Raytheon Missiles & Defense wins $972M Air Force contract for upgraded AMRAAM missiles

An entirely new lot of upgraded AMRAAM missiles is under development for the United States Air Force and Navy, per a $972 million contract awarded to Raytheon Missiles & Defense.

“This contract underscores the importance of AMRAAM in the warfighters’ arsenal,” Paul Ferraro, president of air power for Raytheon Missiles & Defense, said. “These missiles, developed under the Form, Fit, Function Refresh, have the most advanced hardware and software needed to compete with peer adversaries.”

This will include two missile types: the AIM-120D3 and the AIM-120C8. Efforts include updates to the missile’s hardware and software, bringing the AMRAAM – Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile – into the modern field. The first live-fire of the AIM-120D3’s production version was conducted jointly by the Air Force and Raytheon Missiles & Defense in July, launching a missile against an aerial target at long range from an F-15E Strike Eagle. The U.S. Air Force had the first live-fire of the production version of AIM-120D3 in June 2022, showcasing the success of the missile against a target. However, live-fire for the AIM-120C8 – a variant meant for foreign military sales – has yet to be conducted. Two additional live fires are planned for 2022.

These missiles were handled under the Form, Fit, Function Refresh program, also known as F3R. Engineers tapped digital technologies to upgrade multiple circuit cards and other guidance-focused hardware in the missiles, as well as to re-host legacy software of the missiles’ prior iterations.

When distributed, the missiles could wind up in any of 19 countries, as the AMRAAMs will also be dispatched to U.S. allies.