The F-22 Combined Test Force at Edwards AFB, Calif., has completed another first by flying an F-22 Raptor armed with the newest—as yet unfielded—AIM-120D Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. The Edwards crew was checking noise and vibration effects on the missile. The AMRAAM is still under development at Eglin AFB, Fla. The Raptor CTF is helping Eglin develop the weapon, said Capt. Jason Armstrong, a 411th Flight Test Squadron armament engineer. The new D model of the missile has a newer navigation system that could react differently to “vibro-accoustics,” so test engineers are checking in actual flight the modeling and assumptions generated by missile-maker Raytheon.
The design of the launch facilities for the Air Force’s new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile are likely to undergo major revision, posing yet another challenge for the much-delayed and over-budget program to modernize the land-based component of America’s nuclear triad, officials said.