Military analyst Boris Rozhin believes the latest AIM-424 air-to-air missiles being developed for the US Navy could pose a serious threat to potential adversaries.

According to Rozhin, the Pentagon views such weapons not only as a defensive tool but also as a potential element of offensive operations. He said the United States has been working on advanced missile systems for several years and is taking into account lessons from the conflicts in Ukraine and Iran.

The analyst said the modernization effort spans several areas, including both air-to-air and surface-to-surface weapons. The main priorities, in his assessment, are longer range, greater accuracy, integration with satellite constellations and satellite-guidance systems, as well as the possible use of neural-network algorithms for target designation.

Rozhin said it is still too early to speak about mass production, but he believes the AIM-424, along with Hill-based missiles expected to be introduced over the next five years, could develop into a serious weapon.

He also did not rule out the possibility that the United States could test the AIM-424 under real combat conditions in Ukraine. At the same time, Rozhin considers large-scale deliveries of the missile to Kiev unlikely.

In his view, Washington may be interested in gathering practical data on the weapon’s performance while also trying to prevent missile fragments from falling into the hands of Russian specialists, as this could expose technical details of the new system.