The Pacific theatre known for ‘tyranny of distance’ is heating up and the United States Navy (USN) revealed a surprise in this edition of the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise. Many see an assertive China bullying its smaller neighbours, most of whom are allied to the United States. Many of China’s neighbours are allied to America. Some of these countries such as Japan, Taiwan, Philippines and South Korea have mutual defence treaties with the US. Most of these nations have territorial disputes with the Chinese. This is where distance (as the Pacific is bigger than the landmass of all continents put together) and China’s growing military prowess dictate tactics in case of a conflict between the two economic behemoths.
The Americans were till recently hamstrung due to the lack of long-range air-to-air missiles. The United States is working to bring into service the now in the final round of trials AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM). The New missile is expected to replace the decades old AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM). The AMRAAM although regularly updated is at the maximum end of its range upgradability. The latest variant of the AMRAAM AIM-120 D-3 boasts of a range of 160-180 km. Although impressive in its own way, but the missile’s maximum range falls much below the impressive maximum theoretical range of 300 kms of China’s PL-15 air-to-air missile. The export variant of the missile in service with Pakistan has a range of 145 kms.
In a kinetic conflict in the Pacific, a see first, shoot first capability will add great advantage to the side which processes this ability. The JATM will put the U.S. forces on par with the Chinese, considering their claims are true. The U.S. will also have to tackle marauding Chinese H-6 bombers carrying anti-ship missiles. This has to be done as far as possible from the American Carrier Battle Groups (CBGs) and the anti-ship ballistic missiles that will be fired by the Chinese. The SM-6 has, in the last one year, shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired by the Houthis, securing the first successful intercept of a ballistic missile in combat.
Enter the AIM-174B
The U.S. Navy has made changes to the Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) a ship launched multi-purpose missile primarily designed to take on aerial threats, but can also be used against ballistic missiles and surface vessels. The ship launched range of the missile as per the South Koreans who use it, is between 240 – 460 km against various types of targets. The range is more than double that of the 170 km of the SM-2 missile it replaces. The U.S. Navy has in RIMPAC 2024 demonstrated the use of the missile, dubbed AIM-174B in its air-launched avatar.
The missile is expected to have a much greater range in its aerial launch mode, as for example the Harpoon Block -II missile has a range of roughly 125 km when launched from a ship and 220 km when launched from an aircraft. This will come handy in case of a conflict between the U.S. and China. The Chinese are already working on missiles such as the PL-17 and the P-21 which boast of ranges in excess of 400 km.
Interestingly enough, the F/A-18 Super Hornet has AN/APG-79 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar which has a range of 150km. This implies that the missile will be carried and fired by the Super Hornets and will be guided by other platforms, such as F-35s which can fly relatively more safely closer to enemy planes, ships on the surface or Airborne Warning and Control System AWACs. The F-35 or the F-22 stealth aircrafts can’t carry the missile in their internal weapons bay due to the size of the
weapon.
Interestingly, it was the Iranians during the Iran-Iraq war who jerry-rigged the HAWK Surface to Air Missile (SAM) on their F-14s, the first to do so with an American built missile on an American made plane.
India too has developed Surface to Air Missile for Assured Retaliation (SAMAR) which employs the R-73 and R-27 air-to-air missiles as a SAM system. India also employs the Surface-to-air Python and Derby (SPYDER) system and was offered the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). Both these systems follow the same principle.
