Munitions

AIM-120B AMRAAM air-to-air missile

Also known as
  • AIM-120B
  • AIM-120B AMRAAM
  • AMRAAM B-model
  • Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile AIM-120B

The AIM-120B AMRAAM is the reprogrammable B-model of Raytheon's active-radar, beyond-visual-range AIM-120 missile family. It kept the larger A/B control-surface layout while adding updated guidance electronics, and variant-specific combat tables identify AIM-120B use by a Dutch F-16 during Operation Allied Force.

AIM-120B AMRAAM air-to-air missile, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Munitions
Image source: USAF AIM-120 AMRAAM fact sheet

Role in Conflicts

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United States
Built by
Raytheon
Type
Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile
Service note
1994-present
Designer
Hughes Aircraft Co. Missile System Group
Designed
Early 1990s B-model update
Produced
First delivered in late 1994; succeeded on the production line by AIM-120C-series deliveries from 1996

Specifications

Length
12 ft (3.66 m)
Diameter
7 in (17.8 cm)
Wingspan
21 in (53.3 cm) for AIM-120A/B according to NAVAIR
Weight
348 lb for AIM-120A/B/C/C-4 according to NAVAIR
Guidance
Inertial midcourse guidance with target updates, active radar terminal homing, and home-on-jam mode
Warhead
Blast-fragmentation
Propulsion
Solid-fuel rocket motor
B-model change
New WGU-41/B guidance section with reprogrammable EPROM modules, a digital processor, and electronics updates
B-Model Distinction

The AIM-120B is useful as a separate catalog entry because sources distinguish it from both the initial A model and the later clipped-fin C/D branch. Designation-Systems identifies the B model by its WGU-41/B guidance section, reprogrammable memory, new digital processor, and electronics updates; NAVAIR separately groups A/B dimensions with 21-inch wingspan and 348-pound weight.

Electronics

Reprogrammable B-model guidance section and updated digital electronics.

Source: Designation-Systems AIM-120 AMRAAM.

Airframe

A/B missiles keep the larger 21-inch wingspan, unlike the later C/D branch.

Source: NAVAIR AMRAAM product page.

Combat evidence

Variant-specific open evidence is strongest for the Dutch F-16 engagement over Kosovo on 24 March 1999.

Sources: Manned Aircraft Losses Over Former Yugoslavia; Air Power Australia AIM-120 combat-success table.

Variants

The B model sits between the initial AIM-120A and later clipped-fin C/D branch: it shares the larger A/B aerosurface dimensions while adding reprogrammable electronics.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
AIM-120 AMRAAM, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, MunitionsAIM-120 AMRAAMFamily record

The family page covers broad AMRAAM service history and conflicts where sources do not identify a specific missile mark.

Sources: NAVAIR AMRAAM product page

AIM-120AInitial service model

Designation-Systems describes the A model as the original production version, followed by the late-1994 B model.

Sources: Designation-Systems AIM-120 AMRAAM

AIM-120C/D AMRAAM air-to-air missile, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, MunitionsAIM-120C/D AMRAAM air-to-air missileClipped-fin successor branch

NAVAIR lists A/B wingspan separately from C/D, and Designation-Systems describes the AIM-120C as the clipped-wing and clipped-fin P3I follow-on first delivered in 1996.

Sources: NAVAIR AMRAAM product page, Designation-Systems AIM-120 AMRAAM

Carrier Aircraft

The AIM-120B is part of the wider AMRAAM family integrated on U.S. and allied fighters; the Kosovo use record gives the B model a directly documented F-16 combat connection.

CarrierCarrier typeCarriage evidence
F-16 Fighting Falcon, Multirole fighter aircraft, Aircraft & UAVsF-16 Fighting FalconMultirole fighter

The Air Force fact sheet lists F-16 compatibility for AMRAAM, and Kosovo sources connect the Dutch F-16 MiG-29 shootdown to AIM-120 missiles, with the U.S. DoD-derived table identifying that missile as AIM-120B.

Sources: USAF AIM-120 AMRAAM fact sheet, Manned Aircraft Losses Over Former Yugoslavia, Air Power Australia AIM-120 combat-success table

F-15 family fighter aircraft, Fighter aircraft family, Aircraft & UAVsF-15 family fighter aircraftAir-superiority fighter family

The Air Force fact sheet lists F-15 compatibility for AMRAAM; this is family compatibility context rather than variant-specific Kosovo B-model use.

Sources: USAF AIM-120 AMRAAM fact sheet

F/A-18 Hornet (Tactical), Carrier-capable multirole strike fighter, Aircraft & UAVsF/A-18 Hornet (Tactical)Carrier-capable strike fighter

The Air Force fact sheet lists Navy F/A-18 C-F compatibility for AMRAAM, and NAVAIR lists Navy and Marine Corps F/A-18 variants among AMRAAM platforms.

Sources: USAF AIM-120 AMRAAM fact sheet, NAVAIR AMRAAM product page

Timeline

AIM-120B AMRAAM air-to-air missile Key Events

  1. B-model deliveries begin

    Designation-Systems says AIM-120B deliveries began in late 1994 with a new WGU-41/B guidance section and reprogrammable electronics.

    Sources: Designation-Systems AIM-120 AMRAAM

  2. C-series follow-on enters delivery

    Designation-Systems describes the AIM-120C as the P3I follow-on first delivered in 1996, while NAVAIR distinguishes its clipped-fin dimensions from A/B missiles.

    Sources: Designation-Systems AIM-120 AMRAAM, NAVAIR AMRAAM product page

  3. Dutch F-16 AMRAAM kill over Kosovo

    Air Force historical material records a Dutch F-16 AIM-120 MiG-29 shootdown on the opening day of Operation Allied Force; an Air Power Australia table attributed to U.S. DoD identifies that engagement as AIM-120B.

    Sources: Manned Aircraft Losses Over Former Yugoslavia, Air Power Australia AIM-120 combat-success table

Media

AIM-120B AMRAAM air-to-air missile Images

AIM-120B AMRAAM air-to-air missile, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Munitions - view 1
Source: USAF AIM-120 AMRAAM fact sheet
AIM-120B AMRAAM air-to-air missile, Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile, Munitions - view 2
Source: Wikimedia Commons AIM-120 loading photo
Related Weapon Systems
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AIM-9 Sidewinder missile, Short-range air-to-air missile family, MunitionsMunitionsAIM-9 Sidewinder missileShort-range air-to-air missile familyThe AIM-9 Sidewinder is a short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missile family that began at Naval Ordnance Test Station China Lake and entered service in the 1950s. The family spans early rear-aspect missiles, all-aspect AIM-9L/M models, German AIM-9L/I modernization, export P-series rounds, and the modern AIM-9X branch, with documented use from Vietnam and Middle East air wars to Falklands, Gulf War, Ukraine air-defense aid, and Red Sea operations.
F-16BM MLU, Two-seat multirole fighter aircraft upgrade, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsF-16BM MLUTwo-seat multirole fighter aircraft upgradeThe F-16BM MLU is the two-seat Mid-Life Update version of the F-16B, modernized with F-16C/D-style avionics, radar-guided missile capability, and updated cockpit systems while retaining the basic F-16 airframe. It is relevant as both a combat-capable trainer and an operational multirole fighter; public sources tie the wider F-16AM/BM MLU fleet to Kosovo, Libya, Pakistan's 2019 India-Pakistan air clash, and AM/BM aircraft supplied to Ukraine during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War.

Sources

NAVAIR AMRAAM product pagePublisher: Naval Air Systems Command | Note: Supports AMRAAM specifications, A/B versus C/D wingspan distinction, Air Force and Navy IOC dates, platform compatibility, and Raytheon manufacturer context. | Accessed: 2026-07-03USAF AIM-120 AMRAAM fact sheetPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports AMRAAM mission, guidance concept, all-weather beyond-visual-range role, carrier-aircraft compatibility, and public-domain image provenance for the F-16 launch and F-22 handling photographs. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Designation-Systems AIM-120 AMRAAMPublisher: Designation-Systems.net | Note: Supports AIM-120B first-delivery timing, WGU-41/B guidance-section change, reprogrammable EPROM modules, digital processor update, and C-series follow-on distinction. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Manned Aircraft Losses Over Former YugoslaviaPublisher: U.S. Air Force Historical Research Agency | Note: Supports 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force direct conflict-use context: NATO F-15 and F-16 pilots, including a Dutch F-16 pilot, used AIM-120 missiles in MiG-29 engagements during Operation Allied Force. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Air Power Australia AIM-120 combat-success tablePublisher: Air Power Australia | Note: Supports 1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force direct conflict-use context: the reproduced U.S. DoD combat-success table identifies the 24 March 1999 Dutch F-16 MiG-29 engagement over Kosovo as AIM-120B. | Accessed: 2026-07-03Wikimedia Commons AIM-120 loading photoPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Open-license provenance page for the AMRAAM loading photograph used in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-07-03