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[Text/Observer.com Wang Shichun] According to a report by the U.S. "War Zone" column website on July 23, in the "Rim of the Pacific 2024" (RIMPAC 2024) multinational maritime exercise led by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet"Carrier-based aircraftfighterThe first takeoff and landing of the USS Carl Vinson with AIM-174B missiles mounted on it.

AIM-174B is a new type of large air-to-air ammunition modified from the "Standard-6" ship-to-air missile. This is the first time that this type of ammunition has been deployed on an aircraft carrier in a "live" state, and it is also the first time that this type of air-to-air ammunition has appeared in a multinational exercise.

The "War Zone" column said that the AIM-174B will have a range far greater than 350 km, making it the longest-range missile ever mounted by a naval carrier-based aircraft force.Air-to-air missilesIt’s unclear how well the AIM-174 would perform at long ranges engaging fighter-type targets, but The War Zone says the AIM-174B may be best suited for targeting high-value enemy air support assets at long ranges using kill chains and a variety of sensors — such asAWACS。

The first media to break the news was 60 Minutes Australia, which showed the first photo of a Super Hornet carrying the AIM-174B in the video. This Super Hornet belongs to the 192th Attack Fighter Squadron (VFA-192). This is the first time that the Super Hornet has been required to have a pair of black or black marking bands on the front of the fuselage, while the blue stripes can be seen on the front of the AIM-174B missile (DATM-174B) training bomb.

Although the AIM name applies to weapons with air-to-air capabilities, and judging from the name, the main task of the AIM-174B is air-to-air attack, it does not rule out that the AIM-174B missile retains the capabilities of the "Standard-6" - as a quasi-ballistic missile, it can strike ships and land targets at long distances with a very high penetration capability.

Previously, the U.S. Navy has confirmed that the AIM-174B is now in operational status in at least some of its strike fighter squadrons. However, as for the AIM-174B missile to see actual live-fire action during the "Rim of the Pacific Exercise", it remains to be seen.

"We have a variety of weapons...air-to-air missiles,Air-to-surface missilesWe have smart bombs, we have torpedoes, and I have no doubt that we are fully capable of performing any mission that the senior leadership asks us to perform.”

The "War Zone" column stated that it is obvious that installing large air-to-air missiles modified from the "Standard-6" on fighter jets is an attempt by the US Navy and its forces to gain an advantage in any future high-end conflict with China.

The combination of the US Navy's Super Hornet and the Standard SM-6 was first discovered three years ago. In April 2021, the Aviation Week website published a photo of an F/A-18F fighter jet carrying a Standard missile. The missile carried by the Super Hornet of the US Navy's 31st Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX-31) had a typical test paint scheme with orange-red wings. Although some people on the Internet speculated that this Standard missile might be some kind of long-range air-to-air missile, the outside world still did not know whether it was an air-to-air or ground-to-ground munition because the specific model text on the missile was not seen.

As of April this year, there were still Super Hornets equipped with this "Orange Wing" missile operating north of the China Lake Air and Space Center in California. This missile has undergone a considerable testing cycle.

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