The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) uses active transmit-receive radar guidance instead of semi-active receive-only radar guidance. It is a fire-and-forget weapon, unlike the previous generation Sparrow missiles which required full guidance from the firing aircraft. When an AMRAAM missile is launched, NATO pilots use the brevity code “Fox Three”.
The AMRAAM has been used in several engagements, achieving 16 air-to-air kills in conflicts over Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, India, and Syria. The AIM-120A is no longer in production and shares the enlarged wings and fins with the successor AIM-120B. The AIM-120C has smaller “clipped” aerosurfaces to enable internal carriage on the U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor. The AIM-120C-8 (P3I Phase 4, AIM-120D) is a development of the AIM-120C with a two-way data link, more accurate navigation using a GPS-enhanced IMU, an expanded no-escape envelope, and improved HOBS (high off-boresight) capability. The AIM-120D has a max speed of Mach 4 and is a joint U.S. Air Force/U.S. Navy project currently in the testing phase. The Royal Australian Air Force requested 450 AIM-120C-8 missiles, which would make it the first foreign operator of the missile.