RTX, formerly known as Raytheon Technologies, announced that the US Air Force has successfully completed the first test flight of the AIM-120C-8 missile, the newest version of the AMRAAM weapon developed.
First Test in the USA
More specifically and according to a press release from the US defence company RTX, the AIM-120C-8 missile was launched from an F-15C Eagle fighter and shot down an airborne target, completing all the main objectives of its test flight.
"AMRAAM is a combat-proven missile trusted by more than 40 international partners for both air-to-air and surface-to-air missions," said Paul Ferraro, president of Raytheon's Air Power division. "With advances from the (F3R) enhancement program, which upgrades the missile's hardware and enables future software upgrades, we are maximizing the weapon's capabilities for our allies around the world."
Under the F3R upgrade program, engineers used unprecedented systems engineering and other innovative new technologies to upgrade the advanced processors and other subcomponents in the missile's navigation system and to evolve the software in the AIM-120D-3 and AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM versions.
The AIM-120C-8 test flight was announced shortly after the AIM-120D-3 version completed testing. The test phase of this missile was completed just 11 months after the initial test flight of the weapon and concluded that the AIM-120D-3 is capable of performing effectively in a highly contested environment.
Recently, the US Air Force signed a $1.15 billion contract with Raytheon to produce AIM-120D-3 and AIM-120C-8 missiles for 19 countries.
Killer Combination with F-35
The new AIM-120C-8 missile is a next-generation weapon with terrifying capabilities that is obviously compatible with the top-of-the-line F-35 Lightning II low-observable fighter. The weapon demonstrates an extended range of 160 kilometers, better navigation and a higher probability of successful target destruction than any previous version of the missile.
Germany initially ordered 105 missiles for its F-35 fighters, and shortly afterwards it increased its order almost tenfold to 969 units.
Just the thought of the Greek air force combining the deadly F-35 fighters with the state-of-the-art AIM-120C-8 missiles would truly terrify the Turks.
If everything goes according to plan and Greece receives its first stealth aircraft by 2028 then the Greek Air Force deserves to seriously consider the possibility of acquiring such devastating missiles.
