For the first time, the next generation of air-to-air missiles, AIM-260A, came to you next to the well-known AIM-174B long-range empty-air bomb, in an overview of the product portfolio of the United States Navy Air System Command. Prior to that, we had only seen a picture of that missile in an imaginary picture released by the United States Air Force in 2002.
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It is roughly similar in size to AIM-120, but without the wings in the centre of the latter, a new type of solid rocket engine may be used to achieve a further range. The developer, Thunderbolt, has suggested that the latest AIM-120D-3 is close to the AIM-260A threshold range (the maximum range target to be achieved), which means that the maximum range of AIM-260A exceeds 190 km.
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