Raytheon has undertaken work to boost the capability of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), resulting in the longest known AMRAAM shot from a fifth-generation fighter.
The tests took place in late 2024 from Eglin AFB, Florida and involved a Lockheed Martin F-22 fighter of the US Air Force (USAF) firing the missile.
The effort followed from the USAF’s F3R – form, fit, function, refresh – effort to improve the capabilities of the missile, a key armament for US and allied combat aircraft.
In a call with reporters, Raytheon vice-president Jon Norman declined to specify the exact range increase – which he labeled as “significant” – but said that the tests demonstrated a longer time in flight, which equates to improved range.
Norman also did not provide specific information such as the altitude and speed of the launch aircraft, nor details about a target.
He describes the F3R enhancements as a hardware upgrade on the missile’s guidance section. This provides for the introduction of new software that allows for more types of threats to be engaged. In addition, the upgrade allows “much, much further ranges”.
The range of the latest, most advanced variant of the AMRAAM – the AIM-120D-3 – is classified, but is reportedly around 100nm (185km) in optimal conditions.
As for the missile’s propulsion, Norman states that the smaller size of the guidance section allows for “a little bit bigger engine”. A more important factor in the weapon’s performance is the way the guidance section is packaged to include the battery, which improves efficiency.
“The propulsion and aerodynamic properties of the missile in the D/F3R variant have always had the capability to go further,” says Norman.
“We just had not been able to take advantage of it. So, it’s the way we’re flying it, so it’s flying higher and longer. I’ve got to leave it to the air force to talk about exact ranges, but as a former [Lockheed] F-16 pilot, it’s significant.”
Norman says that demand for the AMRAAM, a weapon that first entered service in the early 1990s, remains very strong, particularly given geopolitical challenges faced by the USA and its allies.
He notes that the company recently secured its largest ever deal for the AMRAAM, a massive $3.5 billion contract from the Pentagon, covering missiles for the US services and 19 Foreign Military Sales customers.
The deal broke the previous AMRAAM sales record of $1.2 billion that was set less than a year earlier in September 2024.
