The U.S. Navy has now released its first official images of one of its F/A-18F Super Hornets with a very heavy air-to-air missile loadout that includes four of its new AIM-174Bs. We now know for sure that the jet from Air Test and Evaluation Squadron Nine (VX-9), the “Vampires,” with its distinctive gloss-black retro-scheme, was taking part in a new iteration of the Gray Flag test and evaluation exercise. The War Zone posited this was likely the case when the first images of the AIM-174B-armed aircraft first emerged back in September.
The pictures from Gray Flag 2024 also show the F/A-18F flying together with a Navy F-35C Joint Strike Fighter, also assigned to VX-9, as well as a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle. Marine Corps and Army personnel, as well as representatives from unspecified allies and partners, also took part in the exercise. Naval Test Wing Pacific and VX-9 hosted the event from their main base at Point Mugu in California.
In addition to the AIM-174s, the VX-9 F/A-18F’s Gray Flag loadout included a trio of medium-range AIM-120 AMRAAMs and a pair of short-range AIM-9X Sidewinders. The aircraft also had an infrared search and track system (IRST) in a modified drop tank on its centerline, as well as an ATFLIR targeting pod on its left cheek station. This very heavy air-to-air loadout would be an unlikely one, at least in most situations, for shipboard operations due to restrictions on the jet’s weight when returning to the ship, but could possibly prove very useful for land-based missions.
“Gray Flag 2024 was an opportunity to bring together a diverse group of participants from different branches of the military, academic partners, science and technology leaders, and allied partners,” Navy Capt. David Halpern, head of Naval Test Wing Pacific, said in a statement. “The broad scope of participants allowed us to test and evaluate our systems and how they interact with one another in an operationally relevant environment.”
The inclusion of the AIM-174 in Gray Flag 2024 is notable, but not at all surprising. These exercises regularly feature new and improved munitions and other capabilities, including ones still in development or of an experimental nature.
The AIM-174B first truly broke cover in July at the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise, at which point the Navy also disclosed that it was in at least limited operational service. The War Zone had already been closely tracking signs pointing to the existence of the weapon, an air-launched version of the highly capable surface-launched multi-purpose SM-6 missile.
The War Zone has previously explored in detail how the AIM-174B is set to be central in the Navy’s future air combat planning, especially around potential high-end conflict with China in the Pacific. The missile offers important new ways to leverage emerging kill webs and challenge ever-evolving enemy ones, as you can read more about here and check out our video feature on it below.
With this in mind, it is interesting to note that Gray Flag 2024 “was the most expansive interoperability event to date, with the data captured informing requirements, tactics, techniques, and procedures for future kill chains,” according to Naval Test Wing Pacific’s Capt. Halpern.
The AIM-174 looks set to continue being an extremely important feature in future exercises and operational deployments.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com