aim-260 is quite impressive considering it’s still essentially in the same form factor as aim-120. really impressed at how much range they’ve managed to squeeze out of it
here is the link to the study itself
https://www.aeroweaponry.avic.com/CN/10.12132/ISSN.1673-5048.2025.0057
If this does hold up, it’s looking like the chinese will have the very best long range missile, with the us close behind, then the russians
Yeah they’ve been doing good work, I hope it’s maneuverability is equal or better to AMRAAM
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pl-15 is like 30-40% heavier than 120D right?
pl-15 is 210 kg.
The paper lists the AIM-260’s basic physical specs as length 3.65 m, diameter 178 mm, and mass 163.5 kg
probably around 350-375lb
looks like AVIC agrees
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yeah
so for its weight it’s definitely the best missile
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makes me wonder if they will make an enlarged variant for carriage on platforms that will probably have larger bays like F-47 and maybe some big CCA
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10km and Ma1.2 for both launcher and target.
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It is not essentially, it is identical form factor but takes up less space when you consider the wings.
This Chinese paper on the AIM-260 sells it short a little bit, doesn’t account for the massive improvements in propellant made recently.
So that makes the 260 by far the best missile pound for pound?
Icl though 265km at M1.2 and 10km is already pretty good
The Chinese study assumes the stuff at the front end of the missile are PAC-3 attitude control cold gas thrusters which isn’t true, so this is excess weight they’ve accounted for. The other thing is that they assume a 28% higher impulse than the AIM-120D based on motor sizing between the two missiles alone, not accounting for modernized propellants used in the JATM.
So, in short, their assessment is that of a heavier missile with lower impulse than the real one.
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how much extra weight do you think?
and what do you think the actual range is?
Not a lot of extra weight, my assumption is that it will be only slightly heavier than existing AMRAAMs so maybe 150-155kg. The empty weight will be lower.
The actual range on a ballistic trajectory in similar conditions to what they’ve outlined might very well be 300km but that isn’t a useful scenario. Head-on against fighter targets the no escape range will be more important - and that we have no real data on. Their rear aspect launch range scenario is based on hopes and dreams imo.
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So AIM-260 may achieve great ranges even though isnt a big missile, nice
Peregrine is tiny and supposedly achieves similar ranges to early AMRAAM’s. Advancements in booster technology are making smaller missiles more and more viable.
(Also interesting to me that many modern US missiles including Peregrine (but not AIM-260) seem to be converging on a layout more or less identical to the SM missile series particularly the SM-2).
The standard missile just works too well for what it is, simple design that just keeps on giving much like the sidewinder or the FFAR.
Its frankly surprising that it took this long to formally put into service a SM missile as a A2A missile in the form of the AIM-174, such was tried at length in the past but none successfully entered service.
I would not be surprised if we see more SM derived missiles in the future due to such.
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Indeed, hard to believe the SM-1 came out in the damn 60’s. And the continuous development is very interesting as no other nation really continued a chain of missiles in this way, meanwhile the US did it both with the sidewinder series and the Standard Missile series.
Also absolutely ridiculous to see how far the SM’s have gone from the Tartar that was somewhat mediocre in range to the absolute monsters of the SM-3, SM-6 and SM-2MR Blk IIIC
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Throw shit at the wall, some of it might stick.