The U.S. State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Poland of AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and related elements of logistics and program support for an estimated cost of $1.69 billion. The Government of Poland has requested to buy up to seven hundred forty-five (745) AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM), up to sixteen (16) AIM-120C-8 AMRAAM guidance sections, and fifty (50) LAU-129 Guided Missile Launchers. Also included are AIM-120 Captive Air Training Missiles, missile containers, and control section spares; Common Munitions Built-in-Test Reprogramming Equipment; ADU-891 Adapter Group Test Sets and other related elements of logistics and program support. The estimated total cost is $1.69 billion.
This proposed sale will support the foreign policy goals and national security objectives of the United States by improving the security of a NATO Ally that is a force for political stability and economic progress in Europe. The proposed sale will improve Poland’s capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring it has modern, capable air-to-air munitions. This sale will further advance the already high level of Polish Air Force interoperability with U.S. Joint Forces and other regional and NATO forces. The Government of Poland already has AMRAAMs in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles and services into its armed forces. The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region. The principal contractor will be RTX Corporation, Tucson, AZ.
The AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) is an American beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. It uses active transmit-receive radar guidance instead of semi-active receive-only radar guidance. When an AMRAAM missile is launched, NATO pilots use the brevity code “Fox Three. As of 2008 more than 14,000 had been produced for the United States Air Force, the United States Navy, and 33 international customers. The AMRAAM has been used in several engagements, achieving 16 air-to-air kills in conflicts over Iraq, Bosnia, Kosovo, India, and Syria.
The AIM-120C deliveries began in 1996. The C-variant has been steadily upgraded since it was introduced. The U.S. Air Force and Raytheon successfully completed the first flight test of the AIM-120C-8 – the latest international variant of AMRAAM® developed under the Form, Fit, Function (F3R) refresh. The AIM-120C-8 was fired from an F-15C Eagle and downed the aerial target, meeting all primary objectives for the flight test. Under the F3R program, engineers used model-based systems engineering initiatives and other digital technologies to upgrade multiple circuit cards and advanced processors in the guidance section of the missile and to re-host legacy software in the AIM-120C-8 AMRAAMs.
