The US Navy's next-gen missile breaks cover. It fits inside an F-35 and can threaten enemy aircraft over 280 miles away.

Four AIM-424 "Malice" missiles loaded on an F/A-18 fighter jet.

US Navy photo The US Navy has unveiled a next-generation air-to-air missile.

The AIM-424 "Malice," which is in testing, can threaten enemy aircraft over a range of 280 miles.

Its development comes as the Pentagon pushes for greater air-to-air reach to counter China.

The US Navy has unveiled a new developmental air-to-air missile that can fit inside its F-35 stealth fighter jets and threaten enemy aircraft from over 280 miles away.

Through multiple lines of effort, the Pentagon is pushing for a greater air-to-air reach as China fields increasingly long-range missiles, some of which Pakistan used last year in a brief conflict with India.

The AIM-424 Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM), also known as the "Malice," reflects an effort to close the gap.

With a stated range of more than 250 nautical miles (288 miles), the munition can travel farther than known alternatives in the Navy's arsenal.

The Navy said in a newly released fact sheet that the Malice is a "next-generation missile intended to strengthen fleet defense and maintain a decisive air domain overmatch against advanced threats." It said the missile is built for fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-generation aircraft.

The Navy published a photo over the weekend showing an AIM-424 missile mounted in the internal weapons bay of the fifth-generation F-35C fighter jet .

Storing missiles inside allows the aircraft to maintain its stealth.

Services can choose to sacrifice that, though, for a heavier weapons loadout with missiles mounted on the exterior hardpoints.

The Malice is developed by Raytheon , a subsidiary of the US defense contractor RTX.

Weighing 1,500 pounds, the weapon is powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor and has a blast-fragmentation warhead, meaning it can damage a target by detonating in proximity.