AIM-260 JATM, What Is Actually Known About America’s Secret Missile
The AIM-260 JATM is the classified air-to-air missile the US began developing around 2017 to out-reach China’s PL-15, and almost every number about it remains officially secret nearly a decade later. This guide lays out what the US Air Force and Navy have actually confirmed, what independent analysts estimate, and what is simply unknown.
What is the AIM-260 JATM
The Joint Advanced Tactical Missile is a Lockheed Martin program run jointly by the US Air Force and Navy to succeed the AIM-120 AMRAAM as the primary beyond-visual-range weapon of American fighters. Its existence was disclosed in June 2019, when the Air Force’s weapons program executive confirmed development had been underway since roughly 2017, driven, in his words, by the threat of China’s long-range missiles. Almost everything since has come through budget lines, contract notices and occasional official photographs rather than press releases.
AIM-260 range and specifications
| Item | Status of information |
|---|---|
| Role | Confirmed, long-range air-to-air missile for Air Force and Navy fighters |
| Prime contractor | Confirmed, Lockheed Martin |
| Form factor | Officially stated to match AMRAAM dimensions for internal carriage in the F-22 and F-35 |
| Range | Classified; analysts commonly estimate 200 km-class, exceeding the PL-15, unconfirmed |
| Propulsion | Not confirmed; reporting suggests a conventional but larger-impulse solid motor rather than a ramjet, unconfirmed |
| Seeker and datalink | Not disclosed; a modern active radar seeker with two-way datalink is widely assumed |
| Initial platforms | F-22 first, per official statements, with F/A-18E/F and F-35 to follow |
| Unit cost | Not disclosed |
What is confirmed vs estimated
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Development reportedly begins at Lockheed Martin, per later official statements |
| 2019 | US Air Force publicly discloses the program and names the PL-15 threat driver |
| 2022 | Original production and fielding goal, which passed without a public IOC |
| 2024–2025 | Captive-carry test shapes photographed on F-22s; officials discuss cost-per-round |
| 2026 | Widely reported low-rate production; quantities remain in classified budget annexes |
Confirmed, sparingly, by US officials: the program’s existence, its joint Air Force-Navy structure, Lockheed Martin as prime, the AMRAAM-compatible form factor, an original goal of production around 2022, and flight testing at Eglin and elsewhere, including captive-carry images of test shapes on an F-22 that surfaced in 2024–2025. Air Force leaders have also said publicly that they want JATM “in volume” and cheaper per shot than early lots, an indirect admission that production has begun or is close.
Estimated, and honestly unverifiable: the range figures, the motor design, seeker details and inventory numbers that circulate in trade press and modeling communities. The often-quoted “about 200 kilometers” is an inference from the PL-15 benchmark and the AMRAAM form factor, not a leaked specification. Anyone quoting a precise JATM range is guessing. The same discipline applies to Chinese figures, the PL-15’s commonly cited 200–300 km reach is itself a mix of manufacturer claims and analyst estimates.
Why the PL-15 forced the program
The PL-15, carried by the J-20 and China’s upgraded fourth-generation fleet, pairs an AESA seeker with a dual-pulse motor and, per Chinese state media and export marketing, a reach well beyond the AMRAAM’s. Whatever the true figure, US planners concluded that American fighters could be forced to fire second in a Pacific fight, an unacceptable position for aircraft like the F-35 whose whole doctrine is first look, first shot. The Navy’s interim answer was the AIM-174B, an air-launched SM-6 with impressive reach but a size that rules out internal carriage. JATM is the permanent answer, stealth-bay-sized range growth, while the record AMRAAM multiyear buy keeps magazines full in the meantime.
AIM-260 status in 2026
The original 2022 fielding target slipped without public explanation, a normal fate for classified munitions programs pushing propulsion and guidance simultaneously. As of 2026 the weapon is widely reported to be in low-rate production and possibly limited fielding with F-22 units, but the services have not formally announced initial operational capability, and budget documents keep procurement quantities hidden in classified annexes. What is visible is money and intent, senior officials repeatedly cite JATM among their highest munitions priorities and tie it to the broader push to expand missile production capacity.
AIM-260 JATM frequently asked questions
What is the range of the AIM-260 JATM?
Classified. Analysts commonly estimate a 200 km class based on its purpose of out-reaching the PL-15, but no official figure exists in public.
Is the AIM-260 in service?
Not officially announced. Reporting in 2025–2026 points to low-rate production and early fielding with F-22 units, but the services have not declared initial operational capability publicly.
Will the AIM-260 replace the AMRAAM?
Eventually, on US fighters. In the near term the two will serve together, and AMRAAM production is actually expanding through the latest multiyear contract, including for export and NASAMS users.
Does the AIM-260 use a ramjet like the Meteor?
Reporting suggests a conventional solid-rocket approach in an AMRAAM-sized airframe rather than a ramjet, but the propulsion design has never been confirmed.
Which aircraft will carry the JATM?
Official statements name the F-22 first, followed by the F/A-18E/F and F-35, with internal carriage in stealth bays a stated design requirement.
- US Air Force and Navy official statements and budget documents (2019–2026)
- Wikipedia – AIM-260 JATM (accessed October 2026)
- Trade press reporting on JATM testing and production, estimates noted as such
- Defence & Tech reporting
