All variants of the Joint Strike Fighter program will accept the AIM-120 AMRAAM missile. AMRAAM stands for “Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile.” The missile, developed in the early 90’s, is radar guided which means that the enemy does not have to be within visual range for the missile to track. The AMRAAM has a range of about 30 miles and closes at speeds approaching mach 5. Radar guidance also means that the AMRAA can be used in all weather and light conditions. The AIM-120 comes from the AIM-54 Phoenix lineage from Raytheon/Hughes. The missile has been in service all the way back to third generation fighters like the F-4 and F-5 but became the mainstay medium range American missile on all fourth generation fighters. With modifications, the AIM-120 is projected to stay in service long into the future as the main air-to-air weapon on future aircraft like the F-35, F-22, and reportedly the Indian HAL Tejas. The F-35 can currently hold 4 AMRAAMs in its internal weapons bay with plans to increase it to 6 in the near future. The amount of AIM-120s will depend on the mission with perhaps only 2 for defense on a strike mission or up to 10 total between the internal bay and four external mounts if stealth is not a necessity.
