CMSI Note #12: Finally, A PLA Navy Missile Gap?

Authors

Ian Easton

Files

Description

This month a PRC government-owned defense magazine published a special report on one of the U.S. Navy’s newer missiles, calling it a “huge threat” and predicting it will “massively change” the future of naval warfare. The missile? The AIM-174B, an air launched variant of the Navy’s Standard Missile 6 (SM-6). What is it about this weapon that warranted a special report by PRC experts?

CMSI’s Perspectives and Key Takeaways:

• A PRC government-owned defense magazine has called the U.S. Navy’s AIM-174B missile a “huge threat” and game-changer for the future of naval warfare.
• The PRC source says the American missile could shoot down high-value assets at “a shocking distance”, possibly causing the PLA’s operational system to “verge on collapse.”
• Some defense experts in China believe the U.S. Navy fielded a weapon system that could undermine the PLA Navy’s ability to achieve air and sea control.

Publication Date

2-2025

Publisher

China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S Naval War College

City

Newport, Rhode Island

Keywords

China, China Maritime Studies Institute, CMSI, People’s Liberation Army, People’s Liberation Army Navy, PLAN, Missile, AIM

Recommended Citation

Easton, Ian, "CMSI Note #12: Finally, A PLA Navy Missile Gap?" (2025). CMSI Notes. 12.
https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-notes/12