Marines complete successful live-fire AMRAAM test

By Lee Hudson / September 1, 2016 at 4:11 PM

The Marine Corps recently completed operational test shots of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile from a Joint Strike Fighter at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Three F-35B short-take-off-vertical-landing jets, 75 Marines from Marine Operational Test and Evaluation Squadron-1 (VMX-1) detachment at Edwards Air Force Base, CA, and 21 test personnel from the JSF operational test team at Edwards AFB, CA, were at Eglin from Aug. 9 to Sept. 1 for AMRAAM testing, according to a Sept. 1 Marine Corps statement.

“Due to the commonality of the F-35 mission systems and weapons, everything we learned during this detachment directly translates to combat capabilities for the Marine Corps, our sister services, and partner countries,” Lt. Col. Richard Rusnok, VMX-1 F-35B detachment officer-in-charge said in the same statement.

During the test period the detachment completed five AIM-120 missile shots and one Guided Bomb Unit-12 laser guided bomb, according to the statement.

“On day one of live fire testing, the team was able to shoot two missiles on two separate test set-ups within 12 minutes -- an exceptional level of efficiency in a test environment,” the statement reads.

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