Release of AIM-120 AMRAAM to Singapore?
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Read this in Aviation International News...
Missile wars may heat up in SE Asia
by Reuben F. Johnson
One of the longest-running conflicts in the military aircraft export market is about to reach critical mass here in the Asia/Pacific region. A loosening of U.S. export controls over a highly sensitive weapon system that several nations have wanted for some years is now taking place, but it is more likely than not to be accompanied by a proliferation of these weapons to every other nation that operates advanced fighter aircraft.
For the past 11 years or more, the main arms sale controversy in the Asia/Pacific region was the politics surrounding the release of the U.S. Raytheon AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM). Nations in this part of the world that are already customers for the Lockheed Martin
F-16 fighter (Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan and Taiwan) or the Boeing F/A-18 (Malaysia, Australia) were in the past sold aircraft that included all software and other modes for firing the AMRAAM, but to date only Australia has received delivery of the much-coveted missile itself.
The reason is that in most cases export of the AMRAAM to other states has been restricted by a U.S. policy that Washington will not be the first to introduce that particular type of missile technology into a region unless other comparable missiles already have been exported to and exist there. A compromise position that had been reached with several nations was for the U.S. to officially allow the sale of AMRAAM and release all the technical data and other materials to the customer nation, but for missiles themselves to remain “stored” in the U.S. until the “comparable missile” entered the region or hostilities were to break out–whichever comes first.
AMRAAM versus Adder
What this policy was in reality was a decision deeply entrenched in the politics of the U.S./Russia arms race, because in the past the only real “comparable missile” was the Russian-made Vympel RVV-AE, which is the export variant of the R-77 (AA-12 Adder), and the center of everyone’s attention on the issue was on Malaysia.
The issue first came to a head when the Malaysian air force purchased 18 of the Mikoyan MiG-29SD/N fighter in 1993 and specifically requested that its Phazotron N019 radar set would be upgraded to permit firing of the R-77. But more than a decade later–despite an agreement in the late 1990s to upgrade the Malaysian fleet with the R-77–it has yet to happen. Then late last year, Malaysia signed a contract for the delivery of 18 Sukhoi Su-30MKM fighters and it is assumed that it is only a matter of time before Malaysia does take the R-77 into its inventory.
In the meantime, the U.S. has begun to change its earlier policy, based on this potential sale to Malaysia and the fact that the air force of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has already taken delivery of the R-77. Thailand and Singapore will both now receive the AMRAAMs they had previously ordered. Taiwan will also receive around 200 of the American missiles and Malaysia will also likely receive the AMRAAM for its fleet of F/A-18s that it ordered in a “split decision” with its MiG-29s in 1993.
Just wondering if it's true that we've recieved the AMRAAM or it's just some rumour stuff... -
wow~~~
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Old news, iy was already reported a few mths ago that Thai AF has already received their AIM-120 thus Singapore has already received them as well.
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crap so we aren't better than the ppl around us,just on par only......
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I bet the AMRAAM we recieve r the earlier version! I heard US got a AIM-120C. US will save the best for their forces first! Even the R-77 got plenty of version.
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What we got in Singapore is the Charlie version. We had placed another order for 50 Charlie-5 Amraam Missiles which is even newer.Originally posted by zenden9:I bet the AMRAAM we recieve r the earlier version! I heard US got a AIM-120C. US will save the best for their forces first! Even the R-77 got plenty of version. -
IMHO, we should be looking at Derby and POPEYE from IAI.Then again, we might have them or not already.
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Isn't the popeye the AGM-142? its air to ground isn't it?Originally posted by LazerLordz:IMHO, we should be looking at Derby and POPEYE from IAI.Then again, we might have them or not already.