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AIM-174B Gunslinger
The AIM-174B Gunslinger is a very long-range air-to-air missile (AAM) developed by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and currently used by the United States Navy (USN). The AIM-174B is a derivative of the RIM-174B Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM, Standard Missile-6, or SM-6) surface-to-air missile, a member of the extended Standard Missile family, with the USN describing the AIM-174B as the "Air-Launched Configuration" of the SM-6. The AIM-174B's existence was first revealed publicly in July 2024 at RIMPAC 2024 and has been confirmed to be capable of being carried and launched only by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Described as a "massive" AAM, the Gunslinger has a confirmed range of 150 miles (130 nautical miles or 240 kilometers), though it is widely speculated that the range may be much greater.
In addition to the AIM-174's air-to-air role, the Gunslinger is believed capable of engaging other missiles (including ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons), and may also serve as an air-to-ground and anti-ship missile.
Since the 2004 retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix AAM, the USN has not fielded a dedicated long-range air-to-air missile. There had been speculation about the AIM-174's existence since at least 2021, with photos of SM-6s carried by Super Hornets making their way online. The publication Naval News reported that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015, while The Aviationist reported that photos of Super Hornets carrying "an SM-6 variant" appeared in 2018. Aviation Weekly reported the "RIM-174/SM-6" being "integrated" into the Super Hornet platform in April 2021.
It is speculated that the AIM-174 was developed as a special access program, similar to the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (of which little is officially known). As the AIM-260 is similarly a very long-range air-to-air missile, it is unclear what the relationship between the AIM-174B and AIM-260 will be, as the USN has co-operated with the United States Air Force (USAF) in developing the latter for use by both services. Both missiles are designed to counter the extreme-range air-to-air missiles being fielded or under-development by the United States' peer and near-peer potential adversaries, such as the Russian Vympel R-37M or the Chinese PL-21. Both the AIM-174 and -260 are separate from the currently under-development Long-Range Engagement Weapon of the USAF.
In May 2025, the USN "playbook" Naval Aviation 2025 revealed that the official nickname for the AIM-174B is "Gunslinger".
The Gunslinger has armed only USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, though there is speculation that other airframes could mount the weapon, such as the USAF's McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, or the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The Gunslinger has been deployed operationally to four USN Nimitz-class supercarriers as of May 2026; the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS George Washington (CVN-73), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), and the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77).
Photos reveal that the Gunslinger is externally virtually identical to the RIM-174, apart from the marked lack of the solid-fuel rocket Mk 72 booster on the AIM-174. The missile will likely utilize a solid-fuel rocket engine, as carried by the RIM-174. The Gunslinger may also employ warheads capable of "area effects". The "standard" warhead is 140 lb (64 kg) and consists of a high-explosive charge with blast-fragmentation properties, and is over three times the weight of an AIM-120 AMRAAM warhead, and seven times the weight of an AIM-9X Sidewinder warhead.
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AIM-174B Gunslinger
The AIM-174B Gunslinger is a very long-range air-to-air missile (AAM) developed by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon and currently used by the United States Navy (USN). The AIM-174B is a derivative of the RIM-174B Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM, Standard Missile-6, or SM-6) surface-to-air missile, a member of the extended Standard Missile family, with the USN describing the AIM-174B as the "Air-Launched Configuration" of the SM-6. The AIM-174B's existence was first revealed publicly in July 2024 at RIMPAC 2024 and has been confirmed to be capable of being carried and launched only by the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Described as a "massive" AAM, the Gunslinger has a confirmed range of 150 miles (130 nautical miles or 240 kilometers), though it is widely speculated that the range may be much greater.
In addition to the AIM-174's air-to-air role, the Gunslinger is believed capable of engaging other missiles (including ballistic missiles and hypersonic weapons), and may also serve as an air-to-ground and anti-ship missile.
Since the 2004 retirement of the AIM-54 Phoenix AAM, the USN has not fielded a dedicated long-range air-to-air missile. There had been speculation about the AIM-174's existence since at least 2021, with photos of SM-6s carried by Super Hornets making their way online. The publication Naval News reported that they were following developments of an "air-launched SM-6" since 2015, while The Aviationist reported that photos of Super Hornets carrying "an SM-6 variant" appeared in 2018. Aviation Weekly reported the "RIM-174/SM-6" being "integrated" into the Super Hornet platform in April 2021.
It is speculated that the AIM-174 was developed as a special access program, similar to the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (of which little is officially known). As the AIM-260 is similarly a very long-range air-to-air missile, it is unclear what the relationship between the AIM-174B and AIM-260 will be, as the USN has co-operated with the United States Air Force (USAF) in developing the latter for use by both services. Both missiles are designed to counter the extreme-range air-to-air missiles being fielded or under-development by the United States' peer and near-peer potential adversaries, such as the Russian Vympel R-37M or the Chinese PL-21. Both the AIM-174 and -260 are separate from the currently under-development Long-Range Engagement Weapon of the USAF.
In May 2025, the USN "playbook" Naval Aviation 2025 revealed that the official nickname for the AIM-174B is "Gunslinger".
The Gunslinger has armed only USN F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, though there is speculation that other airframes could mount the weapon, such as the USAF's McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, or the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider. The Gunslinger has been deployed operationally to four USN Nimitz-class supercarriers as of May 2026; the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), USS George Washington (CVN-73), USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72), and the USS George H. W. Bush (CVN-77).
Photos reveal that the Gunslinger is externally virtually identical to the RIM-174, apart from the marked lack of the solid-fuel rocket Mk 72 booster on the AIM-174. The missile will likely utilize a solid-fuel rocket engine, as carried by the RIM-174. The Gunslinger may also employ warheads capable of "area effects". The "standard" warhead is 140 lb (64 kg) and consists of a high-explosive charge with blast-fragmentation properties, and is over three times the weight of an AIM-120 AMRAAM warhead, and seven times the weight of an AIM-9X Sidewinder warhead.