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	Director, Operational Test & Evaluation
FY97 Annual Report

AIM-120 AMRAAM

	Air Force ACAT IC Program 10,917 systems Total program cost (TY$) $10921.2M Average unit cost (TY$) $839M Full-rate production 3QFY92 Prime Contractor Raytheon

SYSTEM DESCRIPTION & CONTRIBUTION TO JOINT VISION 2010

The AIM-120 is an all-weather, radar guided, air-to-air missile with launch-and-leave capability in both the beyond-visual-range and within-visual-range arenas enabling a single aircraft to engage multiple targets with multiple missiles simultaneously. The AMRAAM is used by the US Air Force and Navy, and foreign military forces. Currently employed by the F-15C, F-15E, F-16 and F-18A/B, it will be employed by the F/A-18E/F and F-22.

The AIM-120B missile was the result of the two block AMRAAM Producibility Enhancement Program (APREP). The B-model incorporates a new digital processor, erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), and five major electronic unit hardware chassis upgrades.

The AIM-120C will include a redesigned warhead and improvements to the rocket motor, fuzing logic, guidance algorithms, and ECCM logic. Modified for internal carriage on the F-22, the AIM-120C will have "clipped wings" to reduce its box size from 17.4 to 12.5 inches.

The AIM-120 will contribute to Joint Vision 2010 by providing the warfighter a precision engagement weapon.

The AMRAAM program entered FSD in September 1982. The DAB approved LRIP in June 1987, authorized continued LRIP in May 1991, and full-rate production (Milestone III) in April 1992. The Air Force declared AMRAAM IOC with the F-15 in September 1991 and the F-16 in January 1992. FOT&E(1) was completed in May 1993. The Navy declared AMRAAM IOC in October 1993. FOT&E(2) was completed during 1996.

AIM-120 FOT&E (2) was completed and documented in 1996. Begun in May 1993, this phase of testing included the launch of 40 missiles from 12 shot profiles under various test conditions, and continued the captive carry reliability program (CCRP) testing on the F-16. Missiles from production lots IV through VIII, including both AIM-120A and AIM-120B missiles, were tested on F-15 and F-16 aircraft. Twenty-four of the live launches were missiles from the CCRP inventory. The live warhead shots were designed to evaluate missile end-game performance against advanced electronic countermeasure threats, and warhead lethality in more challenging end-game scenarios. The final live launch test event occurred in December 1995.

Another major activity during 1996 was development and approval of an updated TEMP to define FOT&E(3) activities. LFT characterization of the new contact fuze and testing of the new warhead against bomber components were added at DOT&E's request, and the TEMP was approved in June. The TEMP approval letter also notified the Air Force that DOT&E would submit a LFT report to Congress at the completion of FOT&E(3).

FOT&E (Phase 3) will emphasize testing of lethality improvements incorporated in missiles from Lot 8 and beyond, culminating with the new warhead in Lot 12.

OT&E activities this fiscal year emphasized LFT&E tasks. Fuze characterization testing at the Missile Engagement Simulation Arena (MESA) facility at NAWC/WD China Lake was successfully completed in 3QFY97. Bullet and fragment impact (insensitive munitions) testing was conducted during the year. Data and reports documenting these tests are yet to be provided to DOT&E.

The operational tests conducted this year included ten live AMRAAM launches on the Eglin AFB and WSMR test ranges against both full scale and sub-scale drones.

FOT&E (2) testing demonstrated the fulfillment of the user required probability of weapons effectiveness in both the countermeasure and non-countermeasure environments. Significantly improved AIM-120 reliability was demonstrated by the captive carry reliability program. Previously evaluated as unsatisfactory during IOT&E and FOT&E(1), missile reliability now exceeds user requirements by a wide margin. Testing of the "All Aspect Launch and Track" requirement in FOT&E(2) was the most rigorous to date. Twenty-eight percent of the shots involved the missile traversing the beam aspect. The missile displayed deficiencies in this environment, and is an area which will be explored again in FOT&E(3). Another area of emphasis in FOT&E(2) was missile effectiveness in the presence of targets employing self-screening chaff. Twenty-one percent of the launches were against such targets This testing did not alleviate concerns about missile performance in this environment and will again be an area of interest in FOT&E(3). Overall, FOT&E(2) was a rigorous test for the missile, and the Air Force report is a frank assessment of the conditions under which the missile does well and those few conditions where it does not. The TEMP for FOT&E(3) appropriately addresses the areas which require further evaluation.

The Air Force FOT&E (3A) specific test objectives include evaluation of Lots 8 through 10 hardware and software tapes 5 and 7. This test phase, planned to be completed in August 1998, includes 28 live launches and 60 AMRAAM Captive Equipment (ACE) missions, along with a 4,100-hour captive-carry reliability program (CCRP). The Navy OT-IIID operational test phase, scheduled for completion in November 1998, will consist of at least eight live missile firings to verify integration of the AIM-120B/C with F/A-18C/D aircraft equipped with the APG-73 radar. An Air Force-conducted FOT&E (3B), scheduled for August 1998 through November 2000, will evaluate AIM-120C-5 missiles configured with the improved warhead, guidance and ECM improvements, as well as the new rocket motor.

Dedicated lethality arena tests using two fighter aircraft, a bomber aircraft section, and a cruise missile target are planned for FY98 at Eglin AFB.