Editing ASRAAM (section)

==History==
In the 1980s, [[NATO]] countries signed a [[Memorandum of Agreement]] that the United States would develop the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), while a primarily British and German team would develop a short-range air-to-air missile to replace the Sidewinder. The team included the UK (Hawker Siddeley, by this point known as BAe Dynamics) and Germany ([[Bodensee Gerätetechnik]]) sharing 42.5 per cent of the effort each, Canada at 10 per cent and Norway at 5 per cent. The US assigned this missile the name AIM-132 ASRAAM.<ref name="Kopp 1998">{{cite journal |last=Kopp |first=Carlo |journal=Air Power Australia |title=Matra-BAe AIM-132 ASRAAM: The RAAF's New WVR AAM |date=January 1998 |volume=4 |issue=4 |url=http://www.ausairpower.net/API-ASRAAM-Analysis.html |access-date=12 December 2011 |archive-date=6 August 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806124009/https://www.ausairpower.net/API-ASRAAM-Analysis.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===New ASRAAM===
The rapid decline and eventual fall of the [[Soviet Union]] in the late 1980s led to considerably less interest in the ASRAAM. By February 1988 the US was already agitating for changes. In July 1989 the Germans exited the programme effectively ending the agreement. Various reasons are often cited including the ending of the Cold War and full realisation of the capabilities of the Russian [[R-73 (missile)|R-73 missile]], but many commentators think this was a smokescreen for financial and defence industrial share issues.<ref name= "Think Defence">{{Cite news|url= https://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/uk-complex-weapons/advanced-short-range-air-air-missile-asraam/|title= Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM)|work= Think Defence|access-date= 5 September 2018|language= en-US|archive-date= 31 May 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210531020638/https://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/uk-complex-weapons/advanced-short-range-air-air-missile-asraam/|url-status= live}}</ref>

This left Britain in charge of the project and they began redefining it purely to RAF needs and tenders were invited in 1989. This led to the selection of a new Hughes [[Staring array|focal plane array]] imaging array seeker instead of the more conventional design previously used, dramatically improving performance and countermeasure resistance.  A UK contest in 1990 examined the new ASRAAM, the French [[MICA (missile)|MICA]] and a new design from Bodensee Gerätetechnik, their version of the ASRAAM tuned for German needs. In 1992 the Ministry of Defence announced that ASRAAM had won the contest, and production began in March that year. The German design, by now part of [[Diehl BGT Defence]], became the [[IRIS-T]].<ref name="Kopp 1998"/>

While ASRAAM was entering production, momentum behind US-led industrial and political lobbying grew significantly and, combined with the strengthening European economy, forced the US government to conclude testing in June 1996 and move away from the ASRAAM program.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/hughes-wins-aim-9x-2828/|title=Hughes wins AIM-9X|date=1 January 1997|work=Flightglobal|access-date=5 September 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=5 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180905175617/https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/hughes-wins-aim-9x-2828/|url-status=live}}</ref>

UK development and manufacture went ahead and the first ASRAAM was delivered to the Royal Air Force (RAF) in late 1998. It equips the RAF's [[Eurofighter Typhoon|Typhoon]]. It was also used by the RAF's [[British Aerospace Harrier II|Harrier GR7]] and [[Panavia Tornado|Tornado GR4]] forces until their retirement. In February 1998 ASRAAM was selected by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) for use on their [[F/A-18 Hornet]]s following competitive evaluation of the improved ASRAAM, the Rafael [[Python (missile)#Python-4|Python 4]] and the AIM-9X,<ref name="Kopp 1998"/> and entered RAAF service in August 2004.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM) |url=https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/advanced-short-range-air-to-air-missile-asraam/?cf-view |access-date=2024-07-25 |website=www.airforce-technology.com }}</ref> In March 2009 the RAAF successfully carried out the first in-service "[[Lock-on after launch]]" firing of an ASRAAM at a target located behind the wing-line of the "shooter" aircraft.<ref>{{cite news| title=RAAF has successfully fired ASRAAM at a target located behind the wing-line of the 'shooter' aircraft| work=Your Industry News| date=9 March 2009| url=http://www.yourindustrynews.com/raaf+has+successfully+fired+asraam+at+a+target+located+behind+the+wing-line+of+the+'shooter'+aircraft_26109.html| access-date=10 March 2009| archive-date=13 June 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170613231321/http://www.yourindustrynews.com/raaf+has+successfully+fired+asraam+at+a+target+located+behind+the+wing-line+of+the+%E2%80%98shooter%E2%80%99+aircraft_26109.html| url-status=dead}}</ref>