Raytheon did not specify the distance of the shot—likely in an attempt to hide the AMRAAM’s true capabilities from potential US adversaries.
A US Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jet successfully executed the longest known AIM-120 AMRAAM shot by a fifth-generation jet.
The testing took place in the fall of 2024, but the Air Force and Raytheon waited roughly a year before announcing the achievement to the public—presumably for operational security reasons.
The Longest AIM-120 AMRAAM Kill in History
According to Raytheon, an F-22 Raptor assigned to the Air Force’s Air Combat Command successfully executed the longest known AIM-120 AMRAAM fired by a 5th-generation jet during a series of tests in Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
Raytheon did not specify the distance of the shot—likely in an attempt to hide the AMRAAM’s true capabilities from potential US adversaries.
“Achieving air superiority in the future, highly contested battlespace depends on the precision and lethality of air-to-air missiles,” Sam Deneke, Raytheon’s President of Air & Space Defense Systems, said in a company press release.
In a potential near-peer conflict with China in the Indo-Pacific, the US military would need munitions with great ranges to account for the vast distances of the area of operations. The US military is also exploring other munitions with longer range capabilities, such as the AIM-174B and the AIM-260 JATM, intended to eventually replace the AMRAAM.
“AMRAAM is already known as the gold standard for the air dominance arena, and these tests prove it will continue to play a critical role for the U.S. and its allies for decades to come,” Deneke added.
What to Know About the AIM-120 AMRAAM
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) is an all-weather, radar-homing guided air-to-air missile.
One of the munition’s most notable features is its ability to strike targets both within visual range and beyond-visual range, making the AIM-120 AMRAAM the Air Force’s, Navy’s, and Marine Corps’ main missile to engage targets at great distances during air-to-air combat. The latest versions of the missile have a range of over 100 miles.
Moreover, a fighter jet equipped with the latest versions of the AIM-120 AMRAAM can engage multiple targets at the same time with multiple missiles.
According to the Air Force, the AIM-120 AMRAAM has great capabilities against low-altitude targets. It also incorporates active radar with an inertial reference unit and micro-computer system, thus making the munition more independent and less reliant on the whims of the firing aircraft’s fire-control system.
The air-to-air missile has been in service for over three decades with the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, as well as allies and partners in 43 countries. According to Raytheon, the AIM-120 AMRAAM has completed over 6,000 live fires and has enjoyed near-perfect accuracy in actual combat.
The F-22 Raptor and the AIM-120 Missile: A Deadly Combo
The F-22 Raptor is a 5th generation air superiority stealth fighter jet. In service with the Air Force since 2005, the F-22 is the first stealth fighter jet in the world. Its role in combat would be to use its stealth capabilities and advanced avionics to establish air superiority over the battlefield and enable other US and allied aircraft to operate more freely.
Pairing the stealth fighter jet with a more advanced version of the AIM-120 AMRAAM with a longer range has the potential to greatly increase the overall effectiveness of the F-22 on the battlefield.
About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
