AMRAAM follow-on (long)

Pulled from FAS Military Analysis Network http://www.fas.org/man/index.html and my saved files.

This is {or will be} the gel fueled multisensor homing next generation U.S. AAM that I spoke of in the “Regarding MiG31 threads messages” thread. If what I’m told is correct, it should enter service in the 2012 timeframe, after the AIM-120 series has been developed to it’s limits. I’d say it looks like this ambious weapon will be well matched to the capabilities of advanced fighters like the F-22 and JSF.

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[IMG]http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/missile/bigact.jpg{/IMG]

The Dual Range Missile effort is developing and demonstrating guidance and control technologies for enhancing the close-in combat capability of air-to-air missiles. It is also pursuing terminal seekers with extended acquisition range, and advanced propulsion for extended flyout ranges, and technologies for a highly maneuverable missile capable of performing both short and medium range missions. This program is developing and demonstrating guidance and control technologies for enhancing the close-in combat capability of air-to-air missiles. It is also pursuing terminal seekers with extended acquisition range, and advanced propulsion for extended flyout ranges. Enhancement of air-to-air ordnance package performance requires that the target detection device and warhead burst point calculations use all information available to the missile. Effective coupling of the warhead energy onto the target requires improvements in directing the kill mechanism so that as much of the kill mechanism as possible investigation of such concepts as guidance integrated fuzing, advanced fuze sensors, and advanced guidance and control technologies. Technologies such as reaction jets will reduce the need for missile fins, providing compressed missile carriage which will double missile loadouts for a given carriage volume.
Improvements in enemy aircraft technology and the proliferation of advanced aircraft have resulted in nations possessing fighter aircraft nearly equal to American systems. The weapons suite for these aircraft is in some areas (e.g., aerodynamics) superior to current US systems. In 1990, Air Force Research Laboratory’s Munitions Directorate engineers realized the importance of developing revolutionary air to air missile flight control technologies to counter a new breed of highly effective, very maneuverable international weapons being fielded by potentially unfriendly nations.

The program started in 1992 to explore current and future missile technologies with the goal of greatly improving air to air missile effectiveness against highly capable threats. Extensive trade studies, wind tunnel testing, and manned air combat simulations were completed to select the highest payoff missile control techniques to be incorporated into this next generation missile.
In June 1997 McDonnell Douglas received a contract in June to develop technology for a new air-to-air missile. The award was made under the U.S. Air Force’s Air Superiority Missile Technology (ASMT) program. During the five-year, $22 million program, the company will design, develop and demonstrate an advanced flight control system that will allow a single missile to perform both close-in and beyond-visual-range air-to-air missions. The dual-range capability of the missile results from a hybrid combination of flight control and propulsion technologies for both short and longer range missiles.

The missile’s advanced electronically steered seeker allows quick target lockon at extremely large offboresight angles. Pilots are able to launch missiles ‘overtheshoulder’ at trailing adversaries, while maintaining straight and level, high speed flight, enhancing their survivability. The ability to quickly capture and maintain angles of attack exceeding 90 degrees enables the missile to turn to the rear only two seconds after launch. Not only does this quick turn rapidly orient the missile toward the target, but it allows the majority of the missile’s fuel to be used to accelerate toward the target.

The new flight control system combines small, side-thrusting reaction jets integrated into the aft section of the main rocket motor with small (reduced-span) tailfins. The jets, which bleed propulsive gas from the rocket motor, are used when high levels of agility are required to engage a threat.
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<<< Air Superiority Missile Technology. This DTO will demonstrate, through design, ground test, and flight test efforts, missile flight control technologies to dramatically enhance air-to-air effectiveness in both within-visual-range and beyond-visual-range air combat. It will demonstrate the feasibility of a single weapon concept for both short- and medium-range missile functions, leading to a reduction in air combat weapon suite cost. The missile technology basis for producing an offensive sphere around the launch aircraft will allow successful target intercepts without regard to target off-boresight angle or target orientation. The program will demonstrate dramatically expanded weapon engagement zone over AIM-9X and AMRAAM combined. The FY02 goal is to demonstrate the ability to intercept maneuvering targets at 40 mi head-on, 25 mi to beam, and 12 mi to rear of launch aircraft, and to demonstrate the ability to intercept high off-boresight, post-merge targets inside a 1,000-ft one-circle flight in less than 5 seconds of flight time.

The Air Superiority Missile Technology (ASMT) concept consists of a reduced drag, wingless AMRAAM airframe modified with main propulsion chamber-bleed reaction jet controls positioned aft of the reduced span tail fins. The ASMT concept allows stable flight at angles of attack up to 90 deg, using robust reaction jets to rotate the missile to the rear hemisphere slightly over 2 seconds after launch; the reaction jet assembly also provides critically needed missile roll control. The reaction jets are only used when necessary for high off-boresight maneuvers and have no impact on beyond-visual-range flight performance. The current box size for the ASMT concept is 9.5″, as compared to the 12.5″ box size of the clipped-fin AIM-120C. Production cost estimates for a conceptual tactical weapon employing ASMT technologies indicate a cost impact relative to nominal AMRAAM of less than 4% of the total missile cost.

By FY02, the program will demonstrate increased f-pole, decreased inner boundary, increased average velocity, increased maneuverability, increased high-altitude controllability, decreased box size, and increased maximum flyout range over both AIM-9X and AIM-120C. Program milestones include: by FY98, developing an agile-AMRAAM missile design that uses reaction jet/tail fin control, and conducting manned air combat evaluations; by FY01, fabricating sufficient test articles through ground tests in preparation for unguided flight demonstrations; and by FY02, conducting unguided flight demonstrations of the advanced airframe concept, and developing seeker integration designs for an electronically steered conformal array seeker under parallel development. Technical barriers include reaction jet control implementation onto inventory AMRAAM rocket motors, reaction jet response time less than 10 milliseconds, stable flight of modified AMRAAM at a 90-deg angle of attack, compact packaging of all new technologies within the length/weight constraints of F-22 weapons bay, and development of over-the-shoulder guidance methodologies. >>>