While Ukrainian troops secured the lethal AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) from the United States very early on in the conflict, a recently recovered AMRAAM wreckage presents the first evidence that the country has also been operating the AIM-120C-8, arguably one of the most advanced sub-variants of the missile.
The image of the wreckage appeared on the social media site X, with OSINT (Open-Source Intelligence) trackers asserting that it was the “first sighting” of the missile in Ukraine. The debris was sighted after the Ukrainian forces reportedly repelled a Russian aerial strike on Dnipro in Central Ukraine.
The sighting is significant because it provides the first confirmation that the US has supplied the AIM-120C-8 missile to Ukraine, a delivery not publicized by either side.
According to publicly available information, Ukrainian forces have been known to use AIM-120A/B missiles since at least 2022, when they secured the first NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System) air-defense batteries. Ukraine received the AIM-120s from Washington as part of an early air defense aid package. NASAMS uses the AIM-120 and AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles.
Additionally, the Ukrainian Air Force has been using the AIM-120 AMRAAMs since it secured the first batch of F-16 fighter jets from NATO allies in 2024. The Ukrainian officials had campaigned long and hard for the lethal combination of F-16 and AIM-120, which has been effectively used in air defense roles. In fact, some unconfirmed reports in the Ukrainian media claimed that an F-16 downed a Russian Su-35 using an AIM-120 in June 2025.
It is pertinent to note that the NASAMS and F-16 use the same variants of the AIM-120 missiles, reducing logistical troubles and ensuring operational readiness. However, this also means that the recently recovered wreckage could have been fired from either of the two platforms, and could only be confirmed by the Ukrainian military itself.
In the past, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has publicly highlighted the AIM-120’s capabilities against aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles, and drones, with ranges cited as 75 to 180 kilometers for upgraded versions. However, they have not fully publicized the exact inventories and specific subvariant mixes due to operational security reasons.
It is well known that the AIM-120 AMRAAM is a medium-range, all-weather, guided air-to-air missile developed by the American defense company Raytheon Technologies. It is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile capable of all-weather day-and-night operations. The missile employs active transmit-receive radar guidance, rather than semi-active receive-only radar guidance, making it a precision-strike weapon.
The missile has been continuously upgraded to make it more lethal against evolving threats, with the AIM-120C-8 considered one of the most advanced in the line, second only to the AIM-120D.
As put by Group Captain MJ Augustine Vinod (retd) for a EurAsian Times article: The AIM-120C-8 is “a fire-and-forget assassin with a reach that stretches 160 kilometers, guided by an unblinking active radar eye and whispers from an AWACS sentinel far behind.”
How is AIM-120C-8 better?
The AIM-120C variant is the latest in the C-series lineage. It is a 3.65-meter dagger with a composite structure, weighing about 159 kilograms, with a 7-inch diameter and a speed of Mach 4. It offers a better range, guidance, and resistance to countermeasures than its very potent, combat-tested predecessors.
However, the most significant feature of this missile, introduced in the 1990s, was its clipped fins for internal carriage on stealth fighters such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, along with high off-boresight (HOBS) launch capability and other enhancements.
The missile can hunt targets up to 160 kilometers away, according to reports, which means it would allow the Ukrainian F-16s to fire at Russian jets and missiles from standoff distances, potentially forcing Russian fighter jets to retreat from the front lines and reducing the threat to Ukrainian ground forces from notorious Russian glide bombs.
The AIM-120C-8 features advanced ECCM (Electronic Countermeasure) and seeker, which would make it harder for Russian aircraft or missiles to spoof or defeat the missile mid-flight. It makes the missile more effective against fast, maneuvering, or low-signature threats, such as cruise missiles and jet-powered drones, often launched by Moscow.
It carries a 23-kilogram high-explosive blast-fragmentation beast, tuned for low-altitude kills with an improved fuse to punch through chaff and flares.
The missile strikes at a very high off-bore sight and autonomously in the terminal phase, increasing precision.
The C-8 variant has been modernized with F3R (form, fit, function refresh) upgrades, which means it boasts updated electronics for reliability, software flexibility, and the ability to counter evolving threats such as long-range missiles. Furthermore, the missile features a datalink that enables midcourse updates from the launch platform or other networked assets, improving detection and target acquisition.
The missile gives Ukraine a significant leap, particularly against Russian aerial threats like cruise missiles, Shahed drones, helicopters, and tactical aircraft.
It is believed to be similar to the more advanced and lethal AIM-120D and AIM-120D3, but is slightly inferior to the D-class AMRAAMs. In fact, previous reports suggested that the AIM-120D was designed only for the US military and its closest allies, while the AIM-120C-8 was earmarked for export to other international clients.
The combination of F-16s with C-8s adds a mobile, high-mobility layer to Ukraine’s integrated air defense, allowing them to cover more airspace or respond dynamically.
At the same time, though, it is highly likely that the AIM-120C-8 in question was fired from the NASAMS, which have done a remarkable job defending against drones and missiles since they were first delivered to Ukraine in November 2022.
Some reports last month stated that the manufacturer of the AIM-120C-8 missile, RTX, plans to fully shift production to Europe.
Though these claims could not be independently verified, the move to Europe would further streamline supplies to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The AIM-120 missile family has proved decisive in several conflicts over the years.
During the Iraq War of the 1990s, the AIM-120 shot down the two central warplanes that formed the Iraqi Air Force, both of Soviet origin. At the time, the Iraqi Air Force was dominated by Soviet-era fighter jets, with the MiG-23 being its primary ground-attack aircraft and the MiG-25 being a potent interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft.
The missiles saw their most notable action several years later during the 1999 Kosovo bombing campaign, Operation Allied Force. NATO forces reportedly used AIM-120 missiles fired from four USAF F-15Cs, one USAF F-16C, and one Dutch F-16A MLU to shoot down six Serbian MiG-29s.
In 2017, a US Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet belonging to the VFA-87 “Golden Warriors,” operating from the USS George H.W. Bush, shot down a Syrian Air Force Su-22 Fitter near the town of Ja’Din, south of Tabqah, Raqqa Governorate in Syria. The AIM-120 took the Syrian fighter down, allegedly after an AIM-9X failed to hunt down the target.
Turkish F-16s have also scored multiple kills using the AIM-120 AMRAAM against hostile Soviet fighter jets operated by their regional enemies. In 2015, for instance, a Turkish Air Force F-16C shot down a Russian Aerospace Forces Su-24M upon violation of its airspace despite several warnings. Meanwhile, Turkish F-16s shot down two Syrian Arab Air Force Su-24M2 “Fencer” strike aircraft using the AMRAAM in March 2020.
In one notable instance in recent memory, the AIM-120 missile was used by Pakistan against an Indian Air Force MiG-21 aircraft during Operation Swift Retort, which followed India’s Balakot Strikes. At the time, Indian officials exhibited pieces of what they claimed to be an AIM-120C-5 missile as evidence that it was used in the engagement.
The AMRAAM missile is a highly versatile and efficient weapon that may be deployed in both air-to-air and surface-launched combat. After more than four years of combat, the AIM-120C-8 variant increases the bar on those capabilities.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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