U.S. Navy’s Super Hornet Armed with Nine Air-to-Air Missiles Now Dubbed “Murder Hornet”

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) — The United States Navy has officially dubbed its F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter jets equipped with nine air-to-air missiles as the “Murder Hornet.”

This moniker is specifically assigned to Super Hornets armed with five AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles and four AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missiles.

The designation “Murder Hornet” first appeared in a recently published fact sheet titled “Delivering Warfighting Advantage,”  highlighting the Super Hornet’s enhanced air combat capabilities.

The U.S. Navy introduced this heavily armed variant of the Super Hornet during operations in the Red Sea last year to counter drone threats launched by the Houthi armed group.

American fighter jets are now outfitted with more air-to-air missiles in response to the increasing use of low-cost, expendable drones by militant groups in the Middle East.

According to analysts, “Fighter jets like the Murder Hornet now have significantly more targets to engage.”

Media reports indicate that the U.S. military decided to equip its fighter jets with additional air-to-air missiles following an incident where an F-15E faced a shortage of missiles while defending Israel against hundreds of ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones launched by Iran last year.

The AIM-9X Sidewinder is a short-range air-to-air missile developed by the United States as the latest variant in the AIM-9 Sidewinder family.

Designed for close-range dogfights, it boasts a wider engagement angle and higher targeting accuracy.

Equipped with a new-generation infrared seeker, the AIM-9X can detect targets even in environments with significant heat interference.

It also features a “lock-on after launch” (LOAL) capability, allowing it to lock onto targets post-launch for greater operational flexibility.

Additionally, the missile incorporates thrust vectoring control, enabling sharp and agile maneuvers ideal for close-range combat.

Its High Off-Boresight Capability allows it to engage targets at extreme angles, and it can integrate with Helmet-Mounted Displays (HMD) for target tracking and engagement via pilot head movements.

Capable of supersonic speeds, the AIM-9X can neutralize targets up to approximately 35 km away, depending on combat conditions.

It is widely deployed by both the U.S. Air Force and Navy, as well as allied forces, and is integrated into modern fighter jets like the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-22 Raptor, and F-35 Lightning II.

The AIM-9X replaces the older AIM-9M model, offering significant improvements in engaging highly maneuverable targets and operating effectively in complex electronic warfare environments.

The AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by Raytheon Technologies for modern fighter aircraft.

It was designed to replace the AIM-7 Sparrow with advanced guidance systems and extended strike capabilities.

The AMRAAM uses active radar homing in its terminal phase to autonomously lock onto and track targets, providing pilots with a “fire-and-forget” capability that allows them to engage multiple threats.

Engineered for medium- to long-range engagements, certain variants of the AMRAAM can strike targets at beyond-visual-range (BVR) distances.

It excels in intercepting highly maneuverable targets under various weather conditions and is supersonic, making it difficult for adversaries to detect and evade.

The missile also features an inertial navigation system (INS) with mid-course updates via data link, correcting its trajectory before switching to active radar for final targeting.

The AMRAAM comes in multiple variants:

• AIM-120A/B: Early models with improved electronics in the B variant.

• AIM-120C: Redesigned with clipped fins for internal carriage on fifth-generation fighters like the F-22 Raptor.

• AIM-120D: The latest version, offering extended range, GPS integration, and enhanced data link capabilities.

Technical Specifications of AIM-120 AMRAAM:

• Length: ~3.66 meters (12 feet)

• Diameter: 178 mm (7 inches)

• Weight: ~152 kg (335 lb)

• Speed: Over Mach 4 (>4,900 km/h)

• Engagement Range:

  • AIM-120A/B/C: ~70–105 km

  • AIM-120D: Over 160 km (depending on launch profile)

The AIM-120 AMRAAM is deployed on fighter jets such as the F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet/Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, Eurofighter Typhoon, JAS 39 Gripen, and other NATO aircraft.

It is also utilized in ground-based air defense systems like the NASAMS (Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System). — DSA