The US Navy and Air Force are publicly requesting $670.5 million in FY2026 to procure AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missiles (JATM), along with $687 million for continued development, according to Joseph Trevithick of The War Zone. First revealed in 2019, the AIM-260 program, originally a secret long-range air-to-air missile effort by the Air Force and Lockheed Martin, first surfaced in a Navy awards document recognizing logistics support. Designed to replace the AIM-120 AMRAAM, JATM offers significantly greater range and advanced capabilities. This is the first open funding request for both procurement and R&D, signaling urgency amid growing threats from China and others. Initial fielding is expected on F/A-18E/Fs, F-22s, and future platforms like the F-47 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) drones. Trevithick writes:

For the first time, at least publicly, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force are seeking funds – nearly $670.5 million in total – to support procurement of AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missiles (JATM) for operational use in its latest annual budget request. The two services, collectively, are asking for almost $687 million more for the ongoing development of the secretive JATM next-generation long-range air-to-air missile.

The U.S. military, as a whole, began releasing parts of its proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026 yesterday, something that typically occurs much earlier in the year. On the procurement front, the Navy is seeking $301.858 million for the AIM-260A, while the Air Force is asking for $368.593 million. The Navy and the Air Force also want $222.782 and $425,029 for JATM, respectively, on the research and development side. […]

The U.S. military also has its own developments in this regard, including the Navy’s AIM-174B air-launched version of the Standard Missile-6 (SM-6), which the service formally unveiled last year. TWZ previously explored in detail how the AIM-174B and AIM-260A will fit into the Navy’s overarching future air combat strategy.

Though it remains unclear when the AIM-260A might begin to enter the U.S. service, the Navy and the Air Force are now openly taking steps toward actually acquiring an operational stock of the missiles.

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