AIM-174B Gunslinger
| AIM-174B Gunslinger | |
|---|---|
AIM-174 missile on an F/A-18F, 4 May 2025 | |
| Type | Very long-range air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 2021(?)–present |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Raytheon |
| Variants | YAIM-174, XAIM-174, NAIM-174, AIM-174B, CATM-174B |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 1,900 lb (860 kg) |
| Length | 15.5 ft (4.7 m) |
| Diameter | 13.5 in (0.34 m) |
| Wingspan | 61.8 in (1.57 m) |
| Warhead | High-explosive blast-fragmentation |
| Warhead weight | 140 lb (64 kg) |
Detonation mechanism | Radar and contact/impact/proximity fuze |
| Engine | Solid-fuel rocket motor |
Operational range | At least 130 nmi (150 mi; 240 km) |
| Maximum speed | Mach 3.5 (2,664.2 mph; 4,287.7 km/h; 1.2 km/s) |
Guidance system | Inertial guidance, terminal active and semi-active radar homing |
Launch platform | Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet |
The AIM-174B Gunslinger is a long-range air-to-air missile (AAM) developed by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and used by the United States Navy (USN). The AIM-174B is a derivative of the RIM-174B Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM, Standard Missile-6, or SM-6) surface-to-air missile, a member of the extended Standard Missile family, with the USN describing the AIM-174B as the "Air-Launched Configuration" of the SM-6. The AIM-174B's existence was first confirmed to the public in July 2024 at RIMPAC 2024. The AIM-174B is only known to be capable of being carried and launched by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet as of July 2024.
Since the 2004 retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix AAM, the USN has not fielded a dedicated long-range air-to-air missile. The AIM-174's existence had been speculated about since at least 2021, with photos of SM-6s carried by Super Hornets making their way online. The publication Naval News reports that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015, while The Aviationist reports that photos of Super Hornets carrying "an SM-6 variant" appeared in 2018.
Little is known about the missile as it is speculated that it was developed as a special access program, similar to the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (of which little is officially known). As the AIM-260 is similarly a very long-range air-to-air missile, it is unclear what the relationship between the AIM-174B and AIM-260 will be, as the USN has co-operated with the United States Air Force (USAF) in developing the latter for use by both services. Both missiles are designed to counter the extreme-range air-to-air missiles being fielded or under-development by the United States' peer and near-peer potential adversaries, such as the Russian Vympel R-37M or the Chinese PL-21. Both the AIM-174 and -260 are separate from the currently under-development Long-Range Engagement Weapon of the USAF.
In May 2025, the USN "playbook" Naval Aviation 2025 revealed that the official nickname for the AIM-174B is "Gunslinger".