The US Air Force and Raytheon, an RTX business, have successfully completed all developmental and operational testing of the AIM-120D3 missile, concluding with an F-16 live-fire demonstration using production hardware and software.
Prior to the final flight test, the AIM-120D3 completed developmental and operational testing, which involved captive carry and live-fire exercises conducted from both the US Navy and US Air Force platforms of fourth and fifth generations.
As stated by the company, the recent contracts awarded, including $1.15 billion in June 2023 and $972 million in September 2022, have led to an escalated production ramp-up, with Raytheon anticipated to fulfill deliveries of the missile by August 2025.
“We are ramping AMRAAM production to a greater rate than ever before in the history of this program,” said Paul Ferraro, president of Air Power at Raytheon.
“With significantly increased functionality, performance and producibility, and the completion of the flight test program, we are ensuring warfighters can count on having the fifth generation of AMRAAM – and enough of them – in their arsenal,” he added.
The AIM-120D3, being the latest variant of the AMRAAM missile developed under the Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R) program, is designed to effectively counter peer threats.
Under the F3R program, engineers used model-based systems engineering initiatives and other digital technologies to upgrade multiple circuit cards and hardware into the guidance section of the missile and to re-host legacy software in the AIM-120D3.
