US Navy Deploys New Long-range Missile in Indo-Pacific

2024-08-19

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1
  • The United States Navy has recently deployed new long-range air-to-air missiles in the Indo-Pacific area.
  • 2
  • The move could take away China's lead in the area, experts say.
  • 3
  • The AIM-174B is the longest-range air-to-air missile the U.S. has ever fielded. Its deployment was officially acknowledged in July.
  • 4
  • The AIM-174B can fly several times farther than the next-best U.S. missile, the AIM-120.
  • 5
  • The AIM-174B does not require new production lines to manufacture and it works with the aircraft of at least one ally, Australia.
  • 6
  • The AIM-174B, which can attack aerial targets as far away as 400 kilometers, has a longer range than China's PL-15 missile.
  • 7
  • The greater range permits U.S. jets to keep threats farther from aircraft carriers.
  • 8
  • The missile can also safely strike "high-value" targets, such as command-and-control planes, from a greater distance.
  • 9
  • Chieh Chung is a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight, a Taipei-based research group.
  • 10
  • Chung said, "The United States can ensure the safety of their important assets, such as carrier groups, and launch long-range strikes on PLA targets."
  • 11
  • PLA stands for People's Liberation Army, China's military force.
  • 12
  • The existing long-range missile for U.S. aircraft, the AIM-120, has a top range of about 150 km.
  • 13
  • Such a range requires the launching aircraft to fly deeper into disputed territory.
  • 14
  • As a result, aircraft carriers are at greater risk of anti-ship attacks.
  • 15
  • Any kind of conflict in the area means the U.S. Navy would have to operate within a few hundred kilometers of its Chinese adversary.
  • 16
  • Supporting Taiwan in an invasion would pull the Navy in even closer.
  • 17
  • The AIM-174B changes that situation.
  • 18
  • A senior U.S. defense technical expert told Reuters, "The big thing is that it lets the United States push in a little bit further" into the South China Sea during a conflict.
  • 19
  • The expert who declined to be named added, "And it's going to potentially change Chinese behavior because it's going to hold large, slow... aircraft at greater risk."
  • 20
  • The AIM-174B uses Raytheon's SM-6 missile design.
  • 21
  • Raytheon declined to comment on how many AIM-174Bs would be produced or if existing SM-6s would be converted.
  • 22
  • The new AIM-174Bs have been shown on U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft, which are operated by both American and Australian militaries.
  • 23
  • Australia's defense ministry said it "works closely with the U.S. to understand capability options available for Australian consideration."
  • 24
  • The U.S. Navy said the missile was "operationally deployed."
  • 25
  • But it declined to comment on whether the AIM-174B would be supplied to allies, whether the AIM-174B would be put onto other aircraft, and how many AIM-174Bs it wanted each year.
  • 26
  • I'm John Russell.
  • 1
  • The United States Navy has recently deployed new long-range air-to-air missiles in the Indo-Pacific area. The move could take away China's lead in the area, experts say.
  • 2
  • The AIM-174B is the longest-range air-to-air missile the U.S. has ever fielded. Its deployment was officially acknowledged in July.
  • 3
  • The AIM-174B can fly several times farther than the next-best U.S. missile, the AIM-120. The AIM-174B does not require new production lines to manufacture and it works with the aircraft of at least one ally, Australia.
  • 4
  • Missiles can attack long-distance targets
  • 5
  • The AIM-174B, which can attack aerial targets as far away as 400 kilometers, has a longer range than China's PL-15 missile. The greater range permits U.S. jets to keep threats farther from aircraft carriers. The missile can also safely strike "high-value" targets, such as command-and-control planes, from a greater distance.
  • 6
  • Chieh Chung is a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight, a Taipei-based research group. Chung said, "The United States can ensure the safety of their important assets, such as carrier groups, and launch long-range strikes on PLA targets." PLA stands for People's Liberation Army, China's military force.
  • 7
  • The existing long-range missile for U.S. aircraft, the AIM-120, has a top range of about 150 km. Such a range requires the launching aircraft to fly deeper into disputed territory. As a result, aircraft carriers are at greater risk of anti-ship attacks.
  • 8
  • Any kind of conflict in the area means the U.S. Navy would have to operate within a few hundred kilometers of its Chinese adversary. Supporting Taiwan in an invasion would pull the Navy in even closer.
  • 9
  • The AIM-174B changes that situation. A senior U.S. defense technical expert told Reuters, "The big thing is that it lets the United States push in a little bit further" into the South China Sea during a conflict. The expert who declined to be named added, "And it's going to potentially change Chinese behavior because it's going to hold large, slow... aircraft at greater risk."
  • 10
  • The AIM-174B uses Raytheon's SM-6 missile design. Raytheon declined to comment on how many AIM-174Bs would be produced or if existing SM-6s would be converted.
  • 11
  • The new AIM-174Bs have been shown on U.S. Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet aircraft, which are operated by both American and Australian militaries.
  • 12
  • Australia's defense ministry said it "works closely with the U.S. to understand capability options available for Australian consideration."
  • 13
  • The U.S. Navy said the missile was "operationally deployed." But it declined to comment on whether the AIM-174B would be supplied to allies, whether the AIM-174B would be put onto other aircraft, and how many AIM-174Bs it wanted each year.
  • 14
  • I'm John Russell.
  • 15
  • Gerry Doyle reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.
  • 16
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  • Words in This Story
  • 18
  • range -- n. the space included or covered; the distance between possible extremes
  • 19
  • asset - n. something useful in an effort to defeat an enemy; a piece of military equipment
  • 20
  • potentially - adv. In a possible state or condition
  • 21
  • convert - v. to change from one form or function to another
  • 22
  • option -- n. something that may be chosen, such as an alternative course of action