The missile was fired from an F-15C Eagle aircraft and successfully hit the airborne target, meeting all key test objectives.
The US Air Force and Raytheon Technologies announced the successful first test flight of the new AIM-120 C-8 air-to-air missile, the most advanced model in the AMRAAM missile family.
Paul Ferraro, head of Raytheon's Air Power division, told AIR FORCE NEWS that air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles from this family have proven themselves with customers in 40 countries.
The new model features upgraded hardware that allows for software upgrades, enhancing the missile's capabilities for customers worldwide.
The initial AMRAAM missiles were supplied to the U.S. military in the late 1980s, and since then, Raytheon has improved the missiles, incorporating features like active seekers and inertial navigation.
The 2024 budget from the Department of Defense outlines a multi-year procurement plan for missiles, increasing production rates and reducing production costs. The budget includes 324 missiles for the Navy and 457 missiles for the Air Force.
In June 2023, the Air Force signed a $1.15 billion contract with Raytheon for the production of the latest and previous versions of the missile for 19 countries worldwide.
Image - US Air Force