F‑16 jets en route to Ukraine: Challenges over vital AMRAAM missiles

The first F-16 aircraft are set to arrive in Ukraine within a few weeks. They will significantly boost the Ukrainian Air Force, which is currently struggling with limited resources. However, even the Ukrainians acknowledge that there may be challenges. There are concerns about the availability of AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles, also used by NASAMS anti-aircraft systems. Here, we explain why these missiles are essential for the F-16s.

Ukraine will receive the first aircraft within a few weeks, but their number will likely be much lower than expected. Nevertheless, even a few planes will allow the Ukrainian Air Force to operate on a larger scale than it currently does.

However, for the F-16s to fulfil their role as hunters of aircraft from the Su-30/34/35 family carrying FAB bombs, sufficient availability of AIM-120 AMRAAM medium-range air-to-air missiles is essential.

In the meantime, a Ukrainian representative mentioned a problem: These missiles are also used by Ukrainian air defence, utilising NASAMS batteries. There may not be enough missiles to be used in two applications simultaneously.

AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles are medium-range, air-to-air "fire-and-forget" missiles, a huge advantage over older solutions. With AIM-120 AMRAAM, the pilot only needs to illuminate the target with the aircraft's onboard radar for a moment, after which they can focus on engaging another target. The missile has the radar that allows it to track the target independently.

The range of the AIM-120 AMRAAM in the latest versions exceeds 60 miles when fired from a high altitude, and its speed is over Mach 4 (3,070 mph). In the initial phase, the missile flies towards the target based on data acquired from the aircraft, with guidance provided by a tandem of INS and GPS navigation, supported in the latest versions by target position updates received via a secure communication link.

Then, as it approaches the target within a few or a dozen miles (approximately 10-20 km), guidance is taken over by the onboard active radar seeker (both an emitter and receiver of radar waves), which can also home in on sources of jamming. The target is destroyed by a roughly 44-pound warhead with a proximity fuse.

It is a very effective weapon whose effectiveness has been confirmed in numerous armed conflicts. The missile is used by the air forces of many NATO countries.