The US has deployed its new long-range air-to-air missile, which could potentially upset the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific in the “Cold War” between the US and China. The AIM-174B missile on board the US Navy’s F-18 Super Hornet has a range of about 400 km, as can be seen in many pictures.

The AIM-174B derivative of the Raytheon SM-6 surface-to-air missile was deployed from US naval platforms. The SM-6 is a multi-role missile used for air defense, ballistic missile defense and to engage ground targets.

The AIM-174B was reportedly first sighted during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, the world’s largest naval exercise involving 26 participants. The missile was attached to a hanger point under the wings of the Super Hornet and attracted attention due to its potential to upset the balance of power in the air.

All about AIM-17B

The Air Interceptor Missile (AIM)-174B is the air-to-air version of the SM-6 missile. It is readily available due to the existing production line for the SM-6 missile. The Raytheon SM-6 missile has a booster stage that propels the missile into the air, followed by a solid rocket booster and a missile sustainer motor that strikes the target.

The SM-6 weighs around 1,500 kilograms, while the AIM-174 weighs around 850 kilograms due to the lack of a booster engine. The US Navy’s new missile has a speed of Mach 3.5, which is 3.5 times the speed of sound. The missile is considered a direct equivalent of the Russian long-range hypersonic air-to-air missile Rh-37 Vympel with a range of 400 kilometers and the Chinese long-range missile PL-15 with a range of 300-350 kilometers.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy has reportedly fielded an advanced version of the PL-15, the PL-17 missile with a range of 400 km. The US Navy’s last dedicated long-range air-to-air missile was the AIM-54 Phoenix for the F-14 Tomcat. The fighter jet and missile were retired in 2004.

Why air-to-air missiles in the age of stealth fighters?

The US and China are currently building, on a large scale, new generation stealth fighter jets that can evade enemy radars by striking undetected in enemy territory. The US started with the F-117 Nighthawk fighter-bomber, then the F-22 Raptor, and now the F-35, the world’s most advanced fighter jet.

China is not lagging behind with its fifth-generation Chengdu J-20 stealth fighter jet.

If stealth fighter jets can go undetected, why are nations focusing on long-range air-to-air missiles? The answer is fear. China has developed the long-range PL-15 missile, which can be deployed on the J-20. This means that a stealth fighter jet can now attack targets from long distances without being detected. Recently, the PL-17 was deployed on its fourth-generation J-16 fighter jet. China’s move has shifted the balance of air power in the unstable East Asian region.

A stealthed Chinese aircraft could theoretically detect unstealthed U.S. aircraft and shoot them down well beyond the range at which they could possibly strike back, Reuters reported, citing Kelly Grieco, a senior fellow at the Stimson Center.

Even American stealth aircraft could be forced to fly dangerously close to fire their missiles. “If a Chinese fighter jet can outflank an American fighter jet, that means it can fire the first shot,” she said. “It’s hard to outrun an adversary traveling at Mach 4.”

To meet this need, the AIM-174B was quickly developed. Now, US fighter jets can attack Chinese military facilities from long distances and are no longer as dangerous if they fly too close to the targets.

Justin Bronk, an air force and technology expert at the Royal United Services Institute in London, told Reuters that while China is developing long-range missiles, the radar on launching aircraft may not be able to detect targets at such distances. “If you use missiles that are too big and too heavy, you end up using fuel,” he said.

An Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft acts as an air command center during combat missions and combat patrols. These aircraft detect the enemy from a long distance. The new missiles will also be used to attack high-value targets such as the AWACs.

The island chains

A direct military confrontation between the US and China could occur near the South China Sea, a key transit route for maritime trade and the US Navy. China has threatened Taiwan with military invasion, and in the event of a large-scale Chinese attack, the US is legally obligated to defend Taiwan.

The Taiwan Relations Act requires the United States to supply Taiwan with weapons for defense.

American foreign policy maker John Foster Dulles introduced the island chain strategy to check the expansion of the USSR and China by establishing military bases in the Western Pacific. The USSR collapsed in 1991, but China’s economic and military expansion made the strategy important.

It works on multiple lines of defense so that the U.S. can repel any military invasion. The strategy has its roots in World War II, when Imperial Japan conquered most of East Asia and attacked Pearl Harbor, effectively entering the U.S. into the war.

Any military conflict in the South China Sea would involve the First Island Chain, which consists of the Kuril Islands claimed by Japan but under Russian control, the Japanese archipelago, Taiwan, the northern Philippines and Borneo.

The First Island Chain is a key geopolitical boundary for US territory with vast natural resources and economic importance. Any conflict would mean the US operating close to China.

The US would move even closer to China if Beijing attacked Taiwan. An AIM-174B missile would keep the PLA’s aircraft carriers and fighter jets at a safer distance and put the PLA’s fighter ships and aircraft carriers out of range. Reuters quoted a strategist working in Taiwan as saying this would increase the likelihood that the US would be directly involved in a military conflict with China over Taiwan.

The game-winning missile would push the US deeper into the South China Sea region, reversing the equation that currently continues to be in China’s favor.

India and its arsenal of air-to-air missiles

India has developed the Astra Mk1 beyond visual range air-to-air missile mounted on the Su-30MKI fighter aircraft. The Astra Mk1 has a speed of Mach 4.5 and a range of 100 kilometers. The Astra Mk2 and Mk3 are currently being tested but are far behind the missiles of the US and China.

The deployment of ultra-long-range BVR missiles is based on the requirements of the Indian Air Force or Indian Navy, unlike the US and China. The Astra Mk1 is operational on Su-30MKI, so currently only the IAF uses the missile, but it will be developed for other aircraft later. India uses the Russian Novator KS-172 and the French MICA air-to-air missile.