![]() After tracking the missile’s release and projected flight path, the shot was determined a success and the missile flight was terminated, according to an Air Combat Command press release. The test consisted of an F-15EX prototype firing an AIM-120D AMRAAM at a BQM-167 aerial target drone. 25 marked a historic milestone for the Air Force’s newest fighter as the F-15EX Eagle II executed its first live-fire weapons test over the Gulf of Mexico. For example, to send F-16 which has already become the main point of discussion for the last few months.ARLINGTON, Va. ![]() However, given all the issues mentioned above, the reality looks the opposite: the adaptation of Soviet type fighters for western AMRAAM missiles looks unpromising, so it would be more efficient to consider providing Ukraine with the standard carriers of AIM-120 missiles instead. The Drive believes that as soon as Ukrainian MiG-29 jets are adapted to carry AIM-120 missiles, the Ukrainian fighters will have much wider capabilities to fight off not only russian aviation but cruise missiles and Shahed-type drones as well. Ukrainian Su-27 armed with AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles, September 2022 / Open source photo The Drive explains it by the fact that adaptation for HARM and JDAM did not require any significant changes to the aircraft itself, so the process did not encounter any serious issues. That said, it looks quite illogical that the Americans first adapted the Ukrainian fighters to carry AGM-88 HARM missiles and JDAM gliding air bombs, and then started to work on AIM-120 only just now. The reason to work on all these adjustments for the MiG-29 is that the stocks of the R-27 missiles currently used by the Ukrainian Air Force are limited. NASAMS air defense system suppliedto Ukraine uses AIM-120 missiles as well but it has a powerful radar to do it effectively / Illustrative photo credit: Kongsberg Lastly, there is the most advanced version in this branch, the AIM-120D with a firing range of 180 kilometers.īut all these impressive characteristics of the AMRAAM missile are pointless if the Ukrainian MiG-29 radars cannot see as far and thus cannot lock the AIM-120 onto the target. The last one has different looks due to the clipped fins (a requirement to adapt it for the F-22 Raptor) and an improved guidance system with jam-resistant radar seekers and upgraded rocket motors. Then there is the AIM-120C, the first versions of this missile started to arrive in the US military starting 1996. There is the basic version called AIM-120A that was adopted by the US military back in 1991, there is an AIM-120B with a modernized guidance system adopted in 1994. According to the assessment by several military experts asked by Defense Express, such an adjustment will require replacing up to 60% of the onboard electronics.Īnother interesting issue raised by The Drive journalists is, which exact modification of the AIM-120 to adapt the MiG-29 fighters for. To ensure the maximum firing range possible, the aircraft must have contact with the missile even after the launch. The necessity to provide a steady "talk" between the onboard electronics on the fighter and the AIM-120 missile has a practical application as well: based on the modification, the distance to the target during the lunch can vary from 50-70 km to 180 km (the most advanced modification AIM-120D). The possible way to launch the AGM-88 HARM from the MiG-29 of the Air Force of AFU, the illustrative render is provided by Calcalist ![]() Ukrainian MiG-29 ready for a sortie / / Photo credit: The Driveįor starters, The Drive authors say that the basic task is not only to provide MiG-29 with the physical capability to launch AIM-120 missiles but to "make sure the weapon can safely separate from the aircraft under various aerodynamic scenarios." On the first glance, it sounds quite abstract but we must mention here that, for example, in order to launch AGM-88 HARM missiles, a Ukrainian aircraft has to raise its nose more than 30 degrees upward. ![]()
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