On Thursday, September 17, 2026, the US Department of Defense announced that it had finalized a framework agreement with Lockheed Martin to launch and expand production capacity for the new AIM-260A JATM (Joint Advanced Tactical Missile) long-range air-to-air missile. The agreement establishes a framework for future multiyear procurement contracts covering serial deliveries of the weapon to the US Air Force and US Navy, as well as for export customers.
Prototype AIM-260 JATM during captive-carry flight testing on March 13 of this year / Photo: Jonathan Tweedy via Instagram
“Speed, scale, and stability drive acquisition excellence, and these gears must turn in unison,” said Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. “Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to sending clear, long-term demand signals across the defense industrial base, ensuring our Warfighters receive unmatched capability exactly when and where the mission demands.”
“This agreement builds on years of collaboration to deliver this critical air dominance capability to the warfighter,” said Tim Cahill, president, Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control. “We will deliver JATM at the speed our nation and allies demand while providing value for taxpayers and our shareholders.”
Australia will be the first export customer, in line with the decision announced on August 6 of this year by Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles during Exercise Pitch Black. The estimated investment cost is 736 million AUD. It is also worth noting that on March 17 of this year, a proposed package covering the sale of 450 missiles for up to 3.16 billion AUD was disclosed.
The AIM-260A JATM is intended to supplement and then gradually replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM. It will initially be integrated with F-22A Raptor air-superiority fighters, followed by F-35 Lightning II multirole fighters, F-15EX Eagle II aircraft, F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and their EA-18G Growler variant, and eventually the sixth-generation F-47 NGAD.
Work on the AIM-260A JATM was publicly disclosed on June 20, 2019, during the Life Cycle Industry Days (LCID) conference. Lockheed Martin was said to have been working on the program for two years by that point. Flight testing was originally planned to begin in 2021, while initial operational capability was expected to be declared in 2022. This means the program is now around five years behind schedule. A prototype AIM-260 JATM was not photographed during captive-carry flight testing until March 13 of this year.
According to earlier assessments, the AIM-260A JATM is expected to have dimensions and weight similar to those of the AIM-120 AMRAAM because it must fit inside the internal weapons bays of the F-22A and F-35. It will likely use a dual-pulse rocket motor, while the US Air Force has denied that it uses a ramjet, along with thrust vectoring and an active seeker featuring an AESA radar. It may also potentially incorporate an infrared sensor.
Not only JATM
It is also worth recalling that on August 22, the US defense publication Aviation Week was the first to publish two photographs of a prototype of the new AIM-424 Malice two-stage long-range air-to-air missile developed by RTX under the LRAAM (Long Range Air-to-Air Missile) program for the US Navy. The missile is intended to arm Super Hornets as well as future sixth-generation carrier-based F/A-XX aircraft. Earlier, in 2024, the US Navy disclosed the existence of the AIM-174B Gunslinger long-range air-launched missile, also known as the SM-6 ALC, which is an air-launched derivative of the RIM-174 SM-6 ERAM naval missile.
On June 24 of this year, the US Air Force launched a market survey concerning the potential development of an AFLRW (Air Force Long Range Weapon) air-to-air/air-to-surface missile with an extreme range of at least 1,000 nautical miles (1,852 km).
Finally, it is worth noting that in November 2017, a US Office of the Secretary of Defense budget document recorded funding for a new BVRAAM project designated LREW (Long-Range Engagement Weapon). The program was reportedly underway from 2015. It is also worth recalling that in 2013, the Next Generation Missile (NGM) program was canceled. It had previously been known as the AIM-188 Joint Dual Role Air Dominance Missile (JDRADM) and was associated with DARPA’s T-3 (Triple Target Terminator) project. Those efforts were likewise intended to replace the AMRAAM.
.@LockheedMartin and the @DeptofWar have signed a framework agreement to accelerate production of the AIM‑260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM). The deal accelerates delivery of the missile, expands multiyear procurement capacity and supports global deterrence. Click below:
— Lockheed Martin News (@LMNews) September 17, 2026
