Compact Air-to-Air Missile (CAAM)

bobbymike said:
CAAM & EXRAAM? :D
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Seems like addditional funding for an initiative that started last year, which Raytheon and Boeing are both getting money for.

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2022/12/20/raytheon-next-gen-missile/
https://www.defense.gov/News/Contracts/Contract/Article/3249030/
Raytheon Missiles & Defense, Tucson, Arizona, has been awarded an estimated $21,000,000 indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity, cost-plus-fixed-fee contract. This contract is to develop critical subsystem technologies that support the Compact Air to Air Missile and Extended Range Air to Air Missile systems. Work will be performed in Tucson, Arizona, and is expected to be completed by Dec. 15, 2029. This award is the result of a white paper originating from broad agency announcement FA8651-20-S-0008. Fiscal 2022 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $1,725,000 are being obligated at the time of award. Air Force Research Laboratory, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, is the contracting activity (FA8651-23-D-A001).
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Posting here. Mods, please move if there's a better thread for it somewhere else.

Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division (NAWCWD) China Lake, California intends to procure on a Full and Open competition basis to develop and demonstrate technology that results in greatly enhanced kinematic capability for the next generation of tactical missiles. To support this technological development efforts, NAWCWD is interested in maturing high total impulse loaded and energy tailorable solid propulsion systems for transition into compact weapon systems, including a Compact Air-to-Air Missile (CAAM). Requirements will include tasking and products needed to provide a Concept Design with build-to-print data package, identify critical technology gaps, conduct critical component and rocket motor experiments, conduct a Design for Manufacturing & Assembly study to identify features required to meet manufacturing and cost goals, and provide a plan to mature the CAAM HLG Concept Design to a maturity state ready to enter a Department of Defense (DOD) Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) program. It is anticipated that there will be a combination of Cost-Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) and Firm Fixed Price (FFP) line items to satisfy requirements. This procurement will be solicited under full and open competition per Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(b). More information will be provided in the Request for Proposal (RFP), solicitation number N6893625R0029, to be posted in Contract Opportunities on the System for Award Management (SAM) website at https://www.sam.gov/ and the, and will close 45 days from the RFP issue date.
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https://sam.gov/opp/91c6de4b5fae4cae9ad6e26d32f37831/view
 
I'm not sure if it's worth starting a new thread for this new CAAM project, which went somewhat unnoticed due to the presentation of the AIM-424 Malice.

I'm posting it here because it's intended for the F-35C and the future F/A-XX.

Tiny Air-To-Air Missile In Development For Stealthy U.S. Navy Combat Aircraft​

The big AIM-424 long-range air-to-air missile has grabbed headlines, but the Navy is also pursuing a new weapon for the exact opposite use case.

Joseph Trevithick, Howard Altman
Published Aug 24, 2026 3:39 PM EDT

https://www.twz.com/air/tiny-air-to-air-missile-in-development-for-stealthy-u-s-navy-combat-aircraft
 

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If two stealth fighters remain radar silent and fly without giving out too much heat, will they bump into each other unexpectedly, like the collision between the British and French SSBNs in 2009?

Is the CAAM a weapon for such a scenario?
 
datafuser said:
If two stealth fighters remain radar silent and fly without giving out too much heat,
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If you replace one or both of them with a non-LO one, it still can happen.

If radar is off, wheth it is LO or not LO doesn't matter...
 
Ainen said:
If you replace one or both of them with a non-LO one, it still can happen.

If radar is off, wheth it is LO or not LO doesn't matter...
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With networked sensors (including space based radars) the likelihood of that happening is decreasing though - even if your local on-board sensors are turned off.

I think a more common use might be to increase magazine depth for intercepting cruise missiles and anti-ship missiles?

I can also think of more exotic scenario - a flight fires off all of its missiles in a BVR engagement and then retreats - but is chased down by a remaining aircraft that has more magazine depth... again though, with increasing engagement ranges it seems less likely that the gap could be crossed before the retreating flight is covered by another sortie (assuming the enemy is well organised). A lot depends on how much sensors, communications, and control have been degraded.
 
Avimimus said:
With networked sensors (including space based radars) the likelihood of that happening is decreasing though - even if your local on-board sensors are turned off.
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It does, but not as fast as it appears to be.
Number of fully networked aircraft with modern cockpits, operating in modern information ecosystems with this level of feed is, to date, very low. Especially when said aircraft operate over neutral/hostile ground.

I.e. sensors of local flight and individual aircraft still matter. As such, yes, more or less anyone still can be ambushed, by even a relatively simple ambusher. Situation started changing, but it'll remain like this for a while.
 
Ainen said:
It does, but not as fast as it appears to be.
Number of fully networked aircraft with modern cockpits, operating in modern information ecosystems with this level of feed is, to date, very low. Especially when said aircraft operate over neutral/hostile ground.

I.e. sensors of local flight and individual aircraft still matter. As such, yes, more or less anyone still can be ambushed, by even a relatively simple ambusher. Situation started changing, but it'll remain like this for a while.
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Yes, definitely! I was thinking more about trends suggesting what things might be like in the late 2030s-2060s.
 
It seems more likely to me close range weapons are more for UAVs that have more limited weapons bays and can afford the higher risk of close combat, though manned aircraft might also use them defensively against massed stand off munition threats.

My impression is that both USAF and USN want to get away from having separate short range weapons on their manned aircraft and that things like AIM-260 will have a high off bore site and lock on after launch capability for short range work in an emergency. I doubt there will be an AIM-9 follow on missile, only “half RAM” types that can fit 2 per in an AIM-120/260 sized space. And even then, I doubt manned aircraft are the intended platform.
 

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