according DLA.MIL the D may not have a different motor “041GUIDED MISSILE,INTERCEPT-AERIAL1410-WH90Radar Guided Missile AIM-120D is an upgraded Aim-120C Missile that includes GPS/IMU Enhanced Datalink and software upgraded capabilities.|A1410WH90”
also according to the same DLA.MIL file it shares the same motor by the designation WPU-16/B
“033PROPULSION SECTION,GUIDED MISSILE1337-VG29P/N 2241017-3; WPU-16/B; F/AIM-120D|A1337VG29”
maybe the D has more propellent or different grain config
We already know the AIM-120D shares the same motor as the AIM-120C-7, the AIM-120D-3(F3R) is the model that has the larger motor.
Also, these sites have regularly posted misinformation on the weight, range, parts of the missile so I wouldn’t be surprised if they continue to do so.
no information on the exact achieved range - difficult to get any idea of it.
Credits to Yamahagi for image
Chinese documents?
they also put the 120d-3 at 185 km
What launch conditions?
Nvm I see it now, M1.2 at 10km
I wonder how far the Raptor shot was since that could easily be mach 2 at 18km
yeah essentially
btw this makes aim-260 better than the 500 kg r-37m. impressive
do they assumed M1.2 for the aircraft being shot at in head on and tail chase?
they don’t actually give parameters for the target vehicle unfortunately
aim-260 is quite impressive considering it’s still essentially in the same form factor as aim-120. really impressed at how much range they’ve managed to squeeze out of it
here is the link to the study itself
https://www.aeroweaponry.avic.com/CN/10.12132/ISSN.1673-5048.2025.0057
If this does hold up, it’s looking like the chinese will have the very best long range missile, with the us close behind, then the russians
Yeah they’ve been doing good work, I hope it’s maneuverability is equal or better to AMRAAM
pl-15 is like 30-40% heavier than 120D right?
pl-15 is 210 kg.
The paper lists the AIM-260’s basic physical specs as length 3.65 m, diameter 178 mm, and mass 163.5 kg
probably around 350-375lb
looks like AVIC agrees
yeah
so for its weight it’s definitely the best missile
makes me wonder if they will make an enlarged variant for carriage on platforms that will probably have larger bays like F-47 and maybe some big CCA
