AIM-174

Described as a "massive" AAM, the Gunslinger has a confirmed range of 150 miles (130 nautical miles or 240 kilometers), though it is widely speculated that the range may be much greater. In addition to the AIM-174's air-to-air role, the Gunslinger is believed capable of engaging other missiles (including ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons), and may also serve as an air-to-ground and anti-ship missile.

• Name — AIM-174B Gunslinger • Type — Very long-range air-to-air missile • Secondary air-to-ground and anti-ship missile roles (speculated) • Origin — United States of America • Is Explosive — y • Is Vehicle — y • Is Missile — y • Service — 2021(?)–present; Testing may have begun as early as 2015 • Used By — United States Navy • Manufacturer — Raytheon • Mass — 1,830 lb • Length — 16.5 ft • Filling — High-explosive blast-fragmentation • Filling Weight — 140 lb • Detonation — Radar and contact/impact/proximity fuze • Engine — Solid-fuel rocket motor • Vehicle Range — 150-250 mi+ • Speed — Mach • Guidance — Inertial guidance, terminal active and semi-active radar homing • Diameter — 13.5 in • Wingspan — 62.0 in • Launch Platform — Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

Since the 2004 retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix AAM, the USN has not fielded a dedicated long-range air-to-air missile. There had been speculation about the AIM-174's existence since at least 2021, with photos of SM-6s carried by Super Hornets making their way online. The publication Naval News reported that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015, while The Aviationist reported that photos of Super Hornets carrying "an SM-6 variant" appeared in 2018. Aviation Weekly reported the "RIM-174/SM-6" being "integrated" into the Super Hornet platform in April 2021. It is speculated that the AIM-174 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". The Gunslinger has armed only USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, though there is speculation that other airframes could mount the weapon, such as the USAF's McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, or the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The Gunslinger has been deployed operationally to four USN Nimitz-class supercarriers as of; the Carl Vinson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the George H. W. Bush.

• Illustration — A F/A-18F armed with four Gunslingers, three AMRAAMs, two AIM-9Xs, an IRST21 sensor mounted in an FPU-13/A drop tank, and an AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR pod Photos reveal that the Gunslinger is externally virtually identical to the RIM-174, apart from the marked lack of the solid-fuel rocket Mk 72 booster on the AIM-174. The missile will likely utilize a Mk 104 solid-fuel rocket engine, as carried by the RIM-174. The Gunslinger may also employ warheads capable of "area effects". The "standard" warhead is 140 lb and consists of a high-explosive charge with blast-fragmentation properties, and is over three times the weight of an AIM-120 AMRAAM warhead, and seven times the weight of an AIM-9X Sidewinder warhead. Variously described as a "large" and "outsized" weapon, the Gunslinger is 1,900 lb, nearly double the weight of the AIM-54C Phoenix, and is over five times heavier than the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Gunslinger is capable of speeds of at least Mach 3.5 (2,664.2 mph; 4,287.7 km/h; 1.2 km/s). In September 2024, photos emerged of a F/A-18F Super Hornet of the VX-9 'Vampires' carrying four AIM-174Bs, three AIM-120 AMRAAMs, two AIM-9Xs, an IRST21 sensor mounted in an FPU-13/A drop tank, and an AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR pod simultaneously.

• Illustration — An F/A-18E Super Hornet equipped with CATM-174Bs (the training-simulator variant of the Gunslinger missile) prepares to take-off from the Abraham Lincoln While details regarding the AIM-174's range are vague, certain surface-launched RIM-174 variants are capable of about 290 mi launches; with the benefit of being launched at speed and higher altitude (where the air is "thinner" and thus induces less drag), the AIM-174's range may extend hundreds of miles though the USN has only confirmed a range of 130 nmi. Estimates of the Gunslinger's maximum range are around 250 mi to 300 mi. While the AIM-174 lacks the SM-6's Mk 72 rocket booster, in the thinner air of higher-altitudes (relative to a surface launch) and retaining the speed of the launching aircraft (several hundred miles per hour, at minimum), an air-launched AIM-174 may be capable of extreme ranges (300–400+ kilometres), relative to other air-launched missiles. The AIM-174 may also be capable of "lofting," a technique whereby the launched missile immediately ascends upwards to attain altitudes generally between to in order to take advantage of the even thinner air, relative to typical flight altitudes. Such a launch profile can greatly extend missile ranges. The AIM-174's predecessor, the AIM-54 Phoenix BVRAAM, was capable of employing lofting (along with certain AIM-7 Sparrow variants and all AIM-120 AMRAAM variants). Between the AIM-174's advantages over a surface-launched SM-6 and the possibility of lofted-launch profiles, the AIM-174's range may extend to hundreds of nautical miles. The USN also routinely understates the publicly-available ranges and capabilities of weapon systems for strategic security purposes. At minimum, the AIM-174 represents a roughly 30% increase in range over the 99 nmi (114 mi; 184 km) of the retired AIM-54C and a roughly 50% increase over the 87 nmi (100 mi; 161 km) of the in-service AIM-120D AMRAAM. Very long-range AAMs such as the extant R-37M and the nascent PL-21 are typically intended for use against large airborne targets. As such, it is speculated that the AIM-174 could be used offensively to strike at tankers or airborne early warning aircraft and electronic warfare aircraft far behind the "frontlines" or defensively to strike large bombers — such as China's Xi'an H-6 — threatening USN fleets. As the RIM-174/SM-6 is capable of anti-ship and anti-ground strikes, the possibility exists for the AIM-174 to be utilized in such capacities. Derived from the SM-6 family — whose variants are capable of anti-ship missile defense and anti-ballistic missile launches — the AIM-174 will likely retain such anti-missile capabilities. The United States Missile Defense Agency has also indicated that the Gunslinger has "counter-hypersonic missile" capabilities.

• Illustration — Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Alexis Walker escorts President Donald J. Trump during a tour of the George H. W. Bush in 2025. Note the air-to-air missiles in the background mounted on a Super Hornet, from left to right; an AIM-174, AIM-120, and AIM-9 • YAIM-174 (prototype) • XAIM-174 (experimental, utilized for initial testing) • NAIM-174 (equipped with various sensors to transmit data relevant to the missile's use) • AIM-174B (only known operational variant) • CATM-174B (inert training variant with guidance electronics; no warhead or motor) • DATM-174B (inert training "dummy" variant with no motor, warhead, or guidance electronics) Sources:

• Range: At least, estimated to be beyond • Airspeed: Up to Mach • Warhead Weight: • Overall Weight: • Length: • Diameter: • Wingspan: Sources: