The NG testbed, previously fitted with fighter aircraft nose radomes, was photographed showing what appears to be a forward section of the new AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile.
Captured by aviation photographer Colin Clark at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, the images show the CRJ700 aircraft outfitted with a missile nose where it has previously, and recently, carried an F-35 radome. The aircraft, N806X, is registered to Northrop Grumman Systems Corp, and is one of three CRJ700s in their service.
The nose bears a striking resemblance to previous renderings of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM). If confirmed, this would be the first public sighting of the new air-to-air missile, or at least part of it.
CRJ700 N806X landing at Nellis today as Scan 06 pic.twitter.com/9UmD3jFHYt
— Colin Clark (@CCFOC1) May 8, 2025
Although the prime contractor for the AIM-260 is Lockheed Martin, it is possible that Northrop Grumman is involved in the program as the manufacturer of some internal components. Alternatively, Northrop Grumman’s testbed aircraft may simply have been contracted as a third party to provide flight test services.
The AIM-260 has been under development to replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM since 2017, although we had yet to see any physical representation of the missile other than low-detail renderings. It has been confirmed that flight testing of the missile is underway, and likely has been for some time.
That does indeed appear to be a AIM-260 #JATM front end. (via @CCFOC1) https://t.co/HAWtOWVCm9 pic.twitter.com/5QHwILmxhX
— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) May 8, 2025
Intended to serve as the primary long-range air-to-air weapon of both the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy in the coming years, the AIM-260 is seen as America’s counter to increasingly advanced missile technologies under development by the People’s Republic of China. Compared to the AIM-120 AMRAAM it is intended to replace, the AIM-260 will feature a more capable rocket motor providing speeds up to Mach 5 and a range of over 200 kilometers.
The current AIM-120D-3 AMRAAM variant is said to offer around 160 kilometers of range. The AMRAAM will continue to be developed, with new variants intended to complement, rather than compete with, the JATM. Additionally, it’s likely many overseas customers would opt for newer models of the AMRAAM which would be more economical to purchase and familiar to operate.
As Nellis is a busy base, and popular with aviation enthusiasts, the appearance of the testbed in daylight hours may signal that we might not have much longer to wait before we see full examples of the missile flying publicly on USAF and USN fighter aircraft as the veil of secrecy is slowly lifted. Completed tests so far have used bases like Naval Air Station China Lake, far away from prying eyes and cameras.
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AIM-260A live-fire testing on the F/A18 E/F is well underway giving further indication that #JATM is close to becoming, if not already, operational. USN recently recognized an officer with its Air Test & Eval Squadron 31 for leading #JATM live-fire testing back in 2024. pic.twitter.com/JjJwdZcl0E
— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) March 7, 2025
Along with manned tactical fighter aircraft like the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, the AIM-260 is expected to be integrated on the U.S. Air Force’s upcoming unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). CCAs will operate in tandem with manned fighters, offering the capability to carry a greater payload into combat as well as providing a platform able to be sent into high threat environments without placing pilots at increased risk.
Previous statements have claimed AIM-260 production will overtake AIM-120 production by 2026. It is unknown whether this milestone is still on schedule, though it is likely that a significant number of AIM-260 units have been produced and will be fielded in the near future.
The official rendering
In February 2025, the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) released a rendering of the AIM-260 as part of a list of products of the Air-to-Air Missiles Program Office (PMA-259) included in the portfolio overview of the Program Executive Office, Unmanned Aviation and Strike Weapons (PEO [U&W]). The highly secretive AIM-260 JATM was shown alongside other products from PMA-259, such as the AIM-9M/X Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, RIM-7M/P and the recently revealed AIM-174B.
As JATM has never been shown in photos, at the time we were not able to completely rule out the possibility that the NAVAIR publication only included a notional design instead of the actual one. However, the Air Force later confirmed to The War Zone that the rendering indeed reflects the real design of the highly classified weapon.
“This is a rendering of the AIM-260A,” an Air Force spokesperson told TWZ. “A higher-resolution rendering is not available for public release.”
The spokesperson further added that programmatic and technical details, milestones and capabilities are still classified.
The latest render of the AIM-260 is almost identical in shape to the unknown missile depicted in a render from 2022 which showed the new upgrades for the F-22A Raptor, although there were some minor differences. Also, the latest render is highly similar to an undated one which was released some years ago.
The render of the new missile features a fuselage that is quite similar in shape to the AIM-120. According to the few known details, the AIM-260 should have a size comparable with the AIM-120, allowing easier integration on existing platforms. The similarity of shape and size can also be noticed in the photos at the top of this article.
An aspect that immediately catches the eye in the rendering is the lack of the mid-body control surfaces which are present on the AIM-120, which are typically used for enhanced aerodynamic stability and maneuverability. The render also shows four trapezoidal control surfaces located at the rear of the missile, which are quite similar to those of the AIM-120.
The markings on the rendering appear to show a much larger rocket motor section compared to the AIM-120, as it can be seen by the brown markings which are positioned roughly where the rocket motor starts and ends within the body. That would be consistent with the much longer range expected from the AIM-260, with a minimum threshold range reportedly set at 100 miles (190 km), and a rumored new solid rocket motor to obtain the longer range.
Another detail which can be seen is what appear to be conformal antennas along the front end of the missile’s body. This would be likely related to a two-way datalink, which would allow the launcher aircraft and the missile to communicate and share data, allowing the AIM-260 to receive mid-course targeting updates or be redirected to another target.
What else do we know about the JATM?
The existence of the JATM was first revealed in 2019 by the Air Force, who is jointly developing the missile with the Navy. However, it was also revealed that the program had been ongoing for more than two years in 2019, meaning the program might have started in 2017 or earlier.
The missile is being developed and produced by Lockheed Martin in partnership with the two services, and it is expected to replace or supplement the AIM-120 AMRAAMs currently in service. In the Navy, it would also replace or supplement the new AIM-174B, the air-launched variant of the SM-6.
In most likelihood, its development started to counter the PLAAF’s advances in missile technology, such as the abovementioned PL-17 and other missiles like the PL-15. In fact, Air Force officials have publicly stated that the appearance of the PL-15 in 2016 was the one of the driving factors that kick-started the JATM program.
The weapon’s specifications, such as its range, are still completely classified, although some expect it to outrange the previous AIM-120Ds by a significant extent. The dedgree of classification is so high that the USAF put in the FY2020 budget the request to build a “Joint Advanced Tactical Missile Storage Facility” at Hill AFB’s weapons storage area.
The flight testing of the AIM-260 began as early as 2020, according to documents that mentioned it being used against QF-16 target aircraft, and progressed under tight security. The U.S. Navy also appears to be involved in the testing of the new weapon, as shown by a post on the official Facebook account of Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 31, later deleted.
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AIM-260A live-fire testing on the F/A18 E/F is well underway giving further indication that #JATM is close to becoming, if not already, operational. USN recently recognized an officer with its Air Test & Eval Squadron 31 for leading #JATM live-fire testing back in 2024. pic.twitter.com/JjJwdZcl0E
— AirPower 2.0 (MIL_STD) (@AirPowerNEW1) March 7, 2025
The post announced that one of their officers was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal for the work on the AIM-260. According to the caption, VX-31 supported the live-fire testing of the AIM-260 from July to August 2024. Two aircraft, supported by about 80 personnel, completed 8 sorties for a total of 26.3 flight hours.
According to former Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall, the JATM was planned to enter the production phase in 2023, however the actual status of the program remains unknown.
Thanks to Colin Clark for allowing the use of his images in this article! You can find more of his work on X/Twitter at @CCFOC1.
