Hughes Electronics
AIM-9X Sidewinder is a short-range air-to-air missile
In service 1956–present
Hughes Electronics
AIM-9X Sidewinder
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History Hughes Electronics
AIM-9X Sidewinder
is a short-range air-to-air missile
In service 1956–present
Hughes Electronics was awarded a contract for development of the AIM-9X Sidewinder in 1996 after a competition against Raytheon for the next short-range aerial combat missile, though Raytheon purchased the defense portions of Hughes Electronics the following year. The AIM-9X entered service in November 2003 with the USAF (the lead platform was the F-15C) and the USN (the lead platform was the F/A-18C) and is a substantial upgrade to the Sidewinder family featuring an imaging infrared focal-plane array (FPA) seeker with claimed 90° off-boresight capability, compatibility with helmet-mounted displays such as the new U.S. Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), and a totally new two-axis thrust-vectoring control (TVC) system providing increased turn capability over traditional control surfaces (60 g).
Development
AIM-9X (USAF/USN)
Using thE JHMCS, A Pilot Can Point The AIM-9X Missile's Seeker And "Lock On" By Simply Looking At A Target,U.S.
| USAF | AIM-9 | Combat Kills | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F-4C Phantom II | AIM-9B | (13) MiG-17s (9) MiG-21s |
| 2 | F-105D Thunderchief | AIM-9B | 3) MiG-17s |
| 3 | F-4D Phantom II | AIM-9B | (2) MiG-21s |
| 4 | F-4E Phantom II | AIM-9E | (4) MiG-21s |
In total 452 Sidewinders were fired during the Vietnam War, resulting in a kill probability of 18%.
The Services and the Department of Defense were shocked by the poor missile performance - pre-war operational tests predicted that the AIM-9 was expected to hit 65% of the time. The missile testing program, however, did not reflect how the missiles would be used. Almost all the tests were against non-maneuvering drone targets at high altitudes, many of them with artificially strengthened radar returns.
Photo Gallery
Hughes Electronics
AIM-9X Sidewinder is a short-range air-to-air missile
In service 1956–present
Hughes Electronics AIM-9X Sidewinder is a short-range air-to-air missile In service 1956–present
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AIM-9X Sidewinder Raytheon SRAAM
Service history In service 1956–present Used by See Operators Production history Manufacturer Raytheon Company
Ford Aerospace
Loral Corp.
NammoUnit cost US$381,069.74 (Block II)
US$399,500.00 (Block II Plus)
US$209,492.75 (training missile)
(All as of 2019)Produced 1953–present
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Specifications Mass 188 pounds (85.3 kg) Length 9 feet 11 inches (3.02 m) Diameter 5 in (127.0 mm) Wingspan 11 in (279.4 mm) Warhead WDU-17/B annular blast-fragmentation Warhead weight 20.8 lb (9.4 kg) Detonationmechanism IR proximity fuze Engine Hercules/Bermite Mk. 36 solid-fuel rocket Operationalrange 0.6 to 22 miles (1.0 to 35.4 km)[] Maximum speed Mach 2.5+ Guidancesystem Infrared homing (most models)
Semi-active radar homing (AIM-9C)
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Links to Youtube & Others
On 3 May 2025, the head of the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR), lieutenant general Kyrylo Budanov claimed that three MAGURA V7 naval drones armed with AIM-9 Sidewinders modified for surface-to-air operation shot down two Russian Su-30 fighter jets in the Black Sea.[72][73] The Russian Defense Ministry did not comment, but Russian sources report that the pilots of one fighter were rescued by a cargo ship, whose crew received an award
Hughes Electronics
AIM-9X Sidewinder
On 2 November 2023, Israeli Air Force claimed one of its F-35I have shot down an unidentified cruise missile,
Youtube Link
Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake experimented with Sidewinders in the air-to-ground mode including use as an anti-tank weapon
Read more in Hughes Electronics
AIM-9X Sidewinder is a SRAAM
In service 1956–present
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