US unleashes ‘Malice’: F-35C gets a 463-km air-to-air strike reach

AIM-424 test instrumentation round loaded into a weapons bay of an F-35. (USN)

The US Navy has revealed a new very-long-range air-to-air missile designed to fit inside the F-35C’s internal weapons bay, potentially giving the stealth fighter a reach of more than 463 km against airborne targets without sacrificing its low-observable configuration.The AIM-424, also known as Malice, has already appeared in testing. US Navy imagery shows an instrumentation round inside an F-35C weapons bay, while four AIM-424 missiles have been photographed mounted on an F/A-18E Super Hornet.Developed by Raytheon, the AIM-424 is significantly larger and heavier than the AIM-120 AMRAAM. The Navy lists it at 4.11 metres long, 0.34 metres in diameter and 680 kg in weight. It uses a solid-propellant rocket motor and has a stated range of more than 250 nautical miles, or 463 km.What AIM-424 changes for the F-35CThe F-35C currently uses the AIM-120 AMRAAM as its principal beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile. The US Navy describes the AIM-120 as an active-radar-guided weapon that uses inertial guidance before switching to its own radar for the terminal phase of an intercept. The missile can be carried internally by the F-35, allowing the aircraft to preserve its low-observable characteristics.The AIM-424 belongs to a much longer-range class. The exact maximum range of the latest AIM-120 variants remains classified, although publicly available estimates generally place the AIM-120D family well below the Navy’s stated range of more than 250 nautical miles for Malice.The Navy’s photographs provide the clearest indication yet of how the new missile is intended to be used. An AIM-424 is shown inside the F-35C’s weapons bay alongside an AIM-120 mounted on the bay door, demonstrating that the much larger weapon has been designed with internal carriage in mind.That could significantly expand the F-35C’s air-to-air engagement envelope. The aircraft could detect and engage targets at much greater distances while continuing to carry its weapons internally and remain difficult for opposing aircraft to detect.The significance goes beyond the missile’s range. The F-35 is designed to combine low observability with advanced sensors and network connectivity, allowing it to receive targeting data from other aircraft and sensors and act as a shooter within a wider combat network. A very-long-range missile could make that combination considerably more potent.Where are US adversaries in this field?Russia has pursued a similar capability for its Su-57 stealth fighter with the Izdeliye 810, a very-long-range air-to-air missile derived from the R-37M family. Aviation Week has reported that the weapon is being developed for internal carriage inside the Su-57’s weapons bays, with an estimated range of around 300 km. The standard R-37M, however, is not designed for internal carriage on the Su-57.China has also been developing the much larger PL-17, generally assessed as an extreme-range weapon intended particularly against high-value targets such as airborne early-warning and support aircraft. Open-source estimates have put its potential range at around 400 km, although China has not publicly confirmed its actual combat range.The PL-17’s large dimensions have also raised questions over whether it can be carried internally by the J-20, potentially forcing trade-offs between weapons load and stealth.For the US Navy, the significance of the AIM-424 therefore extends beyond its stated 463-km range. Its key advantage is the combination of very long reach and internal carriage, potentially allowing the F-35C to threaten airborne targets from much greater distances without giving up the stealth advantage that is central to the aircraft’s design