VOA新闻杂志2024--US Navy Deploys New Long-range Missile in Indo-Pacific

The United States Navy has recently deployed¹ 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.

The AIM-174B is the longest-range air-to-air missile the U.S. has ever fielded. Its deployment² was officially acknowledged in July.

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.

Missiles can attack long-distance targets

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.

Chieh Chung is a researcher at the Association of Strategic Foresight³, 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.

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.

Any kind of conflict in the area means the U.S. Navy would have to operate within a few hundred kilometers of its Chinese adversary⁴. Supporting Taiwan in an invasion would pull the Navy in even closer.

The AIM-174B changes that situation. A senior U.S. defense⁵ 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."

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.

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.

Australia's defense ministry⁶ said it "works closely with the U.S. to understand capability⁷ options available for Australian consideration."

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.

Words in This Story

range -- n. the space included or covered; the distance between possible extremes

asset - n. something useful in an effort to defeat an enemy; a piece of military equipment

potentially - adv. In a possible state or condition

convert - v. to change from one form or function to another

option -- n. something that may be chosen, such as an alternative course of action

1 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

2 deployment   

n. 部署,展开

参考例句：

• He has inquired out the deployment of the enemy troops. 他已查出敌军的兵力部署情况。
• Quality function deployment (QFD) is a widely used customer-driven quality, design and manufacturing management tool. 质量功能展开(quality function deployment,QFD)是一个广泛应用的顾客需求驱动的设计、制造和质量管理工具。

3 foresight   

n.先见之明，深谋远虑

参考例句：

• The failure is the result of our lack of foresight.这次失败是由于我们缺乏远虑而造成的。
• It required a statesman's foresight and sagacity to make the decision.作出这个决定需要政治家的远见卓识。

4 adversary   

adj.敌手，对手

参考例句：

• He saw her as his main adversary within the company.他将她视为公司中主要的对手。
• They will do anything to undermine their adversary's reputation.他们会不择手段地去损害对手的名誉。

5 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

6 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

7 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。