Raytheon has introduced a multiyear take care of the Pentagon to extend annual manufacturing of the U.S. Armed Forces’ major air-to-air missile kind, the AIM-120 AMRAAM, to succeed in ranges of at the least 1,900 yearly, or at the least 158 % of ranges seen in 2024 when 1,200 of the missiles have been produced. Though a successor to the missile, the AIM-260, has been beneath growth since 2017, not solely have there been vital delays in bringing it into service, however it’s anticipated to be unaffordable for widespread deployments throughout the Air Drive, Navy and Marine Corps. The place the AIM-260 arsenal is predicted to be concentrated within the Pacific theatre to face peer stage challenges from Chinese language air models, the closely enhanced AIM-120D is prone to proceed to be relied on as American fighter models’ major air-to-air missile in different theatres for the foreseeable future.
The AIM-120 is in service with 43 American defence shoppers, with the manufacturing surge prone to have been motivated not solely by a rise within the U.S. Armed Forces’ personal demand for higher portions of the newest AIM-120D variant, but in addition by rising export demand. The USA has had vital success in rising its share of world fighter market gross sales, primarily as a consequence of its providing of the F-35 as the one NATO appropriate fifth technology fighter. Aside from a Russian Su-57 sale to Algeria, all fifth technology fighter gross sales on report have been F-35s, with the fighter persistently vastly outperforming rival Western fighters such because the F-18E/F and Eurofighter on international markets. Though the F-35 at present carries simply 4 AIM-120 missiles internally in customary configuration, this can improve to 6 missiles for the F-35A and F-35C variants as soon as they’re introduced as much as the Block 4 customary within the early 2030s.
In September 2025 the U.S. Air Drive was confirmed to have performed the longest ranged air-to-air engagement on report utilizing the AIM-120, with the improve to the missile having been trialled at Eglin Air Drive Base within the Autumn of 2024 utilizing an F-22 fighter because the launch platform. The engagement validated an prolonged flight profile for the missile, confirming that new upgrades beneath the Kind, Match, Perform Refresh (F3R) program has been profitable in considerably enhancing its efficiency. The brand new AIM-120D3 variant examined had been developed within the 2010s particularly to reply to advances in China’s personal air-to-air missile capabilities, most importantly the event of the PL-15 to equip its new J-20 fifth technology fighters. Vital successes in enhancing the AIM-120’s efficiency are prone to have influenced the choice to surge manufacturing ranges.
A number one shortcoming of the AIM-120 is its lack of a equally superior radar in its seeker to the energetic electronically scanned array (AESA) radars guiding the Chinese language PL-15, PL-16, and PL-17, with plans to combine an AESA radar onto the AIM-120D variant having been cancelled to cut back prices. The usage of much less superior radars limits the missiles’ skill to withstand jamming, and to lock onto targets with superior stealth capabilities. Succeeding the AIM-120, the newer AIM-260 was initially supposed to enter service round 2022, with a number of delays thought to have pushed this again by at the least 4 to 5 years. Though the extent progress in direction of growth stays unsure, requests for funding for serial manufacturing and procurements by each the Air Drive and the Navy point out that this system has already neared or reached an finish to growth testing. Though a lot relating to the testing course of stays, it was confirmed in late 2021 that the Air Drive had begun utilizing its reserves of retired F-16 fighters as aerial targets for this function. Questions additionally stay relating to whether or not it will likely be permitted for export, with anticipated export restrictions anticipated to make sure that vital markets for the AIM-120 stay open.
