发布于美国东部时间2026年10月1日下午1:01

美国海军照片，摄影：达纳·雷内·怀特

一架澳大利亚皇家空军的F/A-18F“超级大黄蜂”战斗机在加利福尼亚州举行的美国海军大型测试活动中被拍到携带一枚惰性AIM-260联合先进战术导弹（JATM）。就在几周前，澳大利亚宣布将采购这种新型导弹，其“超级大黄蜂”战斗机将成为澳大利亚皇家空军首批接收该导弹的飞机。

这张照片由美国海军发布，照片显示，一架隶属于澳大利亚皇家空军第1中队的F/A-18F战斗机于9月11日在文图拉县穆古角海军基地参加“灰旗2026”演习期间起飞。该机挂载的弹药包括一枚CATM-9X（AIM-9X的惰性训练型）和一枚CATM-120（AIM-120 AMRAAM的惰性训练型）、三个外挂油箱、一个AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR瞄准吊舱和一个战术作战训练系统（TCTS）吊舱。

在2026年“灰旗”军演期间，一枚AIM-260 JATM导弹挂载在澳大利亚皇家空军F/A-18F“超级大黄蜂”战斗机的7号挂架（“脸颊”挂架）上。美国海军摄影师达纳·雷内·怀特摄。

“灰旗”是海军航空测试界的旗舰级大规模军事测试活动，为各军种、平台、工业界和盟军大规模整合新能力提供了契机。“灰旗2026”是迄今为止规模最大的一次演习。据海军方面称，来自150多个机构的3000多名人员参与了此次演习，飞行架次超过750架次，累计飞行时间超过2000小时，涵盖数百个跨领域测试目标。

以往的“灰旗”演习旨在测试新型及仍在研发中的武器，测试场景日益复杂，更具实战代表性，包括对真实目标进行导弹实战。此次演习利用了面积广阔的穆古角海上靶场，也成为研究传感器、武器、飞机和网络如何在更大规模的杀伤链和杀伤网中协同运作的重要契机。新型远程空空导弹对于在更广泛的网络化空战架构中开发战术、技术和程序尤为重要。

除了这是澳大利亚联合攻击导弹（JATM）首次在任何情况下被公开亮相之外，该武器与澳大利亚超级大黄蜂战斗机机队的整合工作显然已经取得了进展，甚至在美国进行的一次大型测试和整合演习中，该导弹以惰性形式被携带上来。

近距离观察美国海军超级大黄蜂战斗机同一挂架上的AIM-260测试弹。图片来源：Jonathan Tweedy/@flightline_visuals

正如TWZ在8月份报道的那样，澳大利亚将通过美国对外军售计划斥资约4.8亿美元采购AIM-260导弹，成为美国以外首个装备该型导弹的国家。澳大利亚政府当时表示，该导弹将首先集成到澳大利亚皇家空军的F/A-18F战斗机上，之后再部署到F-35A和EA-18G“咆哮者”电子战飞机上。展望未来，澳大利亚皇家空军的MQ-28“幽灵蝙蝠”协同作战飞机也可能成为联合空中导弹系统（JATM）的候选机型。

澳大利亚的公告没有提供交付时间表，也没有具体说明JATM何时会在澳大利亚投入使用。

今年5月，一枚AIM-260导弹出现在美国海军一架F/A-18F战斗机上，AIM-260的整体尺寸和外部结构由此曝光。这架由第31空中测试与评估中队（VX-31）操作的飞机，首次向公众展示了这款高度机密的导弹。

一架隶属于VX-31中队的F/A-18F战斗机，携带AIM-260导弹。乔纳森·特威迪/ @flightline_visuals

AIM-260的具体规格仍属机密。其设计目标是在保持大致相似的外形尺寸的同时，大幅提升射程，超越AIM-120 AMRAAM。这种紧凑的结构至关重要，因为该导弹不仅设计用于外挂，也设计用于F-22和F-35等飞机的内置挂载。

该武器的研发是为了应对中国PL-15及其他先进导弹日益增长的远程空对空威胁。官方尚未公布射程数据，但此前的报道指出，其预期射程至少为120英里，甚至可能更远。

一张歼-20战斗机腹部主弹舱内携带四枚PL-15惰性弹的特写照片。（图片来自中国互联网）

因此，澳大利亚的采购标志着 JATM 项目在美国舰队之外的重要扩展。

穆古角照片的拍摄时机尤其耐人寻味。“灰旗”演习旨在汇集大量飞机、武器、传感器、网络和其他系统，以进行高强度的集成和测试活动。一架澳大利亚超级大黄蜂战斗机在这样的场合携带疑似联合自动导弹系统（JATM）出现，完全符合演习的目的。

2026年9月30日，在“灰旗”演习期间，地勤人员在文图拉县穆古角海军基地飞行跑道上的EA-18G“咆哮者”电子战飞机旁驻守。美国海军摄影师凯蒂·阿奇博尔德摄。

然而，目前尚不清楚这枚导弹扮演何种角色。照片无法确定它是澳大利亚拥有的现役武器、美国的试验性装备，还是用于特定集成活动的导弹。导弹弹体上的蓝色条纹表明它是一枚训练导弹，配备惰性火箭发动机和/或战斗部。

澳大利亚飞机携带 AIM-260 导弹的公开证据将是该武器从美国严密保密的研发项目过渡到盟军服役过程中的又一个重要里程碑。

这将凸显澳大利亚此次采购中最重要的互操作性方面。堪培拉正在参与美国的远程空对空武器项目，而此时，人们越来越期望澳大利亚皇家空军和美军在印太地区开展联合行动。

一架澳大利亚皇家空军E-7A“楔尾”预警机、两架EA-18G“咆哮者”电子战飞机和两架F-35A战斗机与两架美国空军B-2轰炸机和两架F-22“猛禽”战斗机编队飞行。澳大利亚国防部

此次演习正值美国加快AIM-260导弹的研发和未来生产之际。今年9月，五角大楼与洛克希德·马丁公司达成框架协议，为未来多年采购协议奠定基础。与此同时，空军测试中心证实，该导弹已在进行地面和空中测试。该协议旨在向洛克希德·马丁公司及其供应商发出扩大产能所需的市场需求信号，但导弹数量、成本和交付时间表仍未公开。

这项进展也应放在美澳在空射武器领域更广泛的合作背景下看待。澳大利亚皇家空军的F/A-18F战斗机也正在参与美澳高超音速攻击巡航导弹（HACM）项目，该项目隶属于“南方十字星综合飞行研究实验”（SCIFiRE）计划，澳大利亚为该武器的飞行测试项目提供测试基础设施。您可以在这里阅读更多关于该项目的信息。

下面的视频展示了 2016 年在伍默拉进行的美国-澳大利亚高超音速国际飞行研究实验 (HiFIRE) 计划下的一次高超音速测试。

澳大利亚表示，其F/A-18F战机将成为澳大利亚皇家空军（RAAF）首批装备联合自动导弹系统（JATM）的战机。目前，一架澳大利亚产的超级大黄蜂战机已被拍到在一次美国海军的大型测试活动中携带了该系统。因此，对于澳大利亚皇家空军而言，为其一线战机配备JATM系统已成为日益迫切的需求，这将使其超级大黄蜂战机拥有可靠的远程反制手段，以应对未来高端空战中可能遇到的敌方武器。

联系作者：thomas@thewarzone.com

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