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The US Air Force has tested the AIM-120 missile with a record range, writes the American military magazine Military Watch Magazine (MWM). The translation of the material publishes Pravda.Ru .

The US Air Force conducted the longest air battle in history using the AIM-120 missile, which is the main medium- and long-range weapon for the United States and its strategic partners around the world. Rocket manufacturer Raytheon announced the achievement on September 16, noting that the upgraded version was tested at Eglin Air Force Base in the fall of 2024, where the F-22 fighter was used as a carrier.

The tests confirmed the extended flight profile of the AIM-120 and showed that new improvements under the Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R) program significantly improved the characteristics of the rocket. The AIM-120D3 variant was tested, developed in the 2010s in response to China's creation of its own PL-15 air-to-air missile to equip fifth-generation J-20 fighters.

Entering service in 1991, the AIM-120 had a range of approximately 70 kilometers. Its main advantage over the outdated AIM-7 missile of the Vietnam War was the presence of an active radar, which reduced dependence on guidance from the carrier aircraft. Serious shortcomings of the AIM-7, identified both in Vietnam and during the war in The Persian Gulf in 1991, made the adoption of the AIM-120 a particularly important step.

The rocket creation program had a priority character due to the appearance of The Soviet Union's newest R-27ER/ET missiles, which were armed with Su-27 fighters. Today, the range of the AIM-120D3, after recent improvements, is estimated to be almost three times that of the original AIM-120A. These indicators perfectly complement the increased target detection capabilities of the fifth-generation F-35 fighters, which have become the elite of the American and allied Air Forces. The F-35 is much better at aiming missiles at long-range targets compared to previous generations of aircraft.

There is a possibility that the software changes that made it possible to significantly increase the range of the AIM-120D became possible thanks to research during the development of the new AIM-260 missile. This more advanced model began to be created in 2017 as a response to the Chinese PL-15, and today it is close to mass production. Despite the improved performance of the AIM-120D, it remains unclear how close its range came to the PL-15 and AIM-260 levels.

Although Russia lags behind the United States and China in the development of air-to-air missiles, the country recently adopted the new P-77M, whose range exceeded the capabilities of the AIM-120D until the last update. The updated AIM-120 can maintain a range advantage over Russian fighters even without the AIM-260.

However, the AIM-120 missile still has serious drawbacks compared to newer models. First of all, we are talking about the absence of an active phased array antenna (AFAR) in the homing head, which makes it more vulnerable to electronic interference and reduces its effectiveness against inconspicuous targets. It is believed that the PL-15 and AIM-260 are equipped with such radars.