It is capable of carrying an 18.1kg high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead to a maximum range of between 20 to 30 nautical miles (nm). The launch weight of the missile is 150.7kg. The AMRAAM has a length of 3.6m, diameter of 17.7cm and wingspan of 52.5cm. The missile has beyond-visual-range and home-on-jamming capabilities. The missile’s layout is divided into guidance, armament, propulsion and control sections. Design featuresĭerived from the Sparrow range of missiles, the AMRAAM was designed to be quicker, smaller and lighter than the Sparrow. The contract increased the total contract value under the WRTTM programme to over $181m since 1991. In February 2012, communications company Harris won a $11m follow-on contract from the USAF to provide warhead replacement tactical telemetry modules (WRTTM) for the AMRAAM. More than 200 missiles were test-fired during the flight-tests. The production contract was awarded to both companies in 1987. Raytheon was chosen as a follow on manufacturer. The development was concluded during the full-scale development phase. Hughes Aircraft’s Missile System Group was preferred as the full-scale developer of the missile. The programme was concluded with the end of successful demonstration of flight-tests in December 1981. The conceptual phase of the programme was completed in February 1979 when Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon were selected as preferred contractors by the USAF to continue into the validation phase. The AMRAAM is a joint USAF and USN programme led by the Air Force. The US State Department also cleared the sale of 118 AIM-120C-7/C-8 missiles as part of an integrated air defense weapon system (IADWS) to India in February 2020. In October 2019, the US Government approved a potential sale of 120 AIM-120C-7/C-8 AMRAAMs, along with containers, spares and support equipment to South Korea. Hungary will purchase 180 AIM-120C-7 missiles in a deal estimated at $500m. The USAF awarded a contract modification worth $573m to the company to continue its works for building AMRAAM, in March 2016.The UK Government’s request for the procurement of up to 200 AMRAAM AIM-120D missiles was approved in July 2018. The contract includes production of AMRAAM missiles, captive air training missiles, guidance sections, AMRAAM telemetry system and support hardware which will be delivered by February 2023. The company received a $768m contract from the US Air Force for production Lot 33 of the missiles, in December 2019. Switzerland requested a sale of 150 missiles in December 2010. Chile requested a sale of 100 missiles in November 2009. In November 2009, the US Government exercised separate Letters of Offer and Acceptance with three of its allies, Kuwait, Morocco and Jordan, for the AIM-120C-7 AMRAAM. Deliveries have been delayed due to the malfunction of rocket motors during cold weather tests. The Finnish MoD placed an order for 300 AMRAAMs in 2008. In 2007, the US Government agreed to sell 218 AIM-120C-7 missiles to Taiwan under a $421m arms sales package. Poland received the AIM-120C-5 missiles for its new F-16 fighters in 2006. In September 2006, the USAF placed a $66m Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract to deliver 123 AIM-120C5 missiles for Saudi Arabia and Singapore. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) placed an order in early 2006 for 500 AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM missiles under its $650m F-16 ammunition contract.
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