An AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) fired by a United States Air Force F-22 Raptor fifth generation stealth fighter has achieved the "longest known" in a test firing. Raytheon, the manufacturer of the AIM-120 missile, claimed in a press release on September 16 that "the tests, conducted in the fall of 2024 on an F-22, demonstrated AMRAAM's extended time of flight capability, proving the munition can significantly increase the lethality of fifth-generation aircraft."

The test firings were carried out by the F-22 over the skies of Eglin Air Force Base in western Florida. However, neither the US Air Force nor Raytheon confirmed the distance at which the target was flying.

Raytheon said the AIM-120 AMRAAM version fired during the tests was the F3R. This version of the air-to-air missile built for the US Air Force stands for form, fit, function refresh. There are four versions of the missile in service with the US military - AIM-120A/B (operational range 40 nautical miles or 75 kilometers), AIM-120C (49 nmi or 90 km) and AIM-120D (70-86 nmi or 130-160 km even though the actual range of this version is classified and rumored to be much more in the region of 90-95 nmi or 175+ km)

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"This is the result of the U.S. Air Force's form, fit, function refresh (F3R) development effort, which continues to enhance AMRAAM's performance, and Raytheon's investment in the research, development and production of AMRAAM. Achieving air superiority in the future, highly contested battlespace depends on the precision and lethality of air-to-air missiles," said Sam Deneke, president of Air & Space Defense Systems at Raytheon. "AMRAAM is already known as the gold standard for the air dominance arena, and these tests prove it will continue to play a critical role for the U.S. and its allies for decades to come."

The AIM-120 AMRAAM has been test fired over 4,900 times and has registered 13 air-to-air combat kills. Air forces of 40 countries arm their combat aircraft with different versions of the AIM-120. The missile is a part of the arsenal of F-15A/B/C/D/E Eagle/Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lightning II, Eurofighter Typhoon, JAS-39 Gripen, Tornado and Harrier.



"The newest version of AMRAAM is operational on all F-35 Joint Strike Fighter variants. It is the only radar-guided, air-to-air missile cleared to fly on the F-35," the Raytheon press release stated.

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FAQs

Q. What is a F-22 Raptor?

A. The F-22 Raptor is one of America’s fifth-generation fighter aircraft. Built jointly by Lockheed Martin and Boeing, the F-22 Raptor is a single-pilot, twin-engine supersonic jet.

Q. What is an AIM-120D AMRAAM?

A. A family of beyond visual range air-to-air missiles, the AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) has a range which is classified. But defense experts believe this missile can hit targets nearly 95+ nmi or 175+ km away.

Q. What record did the F-22 create in the fall of 2024?

A. One of the F-22 based at Eglin Air Force Base in western Florida fired an AIM-120 AMRAAM which achieved the longest known shot by a fifth generation combat aircraft till date.