AIM-120 AMRAAM

AIM-120 AMRAAM
Discarded AIM-120 in the museum
General Information
Type	Air-to-air missile
NATO designation	AIM-120 AMRAAM
Country of origin	United States
Manufacturer	Hughes Aircraft Company , Raytheon
development	1976
Commissioning	1991
Working time	in action
Unit price	approx. 1 million USD (AIM-120A, as of 2013)
Technical specifications
length	3660 mm
diameter	178 mm
Combat weight	157 kg (AIM-120A) 150.75 kg (AIM-120B) 161.51 kg (AIM-120C7)
span	533 mm (AIM-120A / B) 447 mm (AIM-120C)
drive	Solid rocket
speed	Do 4
Range	~ 55-75 km (AIM-120A / B) ~ 105 km (AIM-120C5) ~ 180 km (AIM-120D)
Furnishing
steering	INS & data link (AIM-120A / B / C / D) plus GPS , 2-way data link (AIM-120D)
Target location	active radar target search , SARH or HOJ
Warhead	22.9 kg continuous rod
Detonator	Impact Detonator & Radar - Proximity Detonator
Weapon platforms	Warplanes
Lists on the subject

The AIM-120 AMRAAM ( A dvanced M edium- R ange A ir-to- A ir M issile) is a radar-guided air-to-air missile of medium to high range. It is used by the US Corporation Raytheon produced, were being shipped over 16,000 units since the start of production in the 1991st

The AIM-120 is the primary BVR guided missile for many Western Air Forces , with the main user being the United States Armed Forces . From January 1996 the Bundeswehr procured AIM-120B AMRAAM for the F-4F Phantom fighter aircraft for the Air Force .

Several AIM-120s are loaded

history

development

An AIM-120 is launched from an F-16 during the test phase and scores a direct hit on a PQM-102 drone

In the mid-1970s it became clear that the AIM-7 Sparrow would have to be replaced by a significantly more powerful guided missile in the near future. This realization was  underlined by the poor performance of the AIM-7 during the Vietnam War - the probability of being shot down was just ten percent. In 1976, for example, the AMRAAM program was started, which was supposed to produce a compact guided missile with a higher range, firing probability and reliability. Five companies submitted their proposals, which were evaluated in a three-year concept phase. The concept phase was completed in February 1979, with the companies Raytheon and Hughes , which has since been taken over by Raytheon, winning the competition. The US Air Force and the US Navy jointly oversaw the program from now on.

By the end of 1981, only six test starts had been carried out, which is why Hughes was awarded the contract to manufacture 94 additional test guided weapons instead of Raytheon. In the following year, the next development phase began at the Holloman Air Force Base and the Point Mugu missile test site , in which the AMRAAM's performance was tested against targets that were more difficult to combat. The program came under pressure in 1985 because the schedule could not be met and costs rose sharply. However, through additional funds and a two-year extension of the program, it was possible to prevent the program from being terminated.

As a result of the missed project planning, the first orders were split between Raytheon and Hughes. The first guided missiles from series production were finally delivered to the US armed forces in September 1991. By February 2017, over 20,000 rockets had been manufactured and delivered to various customers.

commitment

Although the AMRAAM was not fully tested for the Second Gulf War in January 1991, it was still given out to combat squadrons in small numbers. An AIM-120A was first shot down on December 27, 1992, when an F-16C shot down an Iraqi MiG-25 whose pilot had ignored the no-fly zone. On January 17, 1993, during the same operation, a MiG-23 was also destroyed by an F-16C. Another MiG-25 was shot down by an F-15 the next day . On February 28, 1994, an American F-16 shot down a G-4 Super Galeb of the Bosnian Serbs .

During the war in Kosovo , the AMRAAM was able to shoot down a total of six enemy fighters, all of them MiG-29s. Four of them were shot down by US F-15s, the other two a Dutch and a US F-16. Another MiG-29 managed to escape three AMRAAMs fired at it.

Up until the end of 2008, a total of 17 AMRAAMs had been fired during the war, which scored ten hits, which corresponds to a hit rate of 59%. Six AMRAAM were fired at distances in the Beyond Visual Range area, eleven at close range.

As part of the Russian military operation in Syria , a Sukhoi Su-24 M was shot down by a Turkish F-16C with the help of an AMRAAM on November 24, 2015 .

On June 18, 2017, an F / A-18E Super Hornet from the US aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush shot down a Syrian Su-22 over Syria .

technology

Rear view of some AMRAAM guided missiles. Note the not yet mounted control surfaces and the small white antennas for the data link at the end of the missile

In general, the AMRAAM consists of four interchangeable sections (front to back): search system (radar), guidance / control system, warhead / ignition and propulsion system.

The most important feature of the AIM-120 is its active radar system, which makes it a fire-and-forget weapon. This results in a major advantage over the semi-actively steered AIM-7 Sparrow: After launching the missile, the pilot no longer has to fly towards the target in order to illuminate it with his radar, but can immediately turn away and move away from the danger area. The radar in the frequency range works 8-10 GHz, has a planar antenna, i.e. an antenna with a planar surface extending behind a ceramic - Radom located at the top of the missile. The system works on a monopulse basis and has look-down / shoot-down capabilities in order to be able to capture and track low-lying targets, as well as a home-on-jam operating mode in order to remain operational even under the influence of electronic countermeasures . The AIM-120 can detect targets that are up to 25 ° away from the flight axis ("off boresight"), with an opening angle of 5 °. The on-board radar is only activated about 5 to 25 km before the expected position of the target , depending on the radar cross-section of the target.

The navigation during the flight phase takes place with an inertial navigation system , which receives the current position and course of the target from the carrier platform shortly before the launch of the rocket, in many cases also by means of the data link. This works in the frequency range from 8 to 12 GHz, with the antenna at the end of the missile near the thruster. This data link enables the launch platform's radar to continuously supply the AIM-120's guidance system with new target data so that it can optimize the missile's trajectory in order to achieve the highest possible launch probability. This feature is particularly important at the outer end of the range, as the IN system becomes more and more imprecise with increasing distance and the target has significantly more time to change course and thus prevent detection by the AMRAAM radar. However, the carrier platform has to turn towards the missile in order to be able to send the data, so that the advantage of the fire-and-forget principle cannot be used in some situations. All steering is controlled by a single 30 MHz processor . The system has various BITE systems to identify and report errors at an early stage.

The AMRAAM is powered by a dual-thrust solid rocket motor that takes up most of the space inside the missile. It is manufactured by Aerojet and Alliant Techsystems and weighs a total of 70.3 kg, with 49 kg being the fuel mass. The engine is largely smoke-free to make it difficult for enemy crews to visually detect the missile. The airframe itself is made of steel and titanium to be able to withstand the heavy loads during the final approach phase. Four immovable control surfaces in the middle section serve to stabilize the guided missile, while the steering is carried out by four movable surfaces in the tail area. In order to save space during storage, all control surfaces can be removed.

The 23 kg warhead of the type WDU-33 / B is located in the middle part and contains 6.8 kg of explosives. In conjunction with the radar-based proximity fuse, it can also focus its 198 rod-shaped projectiles on the target instead of scattering them in a ring. Due to its central location, the detonation of the warhead also generates a large amount of splinters that arise when the guided missile body is dismantled.

variants

AIM-120A

The rocket motors are removed from these AIM-120A in order to fit them into the newer B and C variants.

The basic version, introduced in 1991.

AIM-120B

This variant was given a new steering and control system of the type WGU-41 / B . In addition to some detailed changes, a new digital processor was installed and the old ROM memory was replaced by EPROM memory chips . As a result, the missile could be provided with new software without replacing hardware , as was still necessary with the A variant . The guided missile was introduced in 1994.

• AIM-120B + : A version proposed by Raytheon in 1999. It should equip all AIM-120B with a new radar and guidance system. The whereabouts of this version is unknown.

AIM-120C

The main feature of the AIM-120C are the cranked control surfaces, which reduced the wingspan by about 19% to 45 cm. This enabled it to be carried in the internal weapon bays of the F-22 Raptor , which the larger A and B models cannot accommodate. In addition, a new steering and control system of the type WGU-44 / B was installed. Originally, the entire guided missile was to be extensively modernized, whereby this was prevented by tight cost limits, so that the improvements were carried out in several individual steps. The C version was introduced in 1996.

• AIM-120C-4: This variant has a new WDU-41 / B warhead . This contains more explosives (7.26 kg), which leads to an approximately 16% larger radius of action. Delivery from 1999.
• AIM-120C-5: This version gets a new and slightly larger rocket motor, which was made possible by smaller electronics. In addition, the ECCM capacities have been increased. The delivery took place from June 2000.
• AIM-120C-6: In this variant, the proximity fuse has been improved. In addition, a special warhead is available for fighting cruise missiles so that they can now also be fought frontally.
• AIM-120C-7: Currently the latest and probably the last C version. The electronics and the radar system have again been comprehensively modernized and now have, among other things, a higher ECM stability. The steering section could be reduced again by about 15 cm. This made it possible to increase the amount of rocket propellant carried, which further increased the range. In addition, the cruise missile combat capabilities have been significantly increased. The introduction began in August 2006 and around 1,000 guided missiles had been delivered by 2014.
• Combat value increases :
  • Counter Advanced Electronic Attack Risk Reduction and Concept Refinement : Program to increase the immunity to interference of all guided missiles of the C variant. The program started in September 2008.
  • Counter Air / Future Naval Capabilities : Part of the program is improving the AMRAAM rocket engine to increase speed, range and maneuverability. ATK is responsible for the development . The project started in October 2009 and all work should be completed by June 2013.
  • AMRAAM Processor Replacement Program : As part of this two-stage program, the AMRAAM main processor is to be replaced by newer and more powerful models. The first phase begins in July 2008, the second in February 2009.

AIM-120D

An AIM-120D is mounted in a weapon bay of an F-22 Raptor for test purposes

The AIM-120D represents a comprehensive further development of the AMRAAM series. The primary feature is its range that has been increased by around 50%. This was mainly achieved by a much longer rocket motor, whereby the new coupled GPS / INS also plays a role, as its much more precise position information enables a much straighter trajectory than a stand-alone INS. The 2-way data link is also new, which enables the missile to send data back to the launch platform in order to give the pilot a better overview of the situation. In addition, the AIM-120D also has a forward-facing one-way data link to further improve communication with the launch platform. A new radar seeker head should enable a larger detection range and have better "off-boresight" capabilities (describes the field of view of the radar). In order to be able to react better to strong evasive maneuvers of the target, an individually startable solid stage was integrated. It can be ignited by the guidance system of the AIM-120D at any time after the main stage has burned out in order to supply the guided missile with additional energy for powerful maneuvers on final approach. The first deliveries began in December 2007, with the guided missile still in the final test phase. The IOC was reached in April 2015 with the F / A-18. By mid-October 2015, 1405 AIM-120D from the manufacturer Raytheon had been delivered. Several hardware and software updates to improve interference immunity and flight performance are to be implemented between 2013 and 2016. These increases in combat value are also to be partially scaffolded in the older C3 to C7 guided missiles.

ASMT

The A ir S uperiority M issile T echnology project was initiated by the Air Force in 1996 to test new seeker, warhead and propulsion technology over the next five years. The prototype should have the dimensions of the AIM-120 in order to find space in the internal weapon bays of the F-22. A key component was a Ramjet engine with an integrated solid fuel booster, which was only tested on the ground in June 1997 and then installed in an AMRAAM for load-bearing tests. Furthermore, an AESA radar, a thrust vector control and side thrusters should be integrated. The program was led by McDonnell Douglas with a budget of US $ 22 million, the results of which were not known.

NASAMS

A NASAMS boot device

NASAMS ( N orwegian A dvanced S urface-to- A ir M issile S ystem) is a Norwegian air defense system based on AMRAAM. For this purpose, six rockets are mounted on a launcher that is either carried on a truck or as a trailer. The target data is provided by an AN / TPQ-36 radar. The system was developed by Raytheon and Kongsberg Defense & Aerospace and has been operational since 1995. The range of NASAMS is a maximum of 25 km. This relatively short range is due to the ground take-off: The altitude and speed of the take-off aircraft, which are otherwise usual for an AMRAAM take-off, cannot be used. In addition to Norway, Spain and the NATO Response Force also use the system.

Kongsberg is currently developing a further developed variant, which is called "NASAMS II". As part of this program, the AN / TPQ-36 will be replaced by the more powerful AN / MPQ-64 radar device. Furthermore, increased emphasis is placed on interoperability, so that the system can now receive and process target data from a much wider range of sensor platforms. More components should also be based on the COTS principle.

NCADE

NCADE ( N etwork C entric A irborne D efense E lement) is an airborne missile system , the current from Raytheon is developed. It is designed to intercept ballistic missiles in the initial and final stages. Many AMRAAM assemblies were adopted for the project, including the aircraft interface , the flight control unit and the aerodynamic design. However, NCADE uses the IR seeker head of the AIM-9X and the single-stage rocket motor has been replaced by a two-stage. The first stage is based on the typical AMRAAM booster , whereas the second stage is powered by HAN - liquid fuel and can therefore also fly and maneuver outside the earth's atmosphere . NCADE can be launched from any aircraft that can carry AMRAAMs. The last test so far took place in December 2007. An F-16 fired an AIM-9X equipped with the NCADE sensor at a launching ballistic missile and destroyed it.

With its advanced IR seeker head and long range, NCADE could target other than ballistic missiles. These include, among other things, LO aircraft, AWACS machines, cruise missiles and large anti-aircraft missiles (e.g. SM-2 or 48N6 ).

SLAMRAAM

One possible SLAMRAAM configuration: An HMMWV off-road vehicle with four AIM-120C and two AIM-9X on a movable launch system.

Under the acronym SLAMRAAM ( S urface- L aunched A dvanced M edium R ange A ir-to- A ir M issile) several projects of the US armed forces are summarized in which the AMRAAM as guided missiles in a ground-based air defense system (similar to NASAMS) can be used. This includes the CLAWS- ( C omplementary L ow A ltitude W eapon S ystem) and HUMRAAM program (HMMWV Launched AMRAAM). Either an HMMWV off-road vehicle or a modified HAWK starter serves as the starting platform . In order to receive target data, the launch systems are always connected to a radar and a control center via a data link. The AN / MPQ-64 or the AN / MPQ-61 are used as radar units.

SLAMRAAM systems are intended to significantly increase the air defense capabilities of the US Army and US Marines and replace many Stinger- based systems that only have a short range. Difficult targets such as drones and cruise missiles should also be able to fight better. In order to increase the range even further, in 2007 Raytheon presented a variant based on the ESSM rocket engine, which is known as the "SL-AMRAAM ER".

An AMRAAM in the weapon bay of an F-35 (left; both dummies)

In February 2008, however, the system was sharply criticized by the inspector of the Ministry of Defense, in particular because the project's objective was too imprecise, which makes it difficult to make statements about the efficiency of the system. Defense Secretary Gates stopped development in January 2011.

Platforms

American pattern

An F / A-18C / D Hornet with ten AIM-120s

• F-4 Phantom II (-E and -F ICE only)
• F-5S Tiger II
• F-14D Tomcat (only tests, no series production)
• AV-8B "Harrier II Plus"
• F-15 Eagle (from version C / D)
• F-16 Fighting Falcon (from block 15)
• F / A-18 Hornet (from version C / D)
• F-22 Raptor
• F-35 Lightning II

European pattern

• Saab 37 Viggen
• Saab JAS-39 Gripen
• Tornado ADV
• Eurofighter (from Block 2)
• Sea Harrier FA.2

Comparable systems

• Wympel R-27AE / AA-10 Alamo
• Wympel R-77 / AA-12 Adder
• MBDA MICA
• MBDA Meteor

Web links

Commons : AIM-120 AMRAAM  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Federation of American Scientists (English)
• Desgination-Systems.net (English)
• US Air Force factsheet ( Memento from May 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
• Raytheon brochure ( Memento from June 2, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English; PDF file; 189 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ^ Air Force Munitions Acquisitions Cost. About.com, January 2001, accessed December 11, 2013 . 
2. ^ ^{A b} Andreas Parsch: Raytheon (Hughes) AIM-120 AMRAAM. In: Designation-Systems.net. July 25, 2007, accessed December 12, 2018 . 
3. ↑ Doug Richardson: Stealth - Invisible Airplanes . Stocker-Schmid AG, Dietkion-Zurich 2002, ISBN 3-7276-7096-7 .
4. ↑ rusarm.com. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved December 29, 2013 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
5. ↑ AIM-120 P3I AMRAAM. In: deagel.com. October 15, 2012, accessed January 23, 2013 . 
6. ↑ F-16 Armament - AIM-120 AMRAAM. In: F-16.net. Retrieved January 23, 2013 . 
7. ^ Allan Magnus: USA - Gulf War 1990. In: Air Aces Homepage. February 1, 2002, accessed January 23, 2013 . 
8. ↑ AMRAAM Statistics. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on November 6, 2004 ; accessed on January 23, 2013 . 
9. ↑ ^{a b} Will the US Air Force be Annihilated in the Next War? In: Air Power Australia. November 24, 2012, accessed January 23, 2013 . 
10. ↑ Aviation Week: Russia Ends Military Ties With Turkey After Fighter Shot Down. Retrieved November 26, 2015 . 
11. ↑ Dave Majumdar: Why the US Military Doesn't Always Dominate. In: nationalinterest.org. June 25, 2017, accessed December 12, 2018 . 
12. ↑ Ryan Browne: New details on US shoot down of Syrian jet. In: edition.cnn.com. June 22, 2017, accessed June 26, 2017 . 
13. ↑ Alex Lockie: How a US F / A-18 shot down the first manned enemy plane since 1999. In: businessinsider.de. June 22, 2017, accessed June 26, 2017 . 
14. ↑ Jim Winchester: Syrian shoot-down marks first 'kill' for Super Hornet. In: flightglobal.com. June 19, 2017, accessed June 26, 2017 . 
15. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} Jane's Air-Launched Weapons . 2002, p. 2767 ff . (English).
16. ↑ Operational Field Storage. (PDF; 187.6 kB) (No longer available online.) In: www.ddesb.pentagon.mil. Pentagon, p. 133 , archived from the original on August 24, 2012 ; accessed on December 12, 2018 . 
17. ^ Aviation Week & Space Technology . tape 162 , no. 18 , May 2, 2005, pp. 27 .
18. ↑ Selected Acquisition Report (SAR) - AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) ( Memento from October 12, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on February 15, 2015, as of April 2014
19. ↑ AMRAAM: Deploying & Developing America's Medium-Range Air-Air Missile. In: Defense Industry Daily. January 15, 2013, accessed January 23, 2013 . 
20. ^ Aviation Week & Space Technology . tape 167 , no. 13 , October 1, 2007, p. 28-29 .
21. ↑ ^{a b} Aviation Week & Space Technology . tape 169 , no. 6 , August 8, 2008, p. 18-20 .
22. ↑ Latest AMRAAM variant achieves key program milestones
23. ↑ AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) ( Memento from February 8, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) accessed on February 8, 2016 (English)
24. ↑ RDT & E Budget Item Justification 2010. (PDF; 1.16 MB) US Air Force, accessed January 23, 2013 . 
25. ↑ Finland Updating Its Air Defense Systems. In: Defense Industry Daily. January 16, 2013, accessed January 23, 2013 . 
26. ↑ NCADE: To ABM AMRAAM - Or Something More? In: Defense Industry Daily. November 20, 2008, accessed January 23, 2013 . 
27. ↑ SLAMRAAM Dies From Loneliness. In: Strategy Page (online). January 11, 2011, accessed on October 23, 2013 (English): "The US Army has finally, after over a decade of development, and no orders, canceled its SLAMRAAM antiaircraft missile system. The US defense budget is being cut, and those items lower on the "must have" list are being eliminated. Some $ 3 billion has been spent on SLAMRAAM so far, and it would cost another $ 12 billion to put it into production. " 
28. ↑ Torsten Anft: AIM-120 AMRAAM. In: HOME OF MATS Retrieved January 23, 2013 .