Sec. 175. Assessment of air-to-air missile inventory requirements and related capabilities
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The Secretary of the Air Force and the Secretary of the Navy, in coordination with the commanders of the combatant commands, shall jointly conduct an assessment of the sufficiency of established inventory requirements for air-to-air missiles within the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of such Secretaries. In conducting the assessment required under paragraph (1), the Secretaries shall evaluate— for each year through the end of 2029— the numbers and types of air-to-air missiles expected to be delivered to the Department of the Air Force and the Department of the Navy in such year; and the total inventory of air-to-air missiles expected to be available for use in such year, considered separately for each type of missile; the inventory levels of air-to-air missiles needed to support the operational plans of the United States Central Command, the United States Indo-Pacific Command, the United States Northern Command, and the United States European Command, assessed separately for each command at low, medium, and high risk levels; emerging requirements for surface-to-air defense and collaborative combat aircraft capabilities, and how such emerging requirements are expected to impact inventory requirements for air-to-air missiles; whether the numbers and types of missiles expected to be delivered through 2029, as determined under subparagraph (A), are sufficient to meet all testing, training, and operational requirements of the military departments and combatant commands; whether extending the AIM–120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile program of record through 2029 would enhance available inventories of air-to-air missiles during such period; and recommendations to adjust the planned missile mix, to include development and fielding of an AIM–120D Extended Range missile and procurement quantities to support combined combatant command requirements at a medium-level of operational risk.
In conjunction with the assessment required under subsection (a), the Secretary of the Air Force shall conduct a cost-benefit and technical risk assessment of developing and procuring an extended range AIM–120D missile. In conducting the assessment under paragraph (1), the Secretary of the Air Force shall— assess the costs, benefits, and technical risks presented by the potential development and procurement of an extended range AIM–120D missile as described in paragraph (1); evaluate how new propellants, binding agents, and other enhancements may increase the capabilities of such a missile; consider how the procurement of such a missile could hedge against current or future air-to-air missile inventory, capacity, capability or shortfall risks; and develop a budget profile and schedule that would support expedited fielding of such a missile.
Following the completion of the assessments required under subsections
(a)and (b), but not later than April 1, 2025— the Secretary of the Air Force and the Secretary of the Navy shall jointly submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the results of the assessment conducted under subsection (a), which shall include a summary of the results of the assessment with respect to each element specified in subsection (a)(2); and the Secretary of the Air Force shall submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the results of the assessment conducted under subsection (b), which shall include a copy of the budget profile and schedule required under subsection (b)(2)(D).