May 19, 2026, 6:02 pm
The first known image of the U.S. military’s next-generation AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) has now surfaced publicly. Although the missile’s flight-test program reportedly began several years ago, this marks the first time the weapon has been visually identified in the open. The AIM-260A is being developed to supplement, and eventually succeed, the long-serving AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) within the U.S. arsenal.
The photographs were captured by aviation photographer Jonathan Tweedy on May 13 as multiple U.S. Navy test aircraft departed from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Among them was an F/A-18F Super Hornet assigned to Air Test and Evaluation Squadron 31 (VX-31), carrying what is believed to be an AIM-260A mounted on the fuselage station beside the starboard engine intake.
Eglin Air Force Base frequently serves as a key hub for U.S. military weapons trials, aerospace testing, and broader research and evaluation activities.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes how AIM-260A is set to restore US Military’s edge in BVR combat ?
#defenseupdates #aim260a #usairforce
Chapters:
0:00 TITLE
00:11 INTRODUCTION
01:00 SPONSORSHIP – NordVPN
04:00 TACTICAL NEED
05:51 AIM-260A JATM
07:28 COMPATIBLE PLATFORMS
08:59 ANALYSIS
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