🔷 Firepower

The Future of Air Warfare: Weapons

Raytheon has consistently led the way in equipping the U.S. military with some of the most advanced air-launched effectors—essential for gaining and maintaining air superiority and precision strike to ensure mission success in the most contested environments.

Air-to-Air

At the core of Raytheon's air-to-air missile portfolio is the AIM-120 AMRAAM, a weapon that has been the backbone of beyond-visual-range (BVR) combat for over two decades.

Extending its 30+ years of continuous development and 5,000+ live fires, the latest variant just completed a comprehensive Form, Fit, Function Refresh (F3R) upgrade and is now designated the AIM-120D-3.

This upgrade will complement the forthcoming AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile (JATM) as a capacity-capability missile mix—the Pentagon recently ordered $1.2 billion in AIM-120s, and Raytheon is doubling production to 1,200 missiles per year to meet global demand.

Complementing the AMRAAM is the AIM-9X, whose imaging seeker and high off-boresight (HOBS) capabilities redefined what an IR missile can achieve. It, too, has been through an upgrade.

AIM-9X Block II missiles can lock onto targets after launch (LOAL) with datalink, making it indispensable in close-in engagements but equally capable of engaging BVR targets over 20 miles away.

Notably, the AIM-120 and AIM-9X can also be surfaced-launched—AMRAAM air defenses (called NASAMS) are currently employed in Ukraine.

Stormbreaker

On the air-to-ground front, Raytheon’s StormBreaker stands out for its remarkable flexibility and precision.

Also known as the Small Diameter Bomb II (SDB II), the StormBreaker features a tri-mode seeker—millimeter-wave radar, infrared, and semi-active laser—enabling it to accurately strike moving, stationary, and even pop-up targets from upwards of 45 miles away.

This extended stand-off range allows for safe and effective engagement from a distance. At the same time, its network-enabled capabilities permit re-targeting in flight—offering unmatched precision, versatility, and adaptability in dynamic combat environments.

Stormbreaker is fielded on the US Air Force F-15E and in flight test for the F/A-18E/F, F-35C, and F-35B for the Navy and Marine Corps.

MALD

Finally, there is Raytheon’s MALD (Miniature Air-Launched Decoy). This expendable, air-launched platform is designed to deceive and disrupt even the most sophisticated air defense systems.

Capable of traveling up to 500 miles, MALD can replicate a wide range of radar signatures, mimicking manned aircraft to mislead enemy defenses. Additionally, the MALD-J variant doubles as a stand-in jammer, marking the first of its kind to enter production.

The MALD product line was static for a while but is now experiencing a resurgence, with advancements in jamming payloads, engines, and manufacturing processes aimed at enhancing its capabilities while driving down costs.

Fight’s On

For a deeper dive into AIM-120, AIM-9X, Stormbreaker, and MALD, tune into our discussion with Jon “Stormin’” Norman, Raytheon’s Vice President of Requirements & Capabilities. You can find it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcast content.

Learn more about Raytheon’s Air Warfare Solutions here: Air | Raytheon

In That Number

60-70%

A new report on the war in Ukraine reveals that while 60-80% of FPV drones fail to even reach their target, they still manage to account for 60-70% of all weapons effects.

The lack of artillery is one of the causal factors for these statistics.

TRIVIA

In what military conflict was the AIM-120 first used in combat?

A) Gulf War (1991)
B) Iraq no-fly zone (1992)
C) Bosnia no-fly zone (1993)
D) Kosovo War (1999)

On the Radar

The Pentagon is a target for cost-cutting, with directions to pull 8%—roughly $50B—from the forthcoming FY26 budget and re-direct it to efforts that build lethality and enhance readiness.

• The Merge’s Take: Cost cutting, not budget cutting. This is about optimizing the budget before Congress attempts to create a $1T defense budget. That’s a big lift and a long road, though, and don’t expect to even see the FY26 budget request until ~May. The nearer-term issue is that the FY25 budget is still in limbo, with a continuing resolution (CR) that expires March 14th—and no signs of a budget on the horizon. If a budget isn’t passed by April 30th, by law, it will trigger a full-year CR—something that hasn’t happened since 2011. Given the DOGE movement and political turmoil, a full-year CR seems like a growing possibility.

The Air Force’s aircraft readiness continues to drop. The recently released data shows that 2024 readiness hit the lowest levels in at least a decade—and perhaps 20 years.

• The Merge’s Take: The Air Force changed how they compute readiness, so it’s hard to say how many years it’s been since readiness has been this low. But the fact that the shrinking aging fleet is getting worse over time is….pretty expected. The solution is easy to say but hard to do: Buy new aircraft and fund the sustainment of those aircraft.

They Said It

“Aggressive maneuvers around Taiwan right now are not exercises, as they call them. They are rehearsals.”

— Adm. Sam Paparo, Commander, US Indo-Pacific Command

 Together with Raytheon

Knowledge Bombs

• PteroDynamics was awarded a $4.6m Navy contract to build a larger version of its transwing VTOL drone

• Insitu was awarded a $102m Navy contract for RQ-21 Blackjack and MQ-27 ScanEagle drones

• GE and Pratt & Whitney both completed design reviews for the Next-Generation Adaptive Propulsion (NGAP) program, the engines that will power the Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) fighter

• Saab plans to fly a CCA demonstrator in the 2027-2028 timeframe (collaborative combat aircraft)

• ATRX & Cummings Aerospace are teaming up to build a low-cost hypersonic kamikaze drone

• Denmark approved 3% GDP defense spending and a $7B increase over 2025-2026 (up from 1.5% GDP)  

• Kapta Space announced plans for space-based target tracking

• Anduril & Mahindra Group (India) announced a partnership for autonomous maritime systems and C2

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ANSWER
B. The AMRAAM was operationally for the first time on December 27, 1992, when an Air Force F-16 shot down an Iraqi MiG-25 that violated the southern no-fly-zone during Operation Southern Watch. The AMRAAM was also successfully used in Bosnia and Kosovo conflicts.