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.