ASRAAM

A British short-range infrared air-to-air missile emphasizing high speed and long no-escape range over extreme agility, fielded on the Typhoon and F-35 for the UK and Australia. Its imaging-infrared seeker and lock-on-after-launch capability let pilots engage targets well off the aircraft's nose.

In service since 1998 · 5 operator countries

Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02

km range

Mach

kg warhead

Pricing: Unit cost not publicly disclosed

Procurement snapshot

Availability & export

UK export-licensed

Subject to UK SPIRE licensing (ECJU); generally available to allied states.

Channel: Government-to-government or direct

Fielded & proven

Established · 5 operators

In service since 1998. Status: active.

Lifecycle cost (est.)

No public unit price to model from.

Interoperability

No standardised NATO calibre / datalink detected in public specs.

Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.

Full specifications

Performance

Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.

Max speed (Mach) Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.: 3 Mach

Stronger than 59% of missiles
Range Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.: 50 km

Stronger than 29% of missiles

Firepower

Armament, payload and guidance.

Warhead Warhead mass. Heavier generally means larger effect radius, at the cost of range.: 10 kg

Stronger than 21% of missiles
Warhead type Blast-fragmentation, shaped charge (HEAT), penetrator, thermobaric or nuclear-capable.: Blast-fragmentation, laser proximity fuze
Guidance How the weapon finds its target: inertial, GPS/GLONASS, active/semi-active radar, infrared, laser, TV, wire.: Imaging infrared homing, Helmet-mounted sight cueing, Lock-on before or after launch

Physical

Dimensions, weight and crew.

Length Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.: 2.9 m
Combat weight Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.: 88 kg

Propulsion

Engine, power and fuel.

Propulsion type Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…: Solid-fuel rocket

Program

Cost, production scale and operators.

Operator countries Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.: 5

Stronger than 52% of missiles

Specifications compiled from public MBDA and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.

Compare with rivals