US clears Netherlands for latest AMRAAMs
An RNLASF F-35A showing an AMRAAM in one of its internal weapons bays. The Netherlands has now been approved to buy additional numbers of the missile. (Netherlands MoD)
The United States has approved the sale of RTX AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs) to the Netherlands, announcing a potential USD570 million sale on 16 September.
The US Department of State approval covers the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) of 232 missiles, as well as training missiles, related equipment, training, and support.
“The proposed sale will improve the Netherlands' capability to meet current and future threats by ensuring it has modern, capable air-to-air munitions. The Netherlands already has AMRAAMs in its inventory and will have no difficulty absorbing these articles into its armed forces,” the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said.
The AIM-120C-8 is intended to deliver improved performance beyond the AIM-120C-7 through the use of an internal GPS, an enhanced datalink, and new software. The missile is fitted with an active radar seeker, similar to that used on the AIM-120C-7, and while sources have suggested that the AIM-120C-8 is intended to have a dual-mode seeker, capable of active and passive radio frequency (RF) homing, programme officials have denied this. The AIM-120C-8 is reported to have a range of 160 km and flies at a speed of Mach 4.
While not mentioned in the DSCA approval notification, these missiles will be for use aboard the Royal Netherlands Air and Space Force's (RNLASF's) Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) combat aircraft.
For more information on US air-launched missile approvals for the Netherlands, please see US approves further sale of AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder missiles to Netherlands .
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