Latest AMRAAM variant tested in F-16 live fire exercise

It features upgraded circuit cards for its guidance section, capability for continuous agile software improvements, and the ability to counter peer threats, according to Raytheon.

Raytheon air power president Paul Ferraro said the missile successfully completed all developmental and operational testing, concluding with an F-16 live fire test with production hardware and software.

“We are ramping AMRAAM production to a greater rate than ever before in the history of this program,” he said.

“With significantly increased functionality, performance and producibility, and the completion of the flight test program, we are ensuring warfighters can count on having the fifth generation of AMRAAM, and enough of them, in their arsenal.”

Developmental and operational test of the AIM-120D-3 included captive carry and live fires from both the US Navy and US Air Force fourth and fifth-generation platforms.

The production ramp increases follow recent contracts, such as a $1.15 billion awarded in June 2023 and $972 million awarded in September 2022.

Robert Dougherty

Robert is a senior journalist who has previously worked for Seven West Media in Western Australia, as well as Fairfax Media and Australian Community Media in New South Wales. He has produced national headlines, photography and videography of emergency services, business, community, defence and government news across Australia. Robert graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Majoring in Public Relations and Journalism at Curtin University, attended student exchange program with Fudan University and holds Tier 1 General Advice certification for Kaplan Professional. Reach out via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or via LinkedIn.