Described as a "massive"[8] AAM, the Gunslinger has a confirmed range of 150miles (130nautical miles or 240kilometers), though it is widely speculated that the range may be much greater.
Since the 2004 retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix AAM, the USN has not fielded a dedicated long-range air-to-air missile.[9][10] The AIM-174's existence had been speculated about since at least 2021, with photos of SM-6s carried by Super Hornets making their way online.[11] The publication Naval News reported that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015,[12] while The Aviationist reported that photos of Super Hornets carrying "an SM-6 variant" appeared in 2018.[13]Aviation Weekly reported the "RIM-174/SM-6" being "integrated" into the Super Hornet platform in April 2021.[14]
Little is known about the missile as it is speculated that it was developed as a special access program,[15] similar to the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile[16] (of which little is officially known).[17] 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.[18] 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[19] revealed that the official nickname for the AIM-174B is "Gunslinger".[20]
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.[24] The missile will likely utilize a solid-fuel rocket engine, as carried by the RIM-174.[25] The Gunslinger may also employ warheads capable of "area effects".[26] The "standard" warhead is 140lb (64kg) and consists of a high-explosive charge with blast-fragmentation properties[27] and is over three times the weight of an AMRAAM warhead.[28]
Variously described as a "large"[29] and "outsized"[22] weapon, the Gunslinger is 1,900lb (860kg),[30] nearly double the weight of the AIM-54C Phoenix,[31] and is over five times heavier than the AIM-120 AMRAAM.[32]
An F/A-18E Super Hornet equipped with CATM-174Bs (the training-simulator variant of the Gunslinger missile) prepares to take-off from the USSAbraham Lincoln(CVN-72)
While details regarding the AIM-174's range are vague, certain surface-launched RIM-174 variants are capable of about 290mi (250nmi; 470km) launches;[38] with the benefit of being launched at speed and higher altitude (where the air creates less drag),[39] the AIM-174's range may extend hundreds of miles[40][41] though the USN has only confirmed a range of 130nmi (150mi; 240km).[42][43][44] Estimates of the Gunslinger's maximum range are around 250mi (220nmi; 400km) to 300mi (260nmi; 480km).[45][46][47]
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
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.[48] The AIM-174 may also be capable of "lofting," a technique whereby the launched missile immediately ascends upwards to attain altitudes generally between 80,000ft (24,384m) to 100,000ft (30,480m).[49] The AIM-174's predecessor,[50] the AIM-54 Phoenix BVRAAM was capable of employing this launch profile (along with certain AIM-7 Sparrow variants[51] and all AIM-120 AMRAAM variants).[52] 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.[53] The USN also routinely understates the publicly-available ranges and capabilities of weapon systems for strategic security purposes.[54] At minimum, the AIM-174 represents a roughly 30% increase in range over the 99nmi (114mi; 184km) of the retired AIM-54C and a roughly 50% increase over the 87nmi (100mi; 161km)[55] 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.[56][57] 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.[58][59]
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.[60][61] 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.[62][63] The United States Missile Defense Agency has also indicated that the Gunslinger has "counter-hypersonic missile" capabilities.[64]
↑ Cenciotti, David (2024-07-03). "First Images Emerge Of U.S. Navy Super Hornet Carrying Two Air-Launched SM-6 Missiles". The Aviationist. Retrieved 2024-07-07. In essence, this new missile fills the gap left by the retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix. The AIM-54 was a long-range air-to-air missile used by the U.S. Navy's F-14 Tomcat and retired in 2004 alongside the F-14. Known for its impressive range of over 100 nautical miles and multiple-target engagement capability, the AIM-54 left a significant void in long-range engagement capabilities.
↑ "Weapons"(PDF). Naval Aviation 2025 (Press release). United States Department of the Navy. May 2025. p.13. Archived from the original(PDF) on 2025-05-13. It represents the first dedicated long-range, air-to-air missile employed by the U.S. Navy since the retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix in 2004, marking a significant advancement in Naval Aviation combat capabilities.
↑ Cenciotti, David (2024-07-03). "First Images Emerge Of U.S. Navy Super Hornet Carrying Two Air-Launched SM-6 Missiles". The Aviationist. Retrieved 2024-07-07. Although the news broke in 2021 only, the first sighting of a Super Hornet carrying an SM-6 variant occurred in 2018 when an F/A-18F from VX-31 was photographed with the same missile under its wing, indicating that the U.S. Navy has been developing an air-launched version of the SM-6/RIM-174 for at least six years.
↑ Johnston, Carter (2024-07-05). "U.S. Navy Confirms SM-6 Air Launched Configuration is Operationally Deployed". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07. The AIM-260 remains secretive about procurement and delivery given its status as a Special Access Program (SAP). It is likely that the effort to integrate SM-6 is also a SAP[...]
↑ Johnston, Carter (2024-07-05). "U.S. Navy Confirms SM-6 Air Launched Configuration is Operationally Deployed". Naval News. Retrieved 2024-07-07. [...]the U.S. Navy joins allies and adversaries in fielding an extra long range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM). Examples include Europe's Meteor, Russia's R-37M (AA-13 "Axehead"), China's PL-15 (CH-AA-10 "Abaddon") and PL-21 (CH-AA-X-12).
↑ Johnston, Carter (8 August 2025). "AIM-174B Deploys in Northern Edge 2025 Joint Exercise Onboard USS Abraham Lincoln". Naval News. Archived from the original on 29 August 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025. Abraham Lincoln is the third carrier known to be operating with AIM-174Bs, behind USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70)[...] [...t]he missile was spotted again in May with a squadron attached to the forward-deployed USS George Washington (CVN 73)[...]
↑ Thomas Newdick (11 June 2025). "New Details On F/A-18 Super Hornet's Troubled IRST Pod". TWZ.com. Recurrent Ventures. Archived from the original on 23 August 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025. The centerline-mounted IRST [...] the Lockheed Martin-developed IRST21 [...t]he IRST sensor assembly is installed in the front portion of a redesigned FPU-13/A centerline fuel tank.
↑ Newdick, Thomas (2024-09-11). "F/A-18 Super Hornet Appears With Unprecedented Heavy Air-To-Air Missile Load". Yahoo. Yahoo Inc. Archived from the original on 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2024-09-16. A series of photos have emerged showing a U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet with a remarkable and hitherto unseen air-to-air load-out, including four of the very long-range AIM-174B air-to-air missiles. The fighter is also loaded with three medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAMs, and a pair of short-range AIM-9X Sidewinders, along with an infrared search and track system (IRST) and an ATFLIR targeting pod.
↑ Alex Hollings (3 May 2025). "AIM-174B: Is Navy's New Air-Launched Missile a Hypersonic Killer?". 19FortyFive. 1945 Corporation. Archived from the original on 18 May 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025. Conversely, the highly expensive ($4.3M) AIM-174B, an air-launched derivative of the Navy's SM-6 interceptor, provides extremely long engagement ranges (150-300+ miles)[...]
↑ Rogoway, Tyler (2024-07-08). "Disclosure of New AIM-174B Missile Brings Navy's Future Air-to-Air Strategy Into Focus". TWZ.com. Recurrent Ventures. Retrieved 2024-07-07. Also, published figures are often severely degraded for security purposes, so the actual range of the SM-6 remains unknown, especially across its various use cases. Regardless, launched from altitude and speed by a fighter, its range would be extended quite dramatically, giving it the ability to hit some aerial targets over multiple hundreds of miles.
↑ Eaglen, Mackenzie; Spiller, Cole (2024-07-16). "The Navy's New Air-to-Air Capability Could Set Roadmap for Repurposing Old Systems". Breaking Defense. The YGS Group. Retrieved 2024-07-07. The extensive range and air-launched capability are poised to greatly bolster the US Navy's fleet defense and high value asset attack, weakening the stranglehold of China's anti-carrier strategy[...] This would hold crucial backline airborne assets line airborne early warning (AEW) and tanker aircraft at risk, and even directly strike China's distant H-6 "carrier killer" bombers, destroying them before they launch their weapons.
↑ Brandon J. Weichert (28 August 2025). "The US Navy's AIM-174B Missile: The New "Gunslinger" in the Indo-Pacific". The National Interest. Center for the National Interest. Archived from the original on 3 September 2025. Retrieved 24 September 2025. AIM-174B is meant to dominate long-range air-to-air combat, particularly against high-value assets that adversaries rely on for command and control. It can neutralize airborne early warning and control (AWACS) aircraft, reconnaissance platforms, maritime patrol planes, aerial refuelers, and bombers from standoff distances, disrupting enemy operations without risking close-quarters dogfights.
↑ Rogoway, Tyler (2024-07-23). "AIM-174 Missile Seen On Super Hornet About To Launch From A Carrier For First Time". TWZ.com. Recurrent Ventures. Retrieved 2024-07-07. The AIM-174 designation points to an air-to-air focus, but the surface-launched SM-6 has the ability to strike targets at sea and on land. [sic] capabilities the air-launched version could well retain. Future air-launched variants or derivatives of the SM-6 family could be further optimized for anti-ship or air-to-ground strikes.
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