Missile AIM-9X Sidewinder

Development of the Sidewinder began in the late 1940s at the Naval Ordnance Test Station. It emerged in the early 1950s as a guidance system for the modular Zuni rocket. The missile performed its first live firing in September 1952 and successfully intercepted a drone in September 1953. Production was authorized in 1955. The system entered service with the United States Navy in 1956 and the United States Air Force in 1964.

The AIM-9 is a short-range air-to-air missile utilizing infrared homing. The AIM-9X variant incorporates an imaging infrared 128x128 element focal plane array seeker, providing 90-degree off-boresight capability. This version is compatible with helmet-mounted displays, allowing target acquisition based on pilot line-of-sight. Maneuverability in the AIM-9X is augmented by a two-axis thrust-vectoring control system capable of 60g turns. The missile utilizes a passive infrared proximity fuze to detonate a WDU-17/B annular blast-fragmentation warhead. Earlier variants employed rollerons—finned metal discs on the tail fins—for gyroscopic stabilization, while the AIM-9X uses an internal cooling system and electronic safe and arm devices. The Block II version features lock-on after launch capability via a datalink, facilitating 360-degree engagement envelopes.

The Sidewinder is widely deployed and forms the primary short-range armament for air forces in several countries, including NATO members and nations such as Japan, Israel, and Australia. The missile recorded its first combat victory in September 1958 during the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis, when Taiwanese F-86 Sabres engaged Chinese MiG-17s. It was used throughout the Vietnam War, where the AIM-9G variant achieved a 46% hit rate during operations in 1972. During the 1982 Falklands War, the AIM-9L variant achieved 19 kills. In the 1991 Gulf War, the AIM-9M was responsible for all ten Sidewinder-credited aerial victories. Recent operations include the 2023 destruction of a high-altitude balloon and unidentified objects over North America by F-22 aircraft. In the Russo-Ukrainian War, AIM-9M missiles have been adapted for ground-based air defense under the FrankenSAM program and integrated onto MAGURA V7 naval drones, which were used to intercept Russian Su-30 aircraft in 2025.