![]() ![]() ![]() The airframe is divided into four major sections: guidance, warhead, propulsion and control. The AMRAAM is housed in a light-weight structure of steel and titanium. Full-rate production of the missile was approved in April 1992, marking Milestone III. The F-16 followed in January 1992, and the Navy in October 1993. In September 1991, IOC (Initial Operational Capability) was achieved for the AMRAAM on USAF F-15 aircraft. The subsequent FY 1988 order for 630 missiles was split 55/45 with the biggest share for Hughes. Of the initial 180 missile, USD $537.4 million (four times higher than estimated) order, Raytheon produced 75 and Hughes 105 rounds. Production is split (under Caesar's 'Devide and Conquer' motto) between two contractors, Hughes and Rate. By this time, some of the problems were solved and low-rate initial production ( LRIP) was approved for FY 1987. The fact that no European counterpart for the AMRAAM exists, is due to an MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) signed by West Germany and the UK, assigning AMRAAM to the USA and ASRAAM (Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile) to Europe.īy 1985, AMRAAM was in serious trouble: huge cost overruns and delays meant that not a single test round was fired in a hostile ECM-environment until October 1986. Mugu, with the missile proving itself against increasingly tougher targets. The AMRAAM program entered FSD (Full Scale Development) in September 1982, and test firing of the missile started in that same year at Holloman AFB and NAS Pt. At the end of 1981, after only 6 missiles were fired (3 each), Hughes Aircraft & Missile Systems Group was picked over Raytheon to build 94 test missiles, with an option for 924 full production missiles. Both contractors received a contract for ten prototype missiles each, which were to be fired from F-14, F-15 and F-16 aircraft. (USAF photo)The original list of five proposals was narrowed down to 2 in February 1979. AIM-120 launch sequence by an USAF F-16A. ![]()
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