Name / Designation | AIM-120 AMRAAM |
Type / Role | Air-to-Air Missile, Beyond-Visual-Range (BVR) |
Country of Origin | United States |
Manufacturer | Raytheon Technologies |
Service Entry / Year Introduced | 1991 |
Operational Status | Active |
Range | Up to 160 km (AIM-120D variant) |
Speed | Mach 4+ |
Ceiling / Altitude Limit | Over 20,000 m |
Accuracy (CEP) | <5 meters |
Warhead Type | High-Explosive Fragmentation |
Guidance System | Active Radar, Inertial Navigation |
Targeting Mode | Fire-and-Forget |
Launch Platform Compatibility | F-15, F-16, F/A-18, F-22, F-35 |
Seeker Type | Active Radar Seeker |
Length | 3.7 m |
Diameter | 0.18 m |
Wingspan | 0.53 m |
Launch Weight | 152 kg |
Propulsion | Solid-fuel Rocket Motor |
Warhead Weight | 18 kg |
Explosive Type | High-Explosive Fragmentation |
Detonation Mechanism | Proximity / Impact Fuse |
Payload Options | Conventional |
Operational Range Type | Medium to Long |
Deployment Platform | Air |
Target Types | Aircraft, Drones, Cruise Missiles |
Combat Proven | Yes |
Users / Operators | United States, UK, Japan, NATO Allies |
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) stands as the U.S. Air Force and Navy’s premier beyond-visual-range missile. Designed and produced by Raytheon Technologies, the AIM-120 represents decades of evolution in radar-guided missile technology, delivering unmatched reliability and lethality in air combat scenarios.
Introduced in the early 1990s, AMRAAM succeeded the AIM-7 Sparrow by offering a fire-and-forget capability, allowing pilots to engage multiple targets simultaneously. The missile employs active radar homing for terminal guidance and inertial midcourse navigation, ensuring precision engagement even in high electronic warfare environments.
The AIM-120’s modular design supports continuous upgrades, with variants such as the AIM-120C-7 and AIM-120D, extending engagement ranges beyond 100 miles (160 km) and incorporating improved datalink connectivity and GPS updates. The latest AIM-120D-3 variant enhances kinematic performance and electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) capabilities for next-generation fighter aircraft like the F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.
Powered by a solid-fuel rocket motor, the AMRAAM reaches speeds exceeding Mach 4, ensuring rapid interception of enemy aircraft, drones, and cruise missiles. Its high-explosive fragmentation warhead guarantees target destruction even in evasive maneuver conditions.
Operational in over 40 countries, the AIM-120 has proven itself in multiple combat engagements, serving as a cornerstone of Western air defense and coalition interoperability.
The AIM-120 AMRAAM’s cost varies by version and contract, typically ranging between $1.2 million and $1.8 million per unit depending on the variant and included support package.
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