![US Air Force airmen guide a lift truck toward an F-35A Lightning II during a hot integrated combat turn (ICT) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, June 23. During Hot ICTs, crews load four AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles while simultaneously refueling the aircraft with engines running, enabling rapid sortie generation. [US Air Force]](/ssc/images/2025/07/22/51103-Hot-ITC-Nellis-600_384.webp)
Built on decades of combat-proven technology, the AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) remains a strategic advantage for the United States and its allies.
The missile's evolving capabilities empower users to outpace evolving threats, outmatch adversaries in aerial engagements, and ultimately, outlast any challenge in the skies.
The AMRAAM is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. Since it entered service in 1991, it has undergone numerous upgrades.
The AIM-120C-8, a variant designed for international customers, features a form, fit and function (F3) hardware refresh that addresses obsolescence issues.
The refresh includes 15 upgraded circuit cards in the missile guidance section and the capability to continuously upgrade future software enhancements.
This makes AIM-120C-8 one of the most advanced operational variants of the AMRAAM missile family.
Combined with a powerful 20kg high-explosive blast fragmentation warhead, the missile's guidance capabilities enable highly accurate and effective strikes against enemy aircraft.
It is equipped with enhanced active radar seeker accuracy and a two-way data link for mid-course target updates, and has a range of more than 160km, according to armyrecognition.com.
The C-8 variant also comes with improved electronic counter-countermeasures and is capable of speeds exceeding Mach 4, making it optimal for engaging fast, maneuverable and low-signature targets beyond visual range.
More recent AIM-120C variants are capable of withstanding up to 40G maximum overload, providing exceptional maneuverability during flight.
More than 40 countries and the United States operate the AMRAAM.
The missile has been integrated with the F-15 Eagle, F-15E Strike Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Super Hornet, F-22 Raptor, Eurofighter Typhoon, JAS-39 Gripen, Tornado and Harrier, according to its manufacturer.
The C-8 variant has a compact, clipped-fin design that makes it compatible with the internal bays of stealth aircraft and the external hardpoints of other fighters.
