AIM-120C-8 Takes to the Skies: US Air Force and RTX Celebrate Milestone Test Flight
The U.S. Air Force, in collaboration with Raytheon, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) entity, has triumphantly conducted the inaugural flight test of the AIM-120C-8 – the most recent global variant of AMRAAM® crafted under the Form, Fit, Function (F3R) upgrade. The AIM-120C-8 was unleashed from an F-15C Eagle, successfully neutralizing the aerial target while satisfying all essential objectives for the flight evaluation.
“AMRAAM is a tested and proven missile that has earned the trust of over 40 international allies for air-to-air and surface-to-air operations,” stated Paul Ferraro, president of Air Power at Raytheon, part of RTX. “Thanks to the innovations from F3R, which enhance both the missile’s hardware and enable future Agile software enhancements, we are optimizing this weapon’s capabilities for our partners globally.”
As part of the F3R initiative, engineers implemented model-based systems engineering strategies and various digital technologies to modernize multiple circuit boards and advanced processors in the missile’s guidance apparatus, as well as to transition legacy software in the AIM-120D-3 and AIM-120C-8 variants of AMRAAM.
This flight test of the AIM-120C-8 comes after the successful conclusion of the AIM-120D-3 flight evaluation. Testing of the AIM-120D-3 was finalised in just 11 months following the initial flight assessment, culminating in demonstrating the missile’s effectiveness in a highly contested environment.
Recently, the U.S. Air Force granted Raytheon a contract worth $1.15 billion for AMRAAM to manufacture AIM-120D-3 and C-8 missiles for 19 nations.
