항공무장 AIM-260 JATM 시험 사진이 공개됨

[위종민]

F/A-18F 슈퍼 호넷에 장착된 AIM-260 JATM의 사진이 공개됐네요. 플로리다주 에글린 공군기지에서 5월 13일 촬영됐습니다. 황색 띠가 그려진 실탄이네요 @.@ 촬영자는 멕시코만에서 JATM을 발사했다는 교신도 모니터링했다고 합니다. 

Eglin 시험 중 촬영된 신형 공대공미사일
2026년 5월 18일 | 작성자 Stephen Losey

2026년 5월 13일 플로리다 Eglin 공군기지에서 시험비행 중 AIM-260 JATM 미사일을 탑재한 미 해군 F/A-18F Super Hornet. (사진 제공: Jonathan Tweedy)

군의 비밀 신형 공대공미사일이 시험 과정에서 처음으로 공개 촬영된 것으로 보인다.

기존 공개 정보 및 렌더링과 일치하는 AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile(JATM) 미사일이 5월 13일 플로리다 Eglin 공군기지에서 이륙 직후 F/A-18F Super Hornet에 장착된 상태로 촬영되었다. 인스타그램 @flightline_visuals 계정을 운영하는 플로리다 기반 항공 사진작가 Jonathan Tweedy는 사진을 촬영했으며, 이날 비행한 5대 항공기 가운데 또 다른 Super Hornet 한 대도 비활성(dummy) 버전 JATM을 탑재하고 있었다고 Air & Space Forces Magazine에 밝혔다.

Lockheed Martin이 개발 중인 JATM은 2018년부터 개발이 진행되어 왔으며, 현재 공군과 해군의 주력 레이더 유도 공대공미사일인 AIM-120 AMRAAM의 후속 체계로 계획되고 있다. 새 미사일의 세부사항은 기밀이지만, JATM은 AMRAAM보다 더 긴 사거리를 가지며 기존 미사일 레일과 전투기 내부 무장창에 탑재 가능할 것으로 알려져 있다. 시험은 Eglin에서 계속 진행 중이다.

Tweedy에 따르면 5월 13일에는 “Vampires”라는 별칭의 해군 항공시험평가비행대 VX-9 소속 EA-18 Growler가 먼저 이륙했다. 이어서 실전형 JATM을 탑재한 Super Hornet과 비활성 JATM을 탑재한 또 다른 Super Hornet이 뒤따랐으며, 두 기체 모두 VX-31 “Dust Devils” 시험비행대 소속이었다. 이후 VX-9와 VX-31 소속 Super Hornet 각 1대씩이 추가로 뒤를 이었다고 그는 말했다.

Tweedy는 이륙 직후 오전 11시경(중부시간)에 이들의 모습을 연속 촬영했으며, 처음에는 자신이 무엇을 찍었는지 깨닫지 못했다고 말했다.

Tweedy는 “나는 VX-31과 VX-9를 함께 포착했다는 사실 자체에 더 흥분해 있었다”며 “사진을 검토한 뒤에야 [JATM] 미사일을 발견했다”고 말했다.

그는 이후 사진을 확인하면서 노란 띠가 표시된 실전형 미사일로 보이는 장착물을 발견했다고 말했다. 그는 처음에는 무엇을 촬영한 것인지 확신하지 못했지만, 크기와 미사일 중간 부분에 핀이 없는 점을 보고 AMRAAM이 아니라는 것은 알 수 있었다고 설명했다. 이후 군사기술에 매우 정통한 친구에게 사진을 보냈고, 그 친구는 이를 즉시 JATM으로 식별했다고 한다.

Tweedy는 시험비행 동안 항공교통관제를 모니터링했으며, 전투기들이 멕시코만 상공에서 JATM을 발사했다는 교신을 들었다고 말했다.

4월 공개된 예산 문서에 따르면 공군은 향후 5년 동안 JATM 연구개발(R&D)에 14억7천만 달러를 투입할 계획이다. 또한 2026회계연도에 JATM 조달 비용으로 약 3억6,900만 달러를 지출할 예정이며, 2027~2031회계연도 사이 추가로 88억 달러를 투입할 계획이다.

New Air-to-Air Missile Photographed in Testing at Eglin

A Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet was photographed carrying an AIM-260 JATM missile during a test out of Eglin Air Force Base in Florida May 13. (Photo courtesy of Jonathan Tweedy)

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New Air-to-Air Missile Photographed in Testing at Eglin

May 18, 2026 | By Stephen Losey

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The military’s secretive new air-to-air missile appears to have been publicly photographed for the first time during testing.

A missile matching previously released information and renders of the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or JATM, was photographed being carried by an F/A-18F Super Hornet on May 13, shortly after taking off from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida. Jonathan Tweedy, a Florida-based aviation photographer who posts on Instagram at @flightline_visuals and took the pictures, told Air & Space Forces Magazine he also photographed a second Super Hornet with an inert version of the JATM among the five planes that flew that day.

JATM, which is being built by Lockheed Martin and has been in development since 2018, is intended to be the successor to the AIM-120 AMRAAM, which is now the main radar-guided air-to-air missile used by the Air Force and Navy. Details on the new missile are classified, but JATM reportedly will be able to fly farther than the AMRAAM and can fit on existing missile rails and in the internal weapons bays of fighters. Testing has been ongoing at Eglin.

On May 13, an EA-18 Growler from VX-9, the Navy’s air test and eval‎uation squadron nicknamed the Vampires, took off first, Tweedy told Air & Space Forces Magazine in a series of messages. It was followed by the Super Hornet with the live JATM and another with an inert JATM, both from VX-31, the Dust Devils test squadron. The were followed by another pair of Super Hornets, one from VX-9 and another from VX-31, he said.

Tweedy snapped a series of photos during their departure, shortly after 11 a.m. Central time and said at first he didn’t realize what he had captured.

“I was more excited at the fact that I had caught VX-31 and VX-9 together,” Tweedy said. “It wasn’t until after I reviewed my photos that I noticed the [JATM] missile.”

Tweedy said checked his photos afterward and noticed one seemed to have a live missile, indicated by yellow bands. He wasn’t sure what he had photographed, but judging by its size and the lack of fins on the missile’s midsection, he knew it wasn’t an AMRAAM. He sent the picture to an friend, who is very knowledgeable on military technology, who quickly identified it as a JATM.

Tweedy monitored air traffic control during the test flight, and said he heard chatter indicating the fighters released their JATMs over the Gulf of Mexico.

The Air Force plans to spend $1.47 billion on R&D for JATM over the next five years, according to budget documents released in April. It also is spending nearly $369 million on procurement for JATM in fiscal 2026, as well as another $8.8 billion between fiscal 2027 and fiscal 2031.

[백선호]

중국에서 나온 논문은 AIM-260의 비기동 정면 접근 표적에 대한 사거리가 265.2 km라고 예측하네요.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/402621537_The_Development_and_Performance_Analysis_of_the_AIM-260_Air-to-Air_Missile

Using methods such as reverse engineering calculations, modeling, and simulation, based on the missile outline released by the U.S. Air Force, this paper analyzes the aerodynamic characteristics and resistance performance of the missile, providing estimates for its structural layout and cabin segment lengths.

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On this basis, performance estimates are made for key subsystems, including the engine, seeker head, and warhead. Based on the above analysis and estimation results, a three-degree-of-freedom kinematic model of the missile is established, and range simulations under typical conditions are completed. The results show that under head-on engagement conditions, the maximum range of the missile is approximately 265.2 km, representing an increase of about 45% compared to the AIM-120D.

[백선호]

Finally, this paper summarizes the key characteristics of the AIM-260: longer range, higher firepower density, higher guidance accuracy, and stronger system integration capability.