The LAU-127 is a rail launcher designed to enable the Navy F-14 and F/A-18 aircraft to carry and launch AMRAAM. It provides the electrical and mechanical interface between the missile and launch aircraft as well as the two-way data transfer between missile and cockpit controls and displays to support preflight orientation and control circuits to prepare and launch the missile. The launcher will also be capable of carrying and launching the AIM-9L/M SIDEWINDER missile.
The F-15/AIM-9X weapon system consists of F-15 carriage of the AIM-9X missile on a LAU-128 Air-to-Air (A/A) launcher from existing AIM-9 certified stations. The AIM-9X will be an upgrade to the AIM-9L/M, incorporating increased missile maneuverability and allowing a high off-boresight targeting capability. The LAU-128/A launcher is also the wingtip launch rail on the F-16. The AIM-120 AMRAAM, being almost 180lbs lighter than the AIM-7 Sparrow, , can be either rail launched from the LAU-128 or the LAU-106 A/A. The BOL Dispenser (produced by Celsius Tech Electronics of Sweden) is a Non-Developmental Item (NDI) high capacity chaff and non-pyrotechnic infrared dispenser for aircraft self-protection developed for installation inside a missile launcher rail. The BOL Countermeasures Dispenser is available for integration into the LAU-127/128/129 family of AMRAAM and AIM-9X missile launchers. A prototype integrated in a LAU-128 Missile Rail Launcher on a US Air Force F-15 is being tested under the US Foreign Comparative Test program.
