General Atomics demonstrated an unusual concept for upgrading the AIM-174B ultra-long-range air-to-air missile, proposing to equip its nose compartment with a Vectorax small glide munition. Originally designed for use with standard 155 mm guns, this ammunition will undergo significant miniaturization, allowing multiple units to be placed in the limited volume of the AIM-174B missile warhead, making it a long-range assault weapon. Such an approach effectively turns an interceptor missile into a multi-purpose tactical missile with a cluster warhead represented by high-precision gliding components, which radically expands the range of tasks to be solved and is a serious threat to any modern layered air and missile defense system.
The technical aspects of the concept, presented at Euronaval 2026, indicate the desire to obtain a high-speed strike vehicle similar to modern aeroballistic missiles. Considering that the launch range of the AIM-174B missile in high-altitude use varies between 250 and 350 km, the additional acceleration and subsequent design of the Vectorex submunitions, which have their own range of about 250 km, provide a total target range of up to 600 km or more. This architecture makes the AIM-174B a versatile attack system capable of delivering precision strikes against critical targets at operational depth, while being beyond the reach of most air defense systems.
An important advantage of the compound is the high stealth of small-sized Vectorx ammunition, whose effective dispersion area (RCS) does not exceed 0.01 square meters.