The United States showcased its airpower by displaying advanced air-to-air missiles in Japan, which are capable of defending a valuable aircraft carrier fleet from China’s threats.
A U.S. Pacific Fleet spokesperson told Newsweek that the AIM-174B missile, also known as the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6) Air-Launched Configuration (ALC), was operationally deployed.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
The AIM-174B is the air-launched variant of the SM-6 missile, which was initially designed for deployment on surface warships. It is capable of executing missions for antiair and anti-surface warfare, as well as ballistic missile defense, with an estimated range of 290 miles.
The introduction of this new air-to-air missile, which is equipped on U.S. Navy fighter jets, comes as China has been pursuing the development of anti-access/area denial capabilities, which seek to prevent American aircraft carriers from approaching the first island chain.
The island chain is a naval blockade formed by Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines, which are allies and partners of Washington, under a U.S. maritime containment strategy. It seeks to restrict China’s military access to the wider Pacific Ocean using U.S.-aligned territories.
What To Know
On Sunday, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, an air base in the southwestern region of Japan’s Honshu Island that’s operated jointly by American and Japanese forces, hosted an opening event known as Friendship Day, highlighting the mutual support between the allies.
A number of U.S. military aircraft were on display during the event, including a U.S. Navy F/A-18F fighter jet. An official released photo shows the aircraft carried two missiles under its left and right wings, which were identified by local visitors as the AIM-174B missiles.
The fighter aircraft, commonly known as the Super Hornet, is assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 102. The unit is attached to the Carrier Air Wing 5, an operational naval aviation organization that embarked aboard the Japan-based aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
The aircraft carrier is homeported at Yokosuka naval base near Japan’s capital city of Tokyo. It returned to its home port in November following maintenance work in Virginia.
The specialist outlet the War Zone wrote that the AIM-174B missile would be able to intercept Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles, which pose a great threat to American aircraft carriers, if it retains the SM-6’s ballistic missile defense capability, extending the fleet’s defense layer.
The new American missile would also make China’s critical surveillance aircraft vulnerable, which provide and update targeting data to ship-sinking missiles, the War Zone said, making Chinese long-range weapons unusable or usable in a “highly degraded state.”
格納庫内でF-35Cと共に展示されるF/A-18F BlockⅢ。国内では厚木に続いての公開で、翼下にはこれまた国内初公開と思われるAIM-174B空対空ミサイル（SM-6の空中発射型）が吊下されてます。 pic.twitter.com/eApxdvQ8SW
— ふにに (@hunini181202) May 4, 2025
What People Are Saying
A spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet told Newsweek: “The SM-6 ALC integrated advanced technology into weapon systems will be executed incrementally to balance today’s readiness with tomorrow’s capabilities.”
The specialist outlet the War Zone reported: “China poses a major threat to carrier strike groups unlike any we have seen, ever. The height of the Soviet-era cruise missile threat was quite remarkable, but Beijing’s ability to layer in many types of anti-ship weapons, including anti-ship ballistic missiles of various types, especially those with very-long range, is a uniquely vexing problem.”
The specialist outlet Naval News reported: “With the induction of AIM-174B into service, the U.S. Navy joins allies and adversaries in fielding an extra long range beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM).”
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen when the AIM-174B missile will be deployed aboard the George Washington. The aircraft carrier remained at its home port as of Wednesday, according to a Kanagawa prefecture government website that tracks port visits by U.S. nuclear-powered warships.
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