The Swiss Armed Forces have received a further delivery of the AIM-120 C-7 radar guided missiles from US manufacturer Raytheon, which were approved in the 2017 armaments program. The shipment was transported on board a Lockheed C-130J of the US Air Force. The transport aircraft landed at Payerne Air Base.
The AIM-120 C-7 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, pictured above) radar air-to-air missile supplied is a model of the latest generation. It is intended for arming the Swiss Air Force’s F/A-18 fighter aircraft and partially replaces and supplements the predecessor model AIM-120 B procured under the 1992 armament program (RP92). The guided missile is primarily used at distances beyond visual range and is capable of engaging the target in all weather conditions. It has a data link to the F/A-18 carrier aircraft for target designation in the first flight phase and its own radar – the so-called seeker head – for autonomous detection and tracking of the target in the final flight phase.
Large numbers of the Swiss Air Force’s new radar-guided missiles have been introduced to the US armed forces and other air forces. The supplied guided missiles are part of the “Extending the service life of the F/A-18 fighter aircraft” project approved in the 2017 Armed Forces Dispatch. In addition to the guided missiles, other procurements are being carried out as part of this project, such as
- Replacement and renewal of communication systems and night vision sights and adjustments to the aircraft software
- a structural rehabilitation program
- Adaptations to simulators and
- a logistics package
The total package approved by parliament is worth 450 million Swiss francs (currently around 462 million euros). The number of AIM-120 C-7 guided missiles ordered is classified as military confidential.
The armament of the F/A-18C/D fighter aircraft in Switzerland consists of a medium-range radar guided missile (AIM-120 C-7 AMRAAM), a short-range infrared guided missile (AIM-9X) and a 20-millimetre onboard cannon. The AIM-120 C-7 guided missiles ordered can also be used by the new F-35A once the F/A-18 has been decommissioned.
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