This new u.s navy missile could bring
non-stealth fighters back to the
battlefield. The navy announced that their new radar
hunting missile is officially moving
into its first phase of low rate
production and it could potentially make
stealth a bit less essential for some
portions of america's fighter fleets. This new weapon dubbed the Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile Extended Range (AARGM) is very similar to the navy's
existing AARGM weapon system but
incorporates a number of improvements
with the stated aim of increasing both
range and accuracy.
The AARGM and new AARGM-ER are
anti-radiation missiles which means
they're designed to hunt down enemy
radio emissions particularly those
produced by ground-based radar arrays. The new missile will leverage a
multi-mode guidance package that
includes a GPS assisted inertial
navigation system and on-board sensors
that can continue to track targets after
they turn off their radar and even if
they move locations while the missile is
on route.
In fact the AARGM-ER can be fired before
it even acquires its target, relying on
other aircraft further ahead to provide
targeting data. According to the excellent coverage of
this weapon system by Brett Tingley over
at the war zone. The anti-radiation
missile can also reportedly relay data
in its final moments to confirm whether
or not it successfully struck its
intended target. the new missile can accommodate
different sorts of warheads, leverages a
new rocket motor and is larger in
diameter than its predecessors.
It was designed to be carried inside the
internal weapons bays of the navy's F-35cs and uses software and some
components from previous iterations to
reduce development and production costs. Put simply anti-radiation missiles of
this sort home in on the radar air
defense systems used to detect and
engage incoming aircraft making these
missiles a valuable weapon in the
initial days of a conflict when
america's warfare doctrine calls for
establishing air superiority.
Radar arrays come online to detect
incoming aircraft, those aircraft can
fire high-speed anti-radiation missiles. HARM like the AARGM to follow the radio
waves back to their source and destroy
it. Of course not all anti-radiation
missiles are designed to be launched
from fighters to take out land-based
radars. There have also been air-to-air and even
surface-to-air anti-radiation missiles
developed around the world for different
applications.
The new AARGM-ER is an air defense hunter
the F-35 will carry internally. While the pentagon doesn't offer up hard
figures regarding the effective range of
its existing aargms the weapons designer
orbital atk stated in 2017 that the
block-eye version in service can engage
targets at distances greater than 60
miles. At the time the designs for the
iteration of the weapon called for at
least twice the range offered by the
standard AARGM.
In the days before stealth became
prevalent using weapons like the AARGM to engage and destroy enemy air defenses
was effectively the only way to limit
the chances of aircraft being shot down
by surface-to-air missiles. But air defense systems continue to
mature in advance, outpacing the ranges
offered by most anti-radiation missiles
making these radar hunting missions too
dangerous for fourth generation aircraft
like the air force's newest F-15e x's in
a near pier fight.
Today the plan is to use stealth
fighters like the F-35 for these vital
operations as they stand the best chance
at delaying or defeating detection for
long enough to engage and destroy enemy
radar arrays. Being able to carry the new AARGM-ER internally was one of the most
significant requirements for this new
weapon as F-35s have previously carried
the AARGM externally. Carrying munitions on external
hardpoints compromises the F-35 stealth
profile making it easier to detect and
target the fighter.
So what do you think of this New U.S. Navy Missile that could bring non-stealth fighters back to the battlefield?
