July 16,
2008: In its first four years of mass
production, 3,000 AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missile have been produced. The
Sidewinder, although the first successful heat seeking missile, has plenty of
completion today (particularly the Israeli Python and European IRIS-T). There
are endless debates over the relative benefits of each missile. But Sidewinder,
and to a lesser extent Python, have one big advantage; combat experience.
Although
over half a century old, the Sidewinder has been the most effective air-to-air
missile ever produced. The first Sidewinder (AIM-9B) was 9.3 feet long, weighed
156 pounds and had a max range of five kilometers. The most current one
(AIM-9X), half a century later, is 9.5
feet long, weighs 191 pounds and has a max range of over 20 kilometers. The
latest version can go after the target from all angles, while the AIM-9B could
only be used from directly behind the target. The AIM-9X is about seven times
more likely to bring down the target than the AIM-9B. The 9X entered service in
2000, but the older 9M is nearly as accurate, although more expensive to
upgrade. Many AIM-9Ms are remaining in service, as they can still get the job
done.
The
Sidewinder has nearly 300 kills world-wide to date. But that means for every
380 Sidewinders manufactured, only one brought down an enemy aircraft. Only
about one percent of all Sidewinders ever even got used in combat. The vast
majority of the 110,000 built, spent their careers being carried by fighters,
or stored away, waiting for a war or training exercise. For that reason, the latest
version is designed for easy upgrades and maintenance. Meanwhile, many of those
in service have some components that are over twenty years old. The missile
itself, is more like an aircraft component, than an expendable weapon, with a
lively market place of component manufacturers and firms offering to upgrade
your old Sidewinders.
