View Full Version : AIM-120 Replacement
New long-range missile project emerges in US budget (https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/new-long-range-missile-project-emerges-in-us-budget-442816/)
The existence of a two-year-old project to develop a new air-to-air missile capable of intercepting targets at great distances has emerged in US budget documents.
The Office of the Secretary Defense (OSD) launched a two-year engineering assessment of a new long-range engagement weapon (LREW) designed with the goal of “maintaining air dominance”, according to budget documents released last March. Analyses of the design, engineering and kill chain requirements were expected to be complete in the last fiscal year, although details are classified. “When successful, LREW will transition to multiple services,” the documents show.
Though funded for more than two years, the LREW project had escaped notice in an obscure budget line item for an OSD account named “emerging capabilities technology development”, which is mostly reserved for small electronic warfare projects. But the programme offers the first indication that the US military is interested in a new missile to replace or surpass the capabilities of the Raytheon AIM-120D AMRAAM.
An unclassified concept image of the LREW was published last April in a presentation by Chuck Perkins, the principal deputy to the assistant secretary of defense for research and engineering. The image in Perkins’ presentation may not reflect the classified version of the LREW concept, but depicts a large, two-stage missile launched from an internal weapons bay of a Lockheed Martin F-22.
The LREW also emerges as Chinese and Russian militaries reportedly are pursuing new air intercept missiles with ranges significantly longer than the AIM-120D. The range of the AIM-120D is classified, but is thought to extend to about 100mi (160km).....
George K Lee
2nd Nov 2017, 23:47
"The range of the AIM-120D is classified, but is thought to extend to about 100mi (160km)....."
If you drop it from low Earth orbit and measure straight down.
glad rag
3rd Nov 2017, 07:44
Meteor not good enough then?
Lordflasheart
3rd Nov 2017, 10:05
Presumably it will have a ballistic mode ?
dead_pan
3rd Nov 2017, 10:14
Will be interesting to see how it defeats those laser-based countermeasures being fielded/developed
From AWST 4 years ago.....
Lockheed Reveals New Air-Launched Missile Concepts
Sep 17, 2013 (http://aviationweek.com/awin/lockheed-reveals-new-air-launched-missile-concepts)
FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — Lockheed Martin is showing three conceptual air-launched missiles at the Air Force Association (AFA) show outside Washington this week, two of which are air-to-air weapons......
On show for the first time at AFA is a model of Lockheed Martin’s Cuda, a so-called “Halfraam” weapon about half as long as an Amraam and compact enough to fit six missiles into each bay of the F-35 or F-22. Cuda draws on the hit-to-kill technology used on the PAC-3 missile, is designed to have a radar seeker and has both movable tails and forward attitude control motors for high agility. The company is not disclosing Cuda’s design range, but one variation of the concept is a two-stage missile with a similar total length to Amraam, presumably with the goal of covering a wide range envelope with a single missile design.
Both Cuda and SSTRR are being supported by independent research and development money and are being pushed as concepts of interest under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Air Dominance Initiative project......
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ac/0a/0c/ac0a0c46f323c9f04fb3b48e2ec6b5c2.jpg
http://aviationweek.com/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2015/12/TECHWEEK06_4_AirForceResearchLaboratory.jpg
https://i2.wp.com/alternathistory.org.ua/files/users/user3015/Cuda-LM-02jpg1092d384-70d3-4ca2-ad11-6bc5b12af075HD.jpg
Davef68
3rd Nov 2017, 11:28
Meteor not good enough then?
Not made in America (See also ASRAAM)
glad rag
3rd Nov 2017, 12:46
From AWST 4 years ago.....
Lockheed Reveals New Air-Launched Missile Concepts
Sep 17, 2013 (http://aviationweek.com/awin/lockheed-reveals-new-air-launched-missile-concepts)
FORT WASHINGTON, Md. — Lockheed Martin is showing three conceptual air-launched missiles at the Air Force Association (AFA) show outside Washington this week, two of which are air-to-air weapons......
On show for the first time at AFA is a model of Lockheed Martin’s Cuda, a so-called “Halfraam” weapon about half as long as an Amraam and compact enough to fit six missiles into each bay of the F-35 or F-22. Cuda draws on the hit-to-kill technology used on the PAC-3 missile, is designed to have a radar seeker and has both movable tails and forward attitude control motors for high agility. The company is not disclosing Cuda’s design range, but one variation of the concept is a two-stage missile with a similar total length to Amraam, presumably with the goal of covering a wide range envelope with a single missile design.
Both Cuda and SSTRR are being supported by independent research and development money and are being pushed as concepts of interest under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Air Dominance Initiative project......
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/ac/0a/0c/ac0a0c46f323c9f04fb3b48e2ec6b5c2.jpg
http://aviationweek.com/site-files/aviationweek.com/files/uploads/2015/12/TECHWEEK06_4_AirForceResearchLaboratory.jpg
https://i2.wp.com/alternathistory.org.ua/files/users/user3015/Cuda-LM-02jpg1092d384-70d3-4ca2-ad11-6bc5b12af075HD.jpg
Interest banding there...
Didn't AIM-54 Phoenix have a range of around 160km?
Just This Once...
3rd Nov 2017, 16:38
Not really, even if the target was doing most of the work. Real-world Phoenix use was not that impressive as its no-escape zone was quite poor compared to the missile's maximum range. The balance achieved by AMRAAM is much better in this regard, even if the top-trumps figures are lower. If you really want a missile that can do serious stuff at range against a uncooperative target then Meteor is what you want.
RAFEngO74to09
3rd Nov 2017, 18:14
Also, Phoenix was so heavy (1024 lbs compared to 335 lbs for AMRAAM) that an F-14 couldn't land safely back on the carrier with a full load of 6.
Hence, the most used Cold War fit for fleet defense was 1 x Phoenix, 2 x Sparrow and 2 x Sidewinder + gun.
George K Lee
3rd Nov 2017, 21:48
The effort that has been expended by the USAF to avoid buying Meteor is quite something. Of course some promoters and fanboys hate the idea too, because it implies that their wonderplanes might not wipe out everything in the sky with AMRAAM C or D.
And JTO is correct about AIM-54. It didn't help that, at long range, the target's non-cooperation was assured by the vast column of smoke and flame which marked the start of the missile's lofted trajectory.
theonewhoknows
3rd Nov 2017, 21:55
Ra and Rne are important, but what about ECM capabilities? If these don't work, the rest is irrelevant - this includes the ability to find the target in the first place.
Talking about LR A2A missiles, (very) old good R-37 is still having the longest range:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R-37_(missile)
And as correctly mentioned above, range alone is not "the king", thus the next generation had less range but was much "smarter".
glad rag
4th Nov 2017, 15:13
Range isn't king.
Yeah riigghhtttt
George K Lee
5th Nov 2017, 00:17
Range is cool, but range against what?
An ICBM has a metric ****ton of range against a fixed target.
theonewhoknows
5th Nov 2017, 20:42
Range isn't king.
Yeah riigghhtttt
It would be a pleasure to hear your views on SA, AAM and EW.
glad rag
8th Nov 2017, 00:10
Depends. If you have unflinching belief, then press on into MEZ.
Just This Once...
8th Nov 2017, 07:14
Range isn't king.
Yeah riigghhtttt
Kinematics are the true king and you are forced to wear the opponent’s royal gown.
SA is your defence against being right royally fooked.
It’s back to energy management, innit?
Not made in America (See also ASRAAM)
Has ‘use’ of Meteor been permitted at Red Flag?
Latest document I can find on line would suggest Meteor is still being trialled and is to be declared in service next year.
I can think of a couple of instances in the past when folk have booted over the credibility bucket by announcing that they were to use as yet undeclared capabilities in exercises.
Of course - when it does go out to play we’ll probably ‘find’ that ‘range isn’t everything’...😉