We take a second look at the newly announced next-generation US air-to-air missile concept, the AIM-424 Malice.
This time, we explore a very different scenario: a futuristic B-21 Raider stealth bomber armed with 40 AIM-424 Malice missiles.
With a claimed range of more than 250 miles, could a single stealth aircraft potentially engage dozens of enemy targets from long range?
We put the B-21 Raider to the ultimate test in a simulated engagement against an entire late-2010s Chinese carrier air wing: 24 J-15 fighter jets, each equipped with PL-15 air-to-air missiles with an estimated range of around 120 miles.
Can one heavily armed B-21 Raider overcome an entire carrier air wing? How does the AIM-424 Malice compare with the PL-15, and what would long-range stealth air combat look like?
Join us as we explore this hypothetical future air battle and find out whether the B-21 and AIM-424 Malice can pull off the impossible.
Getting into DCS World can be a little daunting at first — especially when you are staring at a long list of aircraft and wondering where to begin.
From 26 August 2026 onwards, if you are picking up one of the following DCS modules during the sale, please consider using the relevant Grim Reapers coupon code:
F/A-18C Hornet — GRSHF18
P-51D Mustang — GRSHP51
AH-64D Apache — GRSHAH64
When used during qualifying DCS sales, the codes can help bring the total discount to a maximum of 50%.
Why These Three Aircraft?
These modules give new DCS players three very different ways to get started.
The F/A-18C Hornet is one of the most versatile modern combat aircraft in DCS, capable of air-to-air combat, ground attack and carrier operations.
The P-51D Mustang offers a completely different experience, taking you back to classic WWII flying where energy management, gunnery and hands-on flying skills are everything.
And for those who would rather stay closer to the ground, the AH-64D Apache delivers one of DCS World’s most detailed attack-helicopter experiences.
Whichever route you choose, we have plenty of tutorials, guides and videos available to help you get started.
Starting DCS? Start Here.
The wider Start Here project is designed to make DCS more approachable for players who are completely new to the simulator.
If you are planning to buy the F/A-18C, P-51D or AH-64D during a sale from 26 August onwards, using one of the codes above is also a simple way to support Grim Reapers while getting the best available discount.
Today we take our first look at the newly announced USN AIM-424 Malice, a super long-range air-to-air missile designed to engage targets at extreme distances.
We break down the AIM-424 Malice missile, how it is expected to work, its potential capabilities, and what a weapon with a reported 250 nautical mile range could mean for modern air combat.
Then we put the concept to the test in DCS World with a modern Pacific scenario.
The US is invading a small but strategically important island when the PLAAF and PLAN launch a huge multi-pronged strike to stop the invasion. Rather than engage the incoming fighters head-on, the US takes a different approach.
F-35Cs operating from a US carrier group are tasked with hunting the most important targets behind the fighter screen: AWACS, electronic warfare, command and control, and aerial refuelling aircraft.
Using the new AIM-424 Malice, the F-35Cs attempt to strike these support assets from extreme range. With targeting information provided by an AWACS aircraft positioned around 400 miles behind the battle, the AIM-424 is fired over the heads of incoming J-20 and J-35 fighters to attack the aircraft keeping the Chinese strike package effective.
The strategy is simple: remove the support aircraft and the entire attack could begin to collapse.
But extreme-range air combat is anything but simple. Timing, targeting, missile guidance and situational awareness all have to come together perfectly — and one mistake could allow the PLAAF and PLAN strike to break through.
The stakes are high.
Could the AIM-424 Malice change the way air combat is fought across the vast distances of the Pacific?
Watch as we explore the missile concept and put it to the ultimate test in DCS World.
Take another look at the U.S. Air Force’s Rapid Dragon palletized missile system in this high-intensity DCS World military simulation. This scenario explores how decoy cruise missiles can overwhelm modern naval air defenses before a stealth anti-ship strike.
Two C-17 Globemaster III aircraft deploy 10 Rapid Dragon pallets, each releasing 18 low-cost 500 lb JDAM-LR cruise missiles, for a total of 180 missiles launched from 300 miles away against a 2020s Chinese carrier strike group.
Following the massive missile swarm, a single B-2 Spirit stealth bomber launches 16 AGM-158C LRASM (Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles). Can the expendable JDAM-LR decoys force the Chinese fleet to exhaust its HHQ-9B and HQ-10 interceptor missiles, allowing the stealthy LRASMs to penetrate and strike the Type 003 aircraft carrier?
Watch this DCS World simulation to see whether saturation attacks and decoy tactics can defeat one of the world’s most advanced naval air defense networks.
Scenario Features: Rapid Dragon palletized missile deployment C-17 Globemaster III launch platform 180 JDAM-LR decoy cruise missiles B-2 Spirit stealth bomber 16 AGM-158C LRASM anti-ship missiles Chinese Type 003 carrier strike group HHQ-9B and HQ-10 air defense systems Long-range saturation attack simulation Modern naval warfare in DCS World
If you enjoy realistic military simulations, modern missile technology, and naval combat scenarios, be sure to like, subscribe, and let us know what simulation you’d like to see next.
Affiliate Disclosure: Some links on this page are affiliate links. If you make a purchase through one of these links, Grim Reapers may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us continue creating new content.
There are plenty of ways to support Grim Reapers, but the GR Retro Arcade might be the most entertaining.
Our arcade features a growing Play Games and Support Grim Reapers collection of free retro-style games that you can play directly through the Grim Reapers website. Whether you have five minutes to spare or fancy chasing a new high score, it is a simple way to take a break and enjoy something a little different.
How Does Playing Support GR?
The arcade is completely free for visitors to use. Grim Reapers receives a small amount of advertising revenue when people play, so every visit helps support the channel and the content we create.
There is no membership required and nothing to purchase. Simply choose a game, start playing and enjoy.
Take a Break from Serious Warfare
We spend plenty of time dealing with aircraft, warships, missiles and questionable tactical decisions. The arcade offers a chance to step away from serious warfare for a few minutes—although we cannot promise the decision-making will improve.
Play alone, challenge your friends or see who can claim the highest score.
Ready to play?
Visit the GR Retro Arcade and support Grim Reapers while having some fun.
What is it really like to keep an F-16 ready to fly? In this episode from the Grim Reapers Podcast archive, two former USAF crew chiefs talk about working on the F-16C Viper, life on the flight line and the people behind the aircraft.
Listen to the Episode
Behind the Aircraft
Crew chiefs are responsible for far more than routine maintenance. They inspect, prepare and support the aircraft before and after every flight, working under pressure to keep complex machines safe and mission-ready. This conversation offers a glimpse into that demanding world from the people who lived it.
More from the GR Podcast
Explore more interviews covering military aviation, aircraft maintenance, DCS World and the people behind the machines.
Cheap one-way attack drones are creating a serious problem for modern navies.
A drone may cost relatively little. The missile used to shoot it down may cost far more. Against one target, that may not matter. Against a swarm of 100, the numbers become much harder to ignore.
In one of our most popular videos from June, the Grim Reapers put two very different warships against the same mass drone attack:
A modern Arleigh Burke Flight III destroyer
The legendary battleship Yamato
One relies on advanced guided missiles. The other relies on guns, ammunition and a truly unreasonable amount of anti-aircraft fire.
The modern missile problem
The Arleigh Burke is built to detect and destroy airborne threats at long range.
Its SM-2, SM-6 and ESSM missiles give it a powerful layered defence. The ship can begin engaging the drones while they are still far away, greatly reducing the chance of anything getting close.
But there is a catch.
Modern interceptors are expensive, and a destroyer only carries a limited number of them. Even a successful defence could leave the ship with fewer missiles available for the next attack.
The defender may win the battle while losing the economic argument.
The gunship alternative
Yamato approaches the problem very differently.
Instead of firing expensive guided weapons, it fills the sky with anti-aircraft gunfire. The ammunition is cheaper, and the ship can carry far more of it.
That sounds ideal against a large group of slow drones—but guns have to engage at much shorter range.
The drones get closer. The reaction time becomes shorter. Any target that survives the barrage could still cause serious damage.
Guns may be cheaper, but they also allow far less room for error.
Missiles or guns?
The simulation is not really about proving that an old battleship is better than a modern destroyer.
It highlights a growing problem: today’s warships may be using some of their most advanced and expensive weapons against threats designed to be cheap, simple and disposable.
That does not mean missile warships are obsolete.
It may mean they need more ways to defend themselves, including:
Rapid-fire guns
Cheaper anti-drone missiles
Electronic warfare
Lasers and other directed-energy weapons
A layered combination of all of them
The future may not belong to missiles or guns alone.
It may belong to whichever navy can destroy large numbers of cheap threats without emptying its magazines—or its budget.
Watch the full simulation
See how the Arleigh Burke Flight III and Yamato perform against the same swarm of 100 Shahed-136 drones.
Are we heading back towards the gunship era, or do modern missile destroyers still have the advantage?
Missiles, guns, electronic warfare, lasers—or all of the above?
Disclosure: If you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.
Join the debate
What should future warships rely on against mass drone attacks?
Missiles, guns, electronic warfare, lasers—or all of the above?
