AIM-120 AMRAAM

AIM-120 AMRAAM
An AIM-120 AMRAAM mounted on the wingtip launcher of an F-16 Fighting Falcon
Type	Medium-range, active radar homing air-to-air missile
Place of origin	United States
Service history
In service	September 1991–present
Used by	See operators
Production history
Manufacturer	• Hughes: 1991–97 • Raytheon: 1997–present
Unit cost	• $300,000–$400,000 for 120C variants • $1,786,000(FY2014) for 120D
Variants	AIM-120A, AIM-120B, AIM-120C, AIM-120C-4/5/6/7, AIM-120D
Specifications
Weight	335 lb (152 kg)
Length	12 ft (3.7 m)
Diameter	7 in (180 mm)
Warhead	High explosive blast-fragmentation • AIM-120A/B: WDU-33/B, 50 pounds (22.7 kg) • AIM-120C-5: WDU-41/B, 40 pounds (18.1 kg)
Detonation mechanism	Active RADAR Target Detection Device (TDD) Quadrant Target Detection Device (QTDD) in AIM-120C-6 – lots 13+.

Engine	Solid-fuel rocket motor
Wingspan	20.7 in (530 mm) AIM-120A/B
Operational range	• AIM-120A/B: 55–75 km (30–40 nmi) • AIM-120C-5: >105 km (>57 nmi) • AIM-120D (C-8): >160 km (>97 nmi)
Speed	Mach 4 (4,900 km/h; 3,045 mph)
Guidance system	inertial guidance, terminal active radar homing
Launch platform	Aircraft: Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Eurofighter Typhoon General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II McDonnell Douglas AV-8B+ Harrier II McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet Northrop F-5S/T Panavia Tornado ADV Saab JAS 39 Gripen Surface-launched: NASAMS and others

• Hughes: 1991–97

• $300,000–$400,000 for 120C variants

High explosive blast-fragmentation
• AIM-120A/B: WDU-33/B, 50 pounds (22.7 kg)

Active RADAR Target Detection Device (TDD)

• AIM-120A/B: 55–75 km (30–40 nmi)
• AIM-120C-5: >105 km (>57 nmi)

Aircraft:

Surface-launched:

The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced "am-ram"), is a modern beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Designed with 7-inch diameter instead of 8-inch diameter form-and-fit factors, and employing active transmit-receive radar guidance instead of semi-active receive-only radar guidance, it is a fire-and-forget upgrade to the previous generation Sparrow missiles. When an AMRAAM missile is being launched, NATO pilots use the brevity code Fox Three.

The AIM-7 Sparrow medium range missile (MRM) was purchased by the US Navy from original developer Howard Hughes in the 1950s as its first operational air-to-air missile with "beyond visual range" (BVR) capability. With an effective range of about 12 miles (19 km), it was introduced as a radar beam-riding missile and then it was improved to a semiactive radar guided missile which would home in on reflections from a target illuminated by the radar of the launching aircraft. It was effective at visual to beyond visual range. The early beam riding versions of the Sparrow missiles were integrated onto the F3H Demon and F7U Cutlass, but the definitive AIM-7 Sparrow was the primary weapon for the all-weather F-4 Phantom II fighter/interceptor, which lacked an internal gun in its U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and early U.S. Air Force versions. The F-4 carried up to four AIM-7s in built-in recesses under its belly.

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Wikipedia