The U.S. Air Force says it is laying the groundwork for accelerated production of the future AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile, or JATM. The service is doing this, in part, to help ensure there are enough of these air-to-air missiles to arm its coming fleets of advanced drones with high degrees of autonomy, currently referred to as Collaborative Combat Aircraft, or CCAs.
Armed with these missiles, these uncrewed aircraft, which are expected to work closely with current and next-generation combat jets, could help significantly extend the reach of their crewed counterparts. In doing so, they could potentially enhance lethality and survivability drastically.
To read more, click here.