The AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) is a radar-guided Air-to-Air missile available to the F/A-26B and T-55. Its potential range and speed in the air make it an excellent weapon for deployment against distant enemy aircraft. When fired, it relies on the firing aircraft's built-in radar to calculate a lead-pursuit course to its target, allowing it to account for even extremely fast-moving aircraft and adapt more easily to flight maneuvers. Once it gets close enough to its target, approx. 10 seconds before impact, the missile switches to a built-in radar projector to home in on its target ("goes Pitbull") and functions independently of the deploying aircraft's own sensors; this allows it to break off and make evasive maneuvers or even duck into cover to disengage if needed.
Pilots also have the option of enabling MADDOG firing for the AIM-120 in the EQUIP menu and activate it by holding the trigger for a few seconds. This allows the missile to be launched without the deploying aircraft locking the target - or even activating its radar at all. After launch, the missile will immediately begin searching for targets using the built-in radar projector. Because RWR cues are minimal when the missile is fired this way, it can be a great way to surprise unaware enemies at range. Firing AIM-120s in MADDOG mode is also a powerful weapon for flushing out enemies hiding behind terrain, as the missile can be launched over the terrain without exposing the deploying aircraft to possible counterattack. The built-in radar projector will maintain lock on the first aircraft it finds. This aircraft may not be the intended target, particularly when launch aircraft tracking is lost prematurely or many aircraft are in close proximity. Additionally, the built-in radar projectors will not distinguish between friend or foe - firing at enemies that have friendly aircraft in close proximity runs the risk of the missile locking onto a friendly aircraft, causing the missile to seek the friendly aircraft out instead.
AIM-120D[]
The F-45A uses a slightly more advanced AIM-120 called the AIM-120D which has a slightly longer boost phase burn, longer Pitbull range, better counter-countermeasure, and slightly better maneuverability when compared to the standard AIM-120 used by the F/A-26B. Additionally, the AIM-120D can be guided to targets based solely on positional data from the F-45A's TSD alone, allowing it to navigate towards a target without a direct radar lock from the deploying aircraft.