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Lockheed Martin has an interesting graphic displayed on their website showing the comparative max loud-outs for stealth combat configuration and for non-stealth combat configuration—the latter of which the company refers to as "beast mode." In the "beast mode" configuration, the graphic depicts an air-to-air optimized load-out that includes a whopping 14 AIM-120 AMRAAMs and a pair of AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles—16 missiles in all. But does such a plentiful missile carrying configuration actually exist? No, it doesn't. Not only has this configuration not been tested but as far as we can tell it isn't even slated for development anytime in the...

Russia’s R-77 active-radar-homing air-to-air missile — NATO designation AA-12 — is widely considered to be equivalent to the American AIM-120 AMRAAM. But in fact, the R-77 isn’t nearly as successful as the AIM-102. It may never have formally entered service with the Russian air force at all. In the best case, the number of operational, combat-ready rounds in the Russian arsenal can be counted on the fingers of two hands. What used to be the Vympel Design Bureau — now known as the KTRV Corporation — started the work on the K-77, as it was then designated, in 1982, only for the Kremlin to more or less cancel...

Australia could become the first foreign nation to buy the radar-guided Raytheon AIM-120D air-to-air missile under a $1.1 billion foreign military sales package approved by the US government this week. AIM-120D is the latest variant of Raytheon’s popular AMRAAM series, developed for the US Air Force and Navy. The networked, beyond-visual-range missile introduces satellite-aided navigation, a two-way datalink and new guidance software that “improves kinematic performance and weapon effectiveness”. It has greater range than the legacy variants and is optimised for high-angle off-boresight shots. Canberra has requested 450 missiles – as well as instrumented test vehicles and spare guidance sections...

South Africa’s reputation as top gun when it comes to air power in the southern African region could be shot down by Angola and its powerful new Russian fighters. The west African country is set to take delivery of the first tranche of Sukhoi Su-30K fighters in the next six months and will have 12 in service by the end of next year. Gauteng Afrikaans daily Beeld approached military analyst Helmoed Heitman, retired SAAF and Indian Air Force pilot colonel Rama Iyer and a former officer commanding 2 Squadron for their views on how the SA Air Force’s (SAAF) Gripens...

SEOUL, Oct. 13 (Yonhap) -- A newly developed airborne missile by European missile manufacturer MBDA will provide South Korea with "air superiority" over North Korea and other powerful neighbors if they are loaded onto the F-35 combat fighters to be delivered to the country in the coming years, the firm's official said Tuesday. Under a deal signed last year, South Korea will bring in 40 F-35A jet fighters, the fifth-generation platform with stealth capacities from Lockheed Martin, from 2018 to 2021 to better guard against North Korean threats. The F-35A fleet will initially be equipped with the U.S.' AIM-120 Advanced...

The annual Air Force Association conference will kick off outside of Washington next week, where Boeing is putting its latest and greatest combat aircraft developments on show for industry and Washington power brokers. This includes new F-15 configurations that allow the 43-year-old design to lug 16 air-to-air missiles into combat instead of the standard eight it carries today. According to Boeing artwork floating around the net, this includes the activation of the number one and number nine weapon stations on the outer wings, or possibly by hefting a multiple ejector rack capable of carrying a pair of AIM-120 AMRAAMs on...

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Feb. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has begun development on an extended range variant of the combat-proven Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM®). Designed specifically for ground-based air defense, AMRAAM-ER will enable intercepts at longer range and higher altitudes. "With AMRAAM-ER, Raytheon is rewriting the book on ground-based air defense. The new missile will be even faster and more maneuverable than the current AMRAAM," said Mike Jarrett, Raytheon vice president of Air Warfare Systems. "By leveraging many existing AMRAAM components, Raytheon can deliver AMRAAM-ER quickly and affordably with very low...

The medium-range air-to-air missiles to be outfitted to Turkey’s F-16 and F-35 fighter jets will come with a price tag of $320 million A new generation of advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM) that Turkey will acquire from the United States will significantly upgrade and boost the country’s aerial firepower, according to Air Force officials. “Perhaps the most important feature about the new weaponry is that they will be used both in our F-16 fighters and the future F-35s,” one senior official said. A defense official said the new version features more sensitive guidance, adding to a fleet’s firepower. This will...

Thatcher urged to steal French-made Exocet missiles during Falklands war National Archives papers outline plan of attorney general to hijack missiles being transported through South America One of Britain's most senior law officers at the time of the Falklands conflict, the attorney general, Sir Michael Havers, urged the prime minister to steal deadly French Exocet missiles to stop them ending up in the hands of the enemy. The ingenious scheme is revealed in previously secret documents released to the National Archives on Friday which show how the UK government attempted to subvert South American solidarity with Argentina. The Chilean junta...

Humidity blamed for split U.S.-made missile radomes in Taiwan 2012/03/19 18:01:53 Taipei, March 19 (CNA) Taiwan's wet climate has been identified as the main cause of splits in the radomes of some of the U.S.-made missiles used by Taiwan's F-16 fighter jets, the Air Force said Monday. In a statement, the Air Force said it has followed U.S. suggestions for improved measures for storing its AIM-120 medium-range air-to-air missiles in a condition that will reduce the influence of moisture on the radomes. The statement came after a local newspaper reported earlier in the day that automatic breakdowns have been occurring...

USAF cancels AMRAAM replacement By: Zach Rosenberg Washington DC The US Air Force has cancelled the next generation missile (NGM) meant to replace both the anti-air AIM-120 AMRAAM and the anti-radiation AGM-88 HARM, both mainstays of the USA and its international allies. The NGM programme, also formerly known as the joint dual-role air dominance missile and projected to cost up to $15 billion, was cancelled "for affordability reasons", according to Gen Edward Bolton, USAF chief budget officer. The contest was eagerly anticipated by major aerospace companies, including Aerojet, Alliant Techsystems, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. Following the 13...

IN FOCUS: USAF committed to replace AMRAAM and HARM with new missile By: Stephen Trimble Washington DC 12:00 6 Dec 2011 Twenty years after entering service, the Raytheon AIM-120 AMRAAM is still one of the most feared weapons in air warfare, yet it may also be among the most endangered. China and Russia are developing new air-to-air missiles with possibly longer ranges, adding to the overall threat posed since 2010 by the appearance of the Sukhoi T-50 and Chengdu J-20 prototype stealth fighters. Moreover, a new generation of surface-to-air missile systems are extending their reach, making a strike by fighters...

U.S. moves to upgrade Taiwan's F-16 fighter fleet Reuters) - The Obama administration formally notified the U.S. Congress on Wednesday of a potential $5.3 billion upgrade of Taiwan's existing fleet of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets despite China's opposition to such arms deals. The "retrofit" of 145 Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 A/B aircraft will give them essentially the same capabilities as late-model F-16 C/Ds that Taiwan has sought to deter any attack, U.S. officials told reporters ahead of the notification. Beijing deems Taiwan a renegade province subject to unification by force if necessary. It regards U.S. arms sales to the self-ruled...

Maintenance of Taiwan's AIM-120 missiles at risk: report 2011/02/17 21:16:10 Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) The sustainability of a U.S.-made missile that is part of Taiwan's defense arsenal could be at risk because the component makers have withdrawn from the manufacturing program, according to a military report. The maintenance and life-cycle of the hundreds of AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) that Taiwan currently has in service could be affected by the move, said a Taiwan Air Force report on the 2010 AMRAAM International Users' Conference that was held in Florida in May 2010. At the meeting, the U.S. had...

US delivers first batch of air-to-air missiles By Shakeel Ahmed ISLAMABAD—In continuation to the F-16 Induction Plan and after the recent delivery of Block-52 F-16 C/D aircraft, PAF last week received the first batch of Advance Medium Range Air to Air Missiles (AMRAAM) AIM-120 from USA. According to PAF spokesman the induction of these Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles in the PAF inventory not only marks the achievement of another major milestone in PAF Developmental Plan, but also bolsters its defensive capabilities manifold. Additionally, this capability brings PAF at par with other modern Air Forces of the world in terms...

Czech military receives 24 U.S. AMRAAM missiles www.chinaview.cn 2008-01-24 04:23:18 PRAGUE, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- The Czech military has received 24 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) from the United States, Defense Ministry spokesman Andrej Cirtek said on Wednesday. The AMRAAM missiles are to improve the combat qualities of the Jas-39 Gripen fighters the Czech Republic has leased from Sweden, the Czech news agency CTK quoted Cirtek as saying. The Czech-U.S. contract for the purchase of AMRAAMs was signed in 2005. The Czech military has leased a total of 14 Jas-39 Gripens from Sweden for 10 years for 19.6 billion crowns...

While U.S. weapons development stalled almost completely during the 1990s - both Russia and China have continued to field a new generation of missiles for which the west has no equal nor defense. A popular new weapon is the Russian long range air-to-air Vympel R-77 missile, NATO code named AA-12 Adder. The R-77 is designed to destroy other aircraft beyond visual range and reported to be equal to or better than the U.S. made AIM-120 AMRAAM missile...

RAMRAAMski, via India? Pakistan's recent November 2006 purchase of 500 AIM-120C AMRAAM missiles is creating counterpressure on the subcontinent, and reportedly has India looking for 120km BVRAAMs (Beyond Visual Range Air-Air Missiles). Missiles with this notional head-on range would far outstrip the 60km of the AIM-120C, and even the 60-90km (36-54 miles) reported for the Russian AA-12/R-77 'AMRAAMski' that India already deploys. Indeed, this figure would be closer to the ramjet-powered Meteor under development via MBDA. "There are moves also to start indigenous development of such long-range missiles by DRDO with possible foreign collaboration," a DRDO source reportedly said. Indian...

TUCSON, Ariz., April 4, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has received a $200 million contract from the U.S. Air Force for continued production of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air missile (AMRAAM). The contract, originally announced by the Department of Defense on Dec. 22, 2004, includes 434 AMRAAMs. "This contract award demonstrates a continued resolve to insure world-wide air dominance for the United States military. I am extremely proud of the AMRAAM team's accomplishments in providing the U.S. warfighter and our allies with the world's finest beyond visual range (BVR) missile," said Air Force AMRAAM Program Director Thomas Robillard....

The United States was said to have agreed to an Israeli request to restrict the capability and use of advanced air-to-air missiles to Jordan and ban their sale to the rest of the Arab world. The London-based A-Sharq Al Awsat reported on Wednesday that Israel persuaded the Bush administration to impose a set of restrictions on the sale of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile to Jordan. Earlier, the administration had agreed in principle to a Jordanian request for the AMRAAM for the kingdom's F-16 fleet. The newspaper asserted that Israel agreed to an arrangement in which the AMRAAM would...