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Raytheon receives $38.6M contract for AIM-120D AMRAAM missile upgrades

By Stephen Carlson
An F-35 Lightning II launches an Aim-120 AMRAAM missile. U.S. Air Force photo
An F-35 Lightning II launches an Aim-120 AMRAAM missile. U.S. Air Force photo

Sept. 7 (UPI) -- Raytheon Missile System has received a $38.6 million contract for the System Improvement Program 3- Engineering Manufacturing and Development upgrades for the AIM-120D AMRAAM air-to-air missile.

The contract, announced by the Department of Defense on Wednesday, provides for software development to improve the AIM-120 D's performance against more advanced enemy threats. The project will be completed in Tuscon, Ariz., and is expected to run through Jan. 5, 2021.

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The AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile is the standard radar-guided missile used by the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and many allied nations. It is a "fire-and-forget" weapon that uses an active radar seeker head to track and destroy aircraft. It replaces the older AIM-7 Sparrow missile in most modern inventories.

The Norwegian Advanced Surface to Air Missile version for ground use has been adopted by several countries including the United States. It is a networked system with extended range that is used to defend high-value targets, including Washington D.C.

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