Friday, October 10, 2008

AIM-120 AMRAAM

IOC: 1991
Total Production: 16,000
Total Program's Cost: USD$13.2 billion

AIM-120 P3I AMRAAM

IOC: 2002

Also Known As
Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile

Origin
United States of America

Contractor/s
Raytheon

Family Members
AIM-120A AMRAAM
AIM-120B AMRAAM
AIM-120C AMRAAM
AIM-120D AMRAAM
SL-AMRAAM

Description: The AIM-120 AMRAAM is a medium-range, air-to-air missile designed to meet the requirements of the United States and allied nations. The AIM-120 missile is faster, smaller and lighter than its predecessor the AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range missile and also has improved capabilities against low-altitude targets. AMRAAM incorporates active radar seeker with mid-course inertial navigation making it less dependent on aircraft's fire control radar. That capability enables simultaneous AMRAAM launching against different targets. For better performance AMRAAM can receive target location updates from the radar system of the launch aircraft. It has a blast fragmentation warhead detonated by a proximity fuse.

The combat proven AIM-120 AMRAAM missile was employed during military campaigns over Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia. The Air Forces of 18 nations operate the AMRAAM missile. The AMRAAM missile is operational on the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-4F, JAS-39, Sea-Harrier and Tornado aircraft. Raytheon is integrating the AIM-120 on the Eurofighter-Typhoon, F/A-22A and Harrier II+. AIM-120's flexibility concept allows it to be integrated on ground systems becoming a surface-to-air missile. It is being integrated on Norway's NASAMS, Hawk-AMRAAM and HMMWV Surface-to-Air Systems.

The P3I is an AMRAAM improvement program seeks to develop advanced capabilities such as improved range, software updates and counter-countermeasures. The P3I program should be the basis of future AMRAAMs.

As of April 2005, the US Air Force and US Navy AMRAAM missile production was expected to conclude by 2007. In December 2004 Raytheon received the last known contract from the US Air Force worth $200 million for the follow-on production of 434 additional missiles.

Specifications
Dimensions: Diameter 180 mm, Length 3.7 m, Width 450 mm

Weights: Max Weight 157 kg (346 lb), Warhead 20 kg (44 lb)

Performance: Max Range 48,000 m (157,480 ft), Top Speed 1,360 mps (Mach 4)

Operators

see operators map | see family operators map

Japan

Saudi Arabia

United States of America

Notes
(*) lead contractor
IOC: Initial Operating Capability
FOC: Full Operating Capability
CEP: Circular Error Probable
Comm: Commissioning Date
Meters (m) Kilometers (km) Nautic Miles (nm) Inch (in) Yard (yd) Foot (ft) Millimeter (mm)
Pound (lb) Kilogram (kg) kN (KiloNewton) Ton (t)
Meters per Second (mps) Kilometers per Hour (kph) Knot (kt) Miles per Hour (mph)
Liter (l) Galon (gl)
Year (yr) Minutes (min) Second (sec)
Shaft-Horse-Power (shp)

Last Updated: Friday, October 10, 2008

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