Raytheon Missiles & Defense Secures $972 Million Deal for Next-Gen AMRAAMs from the U.S. Air Force
Raytheon Missiles & Defense, a division of Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX), has secured a $972 million agreement for enhanced AMRAAM® missiles. This marks the initial AMRAAM contract intended to produce a complete lot of AIM-120D3 and AIM-120C8 missiles developed through the Form, Fit, Function Refresh, commonly referred to as F3R, which modernizes both the missile’s hardware and software components.
“This agreement highlights the critical role of AMRAAM within warfighters’ arsenal,” stated Paul Ferraro, president of Air Power for Raytheon Missiles & Defense. “These missiles, engineered under the Form, Fit, Function Refresh, boast the most sophisticated hardware and software necessary to stand against peer adversaries.”
Alongside supplying missiles to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, the agreement also dispatches AMRAAMs to 19 allied nations, thus broadening the production capabilities for both the United States and its global partners.
Under the F3R initiative, engineers employed model-based systems engineering strategies and various digital technologies to upgrade several circuit boards and other hardware within the missile’s guidance section, as well as to re-host legacy software in the AIM-120D3 and AIM-120C8 AMRAAM models. These adaptations integrate System Improvement Program 3F software enhancements with F3R hardware, delivering exceptional capabilities against sophisticated threats.
The U.S. Air Force carried out the first live-fire test of the production version of the AIM-120D3 in June 2022, demonstrating the missile’s effectiveness against a target. There are plans for two additional live-fire tests in 2022.
