AIM-120 AMRAAM (Missile)

The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile, or AMRAAM (pronounced am-ram), is a modern Beyond Visual Range (BVR) air-to-air missile (AAM) capable of all weather day and night performance. It is also commonly known as the Slammer in USAF service. When an AMRAAM missile is being launched, NATO pilots use the brevity code Fox Three in radio communication, as with all active-guidance missiles.

Specification

Type: Medium-range, active radar homing air-to-air missile
Manufacturer: Hughes / Raytheon
Unit cost: USD386,000 (2003)
Weight: 152 kg
Length: 3.66 m
Diameter: 178 mm
Warhead: High explosive blast-fragmentation
AIM-120A/B: 23 kg WDU-33/B blast-fragmentation
AIM-120C-5: 18 kg WDU-41/B blast-fragmentation
Engine: High-performance directed rocket motor
Wingspan: 526 mm)(AIM-120A/B)
Operational range: AIM-120A/B: 48 km
AIM-120C-5: 64 km
AIM-120D: 95 km
Speed: Mach 4
Guidance system: INS, active radar

AIM-7 Sparrow MRM

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 DemonThe AIM-7 Sparrow medium range missile (MRM) was developed by the US Navy in the 1950s as its first operational BVR air-to-air weapon. With an effective range of about 12 miles (19 km), it was introduced as a radar bean riding missile and then improved to a semi-active radar guided and F7U Cutlass, but the definitive AIM-7 Sparrow was the primary weapon for the all weather, gun-less F-4 Phantom II fighter/interceptor with up to four carried in special recesses under the fuselage.

Although designed for non maneuvering targets such as bombers, due to poor performance against fighters over North Vietnam, these missiles were progressively improved until they proved effective in dogfights. Together with the short range infrared guided AIM-9 Sidewinder, they replaced the AIM-4 Falcon IR and radar guided series for use in air combat by the USAF as well. A disadvantage to semi-active homing was that only one target could be illuminated by the launch aircraft at a time; also, the launch aircraft had to remain pointed in the direction of the target (within the azimuth of the aircraft radar, up to 60 degrees off the nose on some systems), which could be difficult or dangerous in combat.

AIM-54 Phoenix LRM

The US Navy later developed the AIM-54 Phoenix long range missile (LRM) for the fleet air defense mission. It was an impressive 1000 lb (500 kg) Mach 5 missile designed to counter cruise missiles and their (Bomber) launch platforms. It was intended that eight of its first incarnation would be fitted to the straight-wing F6D Missileer, and then the F-111B. Neither aircraft was introduced into service and Grumman won the competition to replace the F-111B with a dogfighter with enough weight and volume for the Phoenix that became the F-14 Tomcat. Phoenix was the first US fire-and-forget multiple launch radar-guided missile: one which used its own active guidance system to guide itself without help from the launch aircraft when it closed on its target. This gave a Tomcat with a six Phoenix load the unprecedented capability of tracking and destroying up to six targets as far as 100 miles (160 km) away.

The Phoenix could only be carried by the huge 60000 lb (27200 kg) F-14, making the Tomcat the only US fighter with a multiple shot, fire-and-forget radar missile. A full load of six Phoenix weighed 6000 lb (2700 kg), and with the additional 2000 lb (900 kg) of dedicated launcher, it was so heavy it exceeded a typical Vietnam era bomb load; typically only two or four missiles were flown off the carrier as a full load was too heavy to be brought back on board for landing. Although highly lauded in the press, its operational service with the US Navy was primarily as a deterrent as its use was hampered by restrictive Rules of Engagement and the only reported combat successes were with Iranian Tomcats against Iraqi opponents. The US Navy retired its Phoenix capability in 2005 in light of availability of the AIM-120 AMRAAM on the F/A-18 Hornet.

AMRAAM has an all-weather, beyond-visual-range (BVR) capability. It improves the aerial combat capabilities of U.S. and allied aircraft to meet the future threat of enemy air-to-air weapons. AMRAAM serves as a follow-on to the AIM-7 Sparrow missile series. The new missile is faster, smaller, and lighter, and has improved capabilities against low-altitude targets. It also incorporates a datalink to guide the missile to a point where its active radar turns on and makes terminal intercept of the target. An inertial reference unit and micro-computer system makes the missile less dependent upon the fire-control system of the aircraft.

Once the missile closes in on the target, its active radar guides it to intercept. This feature, mistakenly called "fire and forget," frees the aircrew from the need to further provide guidance, enabling the aircrew to aim and fire several missiles simultaneously at multiple targets and perform evasive maneuvers while the missiles guide themselves to the targets.

The missile also features the ability to "Home on Jamming," giving it the ability to switch over from active radar homing to passive homing - homing on jamming signals from the target aircraft. Software on board the missile allows it to detect if it is being jammed, and guide on its target using the proper guidance system. This, contrary to the attack sequence on a non-jamming target, truly can be described as "fire and forget", as it does not require any guidance provided to the missile after launch.