AAM (air-to-air missile)

An AAM is an air-to-air missile, a missile designed to be launched from an aircraft to engage another airborne target. NATO technical material uses the form "air-to-air missile" and the plural abbreviation "AAMs" in its AGARD publication listing.

The term belongs to military aviation and air defence. NATO material treats "Air-to-Air Weapons," "Short-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs)" and "BVR AAMs" as related weapons categories. The Department of National Defence (DND) uses the expanded term, along with the abbreviations MRAAM, LRAAM and ASRM, for missile capabilities intended for fighter aircraft.

AAM categories: short-range, medium-range and long-range

The abbreviation covers several classes of missile. The terms below appear in NATO and Canadian defence material:

• Short-range air-to-air missiles, including the advanced short-range missile (ASRM).
• Beyond-visual-range (BVR) air-to-air missiles, which NATO material lists as a separate AAM category.
• Medium-range air-to-air missiles (MRAAM).
• Long-range air-to-air missiles (LRAAM).

NATO also uses the broader concept of Integrated Air and Missile Defence, which includes NATO and national resources operating through NATO command-and-control arrangements. The NATO Integrated Air and Missile Defence policy sets out that framework.

The MRAAM acquisition and its Foreign Military Sales route

The clearest Canadian example of AAM procurement is the medium-range missile purchase. DND requested $109,549,100 in funding for an initial stock of MRAAMs, and the planned acquisition carries a stated budget of up to $1.95 billion, according to the DND Supplementary Estimates (B) funding page.

The same page states that the missiles are intended for both the CF188 Hornet and the F-35A. The acquisition is being pursued through a Foreign Military Sales (FMS) case with the United States Government.

AAMs in NORAD modernization

Canada's NORAD modernization project names three air-weapons investment areas: Advanced Short Range Missile (ASRM), Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (MRAAM) and Long Range Air-to-Air Missile (LRAAM). The NORAD modernization project timelines give scheduled initial operational capability dates of 2028 for ASRM, 2027 for MRAAM and 2030 for LRAAM.

These dates show that Canada is planning its air-to-air weapons as a set of linked capabilities across short, medium and long range, rather than as a single purchase.

AIM-9X and the CF-18 Hornet Extension Project

AIM-9X is a specific air-to-air missile model. DND's 2024-25 Departmental Plan lists AIM-9X missiles among the equipment being delivered for the upgraded fleet under the CF-18 Hornet Extension Project. Suppliers searching for AAM work may find it listed under a missile model name or a project name instead of the abbreviation.

What AAM means for a supplier bidding on Canadian public contracts

AAM is a category term, not a tender clause. When a requirement uses it, the first step is to read the solicitation and determine whether the scope is the missile itself, associated weapons equipment, integration with a fighter aircraft, training or support.

The MRAAM missile acquisition is running through an FMS case with the United States Government, so bid teams should check how each requirement is being sourced before assuming a competitive tender will follow. Suppliers should also search by the related terms MRAAM, LRAAM, ASRM and AIM-9X, and track the CF188 Hornet, F-35A, CF-18 Hornet Extension and NORAD modernization programs where these weapons are planned.