AIM-174B Gunslinger

The AIM-174B Gunslinger is a very long-range air-to-air missile developed by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and used by the United States Navy. The AIM-174B is a derivative of the RIM-174B Standard Extended Range Active Missile surface-to-air missile, a member of the extended Standard Missile family, with the USN describing the AIM-174B as the "Air-Launched Configuration" of the SM-6. The AIM-174B's existence was first revealed publicly in July 2024 at RIMPAC 2024 and has been confirmed to be capable of being carried and launched only by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Described as a "massive" AAM, the Gunslinger has a confirmed range of 150 miles, though it is widely speculated that the range may be much greater.
In addition to the AIM-174's air-to-air role, the Gunslinger is believed capable of engaging other missiles, and may also serve as an air-to-ground and anti-ship missile.

History

Since the 2004 retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix AAM, the USN has not fielded a dedicated long-range air-to-air missile. 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. The publication Naval News reported that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015, while The Aviationist reported that photos of Super Hornets carrying "an SM-6 variant" appeared in 2018. Aviation Weekly reported the "RIM-174/SM-6" being "integrated" into the Super Hornet platform in April 2021.
It is speculated that the AIM-174 was developed as a special access program, similar to the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile. 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 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. 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 revealed that the official nickname for the AIM-174B is "Gunslinger".
The Gunslinger has armed only USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, though there is speculation that other airframes could mount the weapon, such as the USAF's McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, or the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The Gunslinger has been deployed operationally to four USN Nimitz-class supercarriers as of ; the,,, and the.
File:USS George H.W. Bush hosts President Trump.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Image comparing sizes of AIM-174, AIM-120, and AIM-9|Rear Admiral Alexis Walker escorts President Donald J. Trump during a tour of the. Note the air-to-air missiles in the background mounted on a Super Hornet, from left to right; an AIM-174, AIM-120, and AIM-9

Design

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. The missile will likely utilize a solid-fuel rocket engine, as carried by the RIM-174. The Gunslinger may also employ warheads capable of "area effects". The "standard" warhead is and consists of a high-explosive charge with blast-fragmentation properties, and is over three times the weight of an AIM-120 AMRAAM warhead, and seven times the weight of an AIM-9X Sidewinder warhead.
Variously described as a "large" and "outsized" weapon, the Gunslinger is, nearly double the weight of the AIM-54C Phoenix, and is over five times heavier than the AIM-120 AMRAAM.
The Gunslinger is capable of speeds of at least Mach 3.5.
File:VX-9 FA-18F with AIM-174 missiles.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Image of heavily-armed Super Hornet, including four AIM-174s, three AIM-120s, and two AIM-9Xs|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
In September 2024, photos emerged of a F/A-18F Super Hornet of the VX-9 'Vampires' carrying four AIM-174Bs, three AIM-120 AMRAAMs, two AIM-9Xs, an IRST21 sensor mounted in an FPU-13/A drop tank, and an AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR pod simultaneously.

Range and use

While details regarding the AIM-174's range are vague, certain surface-launched RIM-174 variants are capable of about launches; with the benefit of being launched at speed and higher altitude, the AIM-174's range may extend hundreds of miles though the USN has only confirmed a range of. Estimates of the Gunslinger's maximum range are around to.
While the AIM-174 lacks the SM-6's Mk 72 rocket booster, in the thinner air of higher-altitudes and retaining the speed of the launching aircraft, an air-launched AIM-174 may be capable of extreme ranges, relative to other air-launched missiles. The AIM-174 may also be capable of "lofting," a technique whereby the launched missile immediately ascends upwards to attain altitudes generally between to in order to take advantage of the even thinner air, relative to typical flight altitudes. Such a launch profile can greatly extend missile ranges. The AIM-174's predecessor, the AIM-54 Phoenix BVRAAM, was capable of employing lofting. 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. The USN also routinely understates the publicly-available ranges and capabilities of weapon systems for strategic security purposes. At minimum, the AIM-174 represents a roughly 30% increase in range over the 99 nmi of the retired AIM-54C and a roughly 50% increase over the 87 nmi 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. 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.
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. 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. The United States Missile Defense Agency has also indicated that the Gunslinger has "counter-hypersonic missile" capabilities.

Variants

YAIM-174
XAIM-174
NAIM-174
AIM-174B
CATM-174B
DATM-174B

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Specifications (AIM-174B)

Range: At least, estimated to be beyond
Airspeed: Up to
Warhead Weight:
Overall Weight:
Length:
Diameter:
Wingspan: