The secret missile mission revealed: What we know about Lockheed Martin’s AIM-260 JATM

Lockheed Martin has revealed new details of its AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM), a programme that has remained highly classified since it was unveiled in 2019.

The details came as the company announced yesterday (17 September) that it had signed a framework agreement with the US Department of War to rapidly accelerate the production of the missile.

Lockheed signs agreement to rapidly develop AIM-260 JATM

JATM is produced by Lockheed Martin in partnership with the Air Force and US Navy.

Lockheed said the agreement was a product of the Department of War’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy, which it described as one of the most significant reforms to US warfighting acquisition in decades.

Lockheed describes the JATM as the “most sophisticated air dominance missile, capable of deterring and defeating current and projected enemy air threats.”

It is designed to provide an asymmetric advantage to US Air Force and US Navy aircraft and will be integrated into the F-22 Raptor and the F-35A & F-35C.

The Navy’s F/A-18 Super Hornets and the Air Force’s F-22s are expected to be the first aircraft to fly with it. Integration with F-35s will follow, along with upcoming F-47s later on.

The development comes amid a long-range air-to-air munitions race between the US and China, with Australia announcing it would purchase the AIM-260 to counter China for almost $736 million.

JATM is shrouded in secrecy

Very few details were given for the shadowy missile program and the accelerated production agreement by Lockheed.

The Department of War also issued a statement, but was similarly coy about the details. It said the agreement is critical to ensure long-term demand signals flow to key suppliers and allow investment into manufacturing capacity, workforce, and production efficiencies.

Quite a significant leap in capability for the Navy over what it had just a few years ago.

🔸AIM-120D3 #AMRAAM
🔸AIM-260A Joint Advanced Tactical Missile #JATM
🔸AIM-174B (AL-SM6)
🔸AIM-9X (3/4) getting a next gen. seeker pic.twitter.com/0hNzblFpVh

— Air-Power | NatSec Ledger (@NatSecLedger) February 23, 2025

The Pentagon has declined to disclose how many JATMs it expects to purchase or other details like estimated costs and delivery schedules.

Michael P. Duffey, Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment, said, “Today’s announcement reflects our commitment to sending clear, long-term demand signals across the defense industrial base, ensuring our Warfighters receive unmatched capability exactly when and where the mission demands.”

What’s known of the AIM-260 JATM programme

The AIM-260 JATM programme was first unveiled in 2019 with the stated goal of it entering service in 2022.

At the 2026 Air, Space & Cyber Conference, Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark Massaro said, “We’re actively testing JATM, and it’s progressing along its program path. In test, we are working through the development stages there.”

Massaro also said, “So, we’re testing it in [sic] the ground with models, like I mentioned. We’re testing it in the air on aircraft.”

The first public image of the missile surfaced in May 2026. It has been designed to fit inside the internal bays of the F-22 and F-35. This is an important requirement as carrying them externally would significantly compromise their stealth profiles.

It is understood that the missile will offer a significant leap in range and capability over the older AIM-120, but how much remains unclear.

Various industry analysts estimate it to have a range of more than 120 miles. The Air Force has indicated it wants to develop an air-to-air missile with around 1,000 nautical miles of range by the mid-century.

Other extremely long-range air-to-air missiles in the works include the AIM-174B Gunslinger and the AIM-424 Malice. Notably, the Navy released an image showing a pair of Malice missiles fitting inside the F-35C’s internal weapons bay.