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AIM-120 AMRAAM

The Pentagon is already ordering for Ukraine variants of AMRAAM missiles that can cover a distance of 160-180 kilometers, which is more than enough to engage Russian warplanes without entering the enemy's air defense zone. This was stated by the spokesman for the Air Force, Yuriy Ihnat, who spoke on the air of the national telethon 02 September 2023. "Certain modifications of AMRAAM missiles are being ordered by the Pentagon for Ukraine so that they can cover a distance of 160-180 kilometers. This is more than enough to hit Russian warplanes without entering the enemy's air defense zone. The farther, the safer it is for our pilots, and the more dangerous it is for our enemy," Ihnat said.

The US military was studying the possibility of integrating advanced Western air-to-air missiles into Soviet-era Ukrainian fighter jets. This was reported 08 March 2023 by Politico with reference to two officials of the US Department of Defense and another interlocutor involved in the discussion. According to the two officials, specialists are studying whether it is possible to install advanced medium-range AIM-120 air-to-air missiles, designed for F-16 fighters, on Ukrainian MiG aircraft.

The US military, which wants to provide Ukraine with additional firepower, is looking for such an opportunity. These are medium-range missiles AIM-120, which are used on Western fighters, for example, F-16. They plan to equip Ukrainian MiGs with them. What the result of such collaboration will be, American officials have not yet predicted, because the systems of the planes are completely different, so there may be difficulties in the "communication" between the missile and the plane.

"The missile must not only be physically installed on the aircraft, it must also 'talk' to the aircraft's radar," the publication explains. AIM-120 is already in service in Ukraine, but they are used in NASAMS air defense systems. Western missiles on Ukrainian MiGs will help the Armed Forces strengthen their air defense during a major offensive. According to the publication's sources, it will begin in six to eight weeks.

In case of success, it will be possible to solve the issue of additional firepower and air defense of Ukraine in this way. According to the publication, the integration process has difficulties, as the missile must not only be physically installed on the aircraft, it must also "interact" with the aircraft's radar. Therefore, the actual problem is how to combine American missiles with Soviet-style fighters with their system. If the operation is successful, it will be the first time that the US will allow Ukrainian aircraft to fire air-to-air missiles, some of which are already in service with Ukraine, but are used in air defense systems.

The training of Ukrainian pilots at the US Air Force base in Arizona is not a preparation for piloting the F-16, but an assessment of the possibilities of using American high-precision missiles on MiG fighters. John Kirby, coordinator for strategic communications at the White House National Security Council, said this on 08 March 2023 in an interview with CNN. "This is not training, this is an assessment of the possibilities of how they can use certain American types of weapons on their fighters, that is, on MiGs. This is about a certain type of precision-guided missiles that we are giving them. And their number is small, we evaluate how they can perform tasks and fire from these systems," he said.

The arrival of Ukrainian pilots in the United States on March 4 was reported by the NBC television channel , specifying that eight more pilots from Ukraine would arrive in March. Later, the Politico newspaper, citing sources, informed that the arrival of two Ukrainian pilots in the United States for possible training in working with samples of Western strike aircraft, including F-16 fighters, does not indicate a change in the position of Washington, which considers sending such aircraft to Kiev premature and does not consider it a priority.

The AMRAAM is an advanced air-to-air missile designed to replace the AIM-7 Sparrow in the U.S. inventory. Unlike the AIM-7, the AMRAAM has its own on board radar that allows it to acquire and engage a target without constant monitoring by the launch aircraft. Once fired at a target the launch aircraft guides the AMRAAM to a predetermined point using a data link to provide guidance commands, at which point the onboard AMRAAM radar acquires the target and the missile then calculates its own guidance commands. The AMRAAM allows one aircraft to engage multiple targets at significant standoff ranges, in contrast to the AIM-7, which required the launch aircraft to supply guidance commands to the missile for the entire time of flight of the missile.

Since the mid-1990s the State Department restricted the export of the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) in regions where a like capability has yet to be introduced. The policy was conceived as an attempt to foster regional stability in regions where the proliferation of advanced weaponry may lead to the start of a local arms race. Competing objectives included furthering U.S. regional influence and the amelioration of concerns over a decreasing domestic industrial base. The policy was implemented without adequate consideration of restricting other types of advanced weaponry or the ramifications to U.S. policies in both the international and domestic environments. Though a laudable objective, the AMRAAM was a poor choice of means to achieve that end during a period of increasing administration emphasis to export advanced weaponry throughout the world.

Most Russian fighter jets use variants of the R-73 short-range AAM or the R-27 medium-range AAM. R-73 variants have ranges of about 18 miles to 24 miles, while R-27 variants have ranges from 15 miles to about 60 miles.

Ukraine has mastered the production of R-27 air-to-air missiles without the Russian Federation. The R-27 missile is mass-produced by the Russian enterprise "Vympel" in Moscow and the Ukrainian DAHK "Artem". The state joint-stock holding company " Artem " is capable of producing air-to-air air-to-air missiles R-27 without using Russian components. Such a statement was made by the president of the enterprise, Volodymyr Zimin, in the Security Talks program. This is reported by Militarny. It is no secret that until 2014 the product was manufactured in close cooperation with factories in the Russian Federation. This program is now fully implemented. We can say with certainty that this product is 100% Ukrainian, - specified V. Zimin

The head of the company admitted that R-27 is the "most important" and "most popular" product of the "Artem" DAHK, that is, it generates the largest amount of the company's income. This product has great prospects for further existence. Because the tactical and technical characteristics that are embedded in him remain high to this day, said the president of "Artema".

The R-27 family of air-to-air missiles ensures the interception and destruction of manned and unmanned aircraft, as well as cruise missiles in long-range and short-range, maneuverable air combat. It has a three-module design consisting of a hardware unit with a guidance head, a warhead and a solid fuel engine with three suspension power units. It is included in the armament of MiG and Su aircraft.

The AIM-120 was designed to outperform the Soviet Air Force’s Vympel R-27 (RS-AA-10 Alamo) and possibly the R-77 (RS-AA-12 Adder). In the end, the radar-guided version R-27EM did not enterservice with Russia, as defence research and development funding evaporated during the 1990s. The AIM-120D's exact range is classified but is estimated to be about 100 miles. The AIM-120 appears to be an excellent missile, with a P(k) cited around the 0.85 mark. Which is good, considering the problems BVR missiles have had historically.