What You Need to Know: The U.S. Navy recently showcased an F/A-18 Super Hornet loaded with advanced air-to-air munitions at Exercise Gray Flag 2024, highlighting an enhanced strategy to counter Chinese aircraft from long distances.

-Armed with new AIM-174B missiles, derived from the Navy’s SM-6 missile, the aircraft can engage targets over 200 miles away, far outmatching traditional AIM-120 and AIM-9 ranges.

-This approach reflects the Navy’s focus on upgrading fourth-generation jets with cutting-edge munitions, as demonstrated by the addition of the AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missile.

-This boosts the F/A-18's combat role in fifth-generation airspace, enhancing its effectiveness in a near-peer Indo-Pacific conflict.

A recent photoshoot revealed how the U.S. Navy plans to shoot down Chinese aircraft before they even come in range to be dangerous.

Publicly released pictures showed a “buffed” F/A-18 Super Hornet carrying some of the most advanced air-to-air munitions.

At the conclusion of Exercise Gray Flag 2024 in September, an F/A-18 Super........

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